A Green Day Fan Site

[ This essay was contributed by Elly. Thanks for sharing it! -Delfina ]

These are frustrating times. Nothing seems to verify this more than the current economic situation. To tell the truth, I didn’t really understand most of it until recently. Now I know the extent of what’s been going on, and once I realized that, I was angry.

Angry because there was no one to blame; angry because good people are losing their homes and money to grossly rich snobs who probably don’t even need it; angry because it makes our country look corrupted and greedy.

So…where does Green Day come into all of this? Well of course, all this frustration led me to thinking about them, and naturally I turned to them for comfort. I realized…with all the problems going on in the world, how can one be optimistic about the future?

I am seventeen (and strung out on confusion), close to the beginning of the rest of my life. Responsibility is right around the corner and I have to start worrying about these kinds of things sooner than later.

While that is true…. I dove into my Green Day albums to find solace; to even forget about the problems we face. My search for a calmed mind eventually led me to the Foxboro Hot Tubs. After grinning my way through “The Pedestrian” (which is the most infectious burst of noise I have ever heard) “27th Ave. Shuffle” came tumbling on. I love that little drum solo; classic Tre…. Anyway, I love this song, and I really think it says so much with so little. Of course, one could say I’m thinking too much about it, that I’m finding something that isn’t there. After all, these songs were written for fun.

But… knowing Billie Joe, there’s always something lurking underneath; something personal or a message that may be overlooked. You may not realize it, might just get lost in those clanging guitars and those vocals… which is perfectly okay. I do it all the time. But what stuck with me was the first line: ‘things are so much harder now/no matter how I try/ junkyard days and toxic waste/ still love is on my mind.’ Of course I didn’t grasp this the first time around; it’s after you establish a love for the song that you find its meaning to you. Anyway, that line really stood out. It made me think about everything, which is why I love the band so much. I began to piece together what I thought was the theme of the song: a young man is troubled by the times around him, with everything bad that is going on in the world, but he still worries about falling in love and being with someone. All he wants is love; he doesn’t care for anything else.

After realizing this, I loved Green Day all the more. They turned this simple little message into something so insightful and a comment on what it’s like in this place and time. I know that I could be looking at it in too grand a scale, but I guess what my main point is, is that this music can not only put you in a good mood - it can take you off the planet, to places you would rather be. It keeps your mind off of such troubling things and helps you get on with your life. I love how something so simple can really affect someone’s life… I know it affected mine.