Band: Green Day
Song: Jesus of Suburbia
Album: American Idiot
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Why this song is awesome:
I have a very special place in my heart for this song, which clocks in at about 9 minutes that go by so quick you’d swear it were shorter.
A lot of people thought Green Day was nuts for writing American Idiot, a rock-opera.
“Who the hell do they think they are? A pop punk band doing a concept album?” I remember reading. Well, they were nuts all right. And it worked out beyond my wildest expectations.
(lf I’m starting to sound like a Green Day fan boy, it’s because I am *embarassed at my nerdiness*)
On this album, they defied all expectation. They were dangerous. They were exciting.
People criticized Billie Joe’s new look, saying he looked like some kind of emo kid with too much guyliner. But for me, that’s when Billie Joe went from being a Rock Star to a Rock Icon. Seeing him on stage was electrifying. He literally held crowds of 50 thousand people in the palm of his hand. In fact, here’s proof (esp. 2 minutes in)
When I first heard Jesus of Suburbia, I was on a bus. I had bought the CD at my local mall, ran to unwrap it, and put it into my discman (yes, a discman). I loved Green Day growing up, and after reading so many pre-release interviews about how ambitious this album was, I was nervous. But excited.
So, I sat on the bus and listened to this song attentively for the first time. Then I cried. It was the first time a song ever made me cry.
It was so amazing and beautiful and it fucking ROCKED. I’m not sure why I was so emotional. Maybe, it was like I was proud of that band I always hoped could create a masterpiece, and here it was. In my hands.
You may disagree with me, but to me, this is one of the best songs (and albums) ever written.
