Essay on Green Day's "Dookie"
Since its release on Reprise Records in February of 1994, and subsequent improbable climax at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Dookie has played a critical role in Green Day’s humble ascension to stardom. The album has also been significantly influential in shaping the progression of rock from its post-grunge 1990s era to the emo-saturated alternative scene of today. This special re-issue of Green Day’s most essential album serves to honor their boundlessly impressive career.
Dookie’s commercial accolades far exceeded the expectations of the former Berkeley, California underground punk heroes. The album is number 193 on Rollingstone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” has sold 10 million copies worldwide, and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Rock Performance. Billie Joe Armstrong (guitarist/singer), Mike Dirnt (bassist), and Tre Cool (drummer) were essentially 70s punk revivalists, and with the tremendous sensation created by Dookie, they found themselves as the premiere forerunners of the pop-punk genre. Dookie’s success can be primarily attributed to the band’s ability to connect with the detached, neurotic, television-obsessed youth of the post-Cobain alternative rock scene. The band was able to combine snotty, unapologetic lyrics with exceedingly loud and catchy three-chord tunes, and deliver it all in an innately playful fashion. This sound, especially at their live performances, appealed to a legion of riley fans, both old and new. As San Francisco DJ Steve Masters said, “They have that awesome punk rock energy that makes me want to smash beer bottles on my head" (quoted in Dougherty and Small 94).
Over a span of ten years, this charmingly unsophisticated sound has evolved into the politically fueled, vivid rock opera of 2004’s American Idiot. Green Day’s progression and steadfastness in the mainstream is a result of their relentless diligence and underground roots, and is a testament to the relevance of their long, meaningful career.
Green Day’s roots began in 1987 when Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (both 14-years-old) formed Sweet Children with drummer Al Sobrante. Armstrong and Dirnt were best friends since elementary school, and had been playing guitar and bass, respectively, since the age of ten (Wikipedia). Both grew up in Rodeo, California, a suburb of Oakland, and came from broken homes. Armstrong’s father was a jazz musician and truck driver who died of cancer when Billie Joe was ten (Wikipedia). Billie Joe’s mother remarried soon after, and he had a volatile relationship with his step-father (Wikipedia). Dirnt was born to a heroin-addicted mother and was given up for adoption at an early age (Wikipedia). His adoptive parents divorced when he was seven, and he eventually grew close to his step-father (his adoptive mother’s second husband), who died when Dirnt was seventeen (Wikipedia). The dismal circumstances of Armstrong and Dirnt’s adolescence would become a recurrent theme in Green Day’s frequently anxiety-driven music. “Why Do You Want Him?” from their first LP, 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, is about Armstrong’s maligned step-father. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” from American Idiot is an emotional track which addresses the death of Armstrong’s father for the first time in Green Day’s music.
At the same time Armstrong and Dirnt formed Sweet Children, Tre Cool was the drummer for The Lookouts, a Berkeley-based punk group that frequently performed at Berkeley’s all-ages punk club, 924 Gilman Street (Wikipedia). The Lookouts’ guitarist, Larry Livermore, was also the founder of local independent label Lookout! Records. After hearing Sweet Children perform a small gig in Berkeley, Livermore offered them a record deal in 1988, and they released their first EP 1000 Hours in 1989 under the name Green Day (Wikipedia). In 1991, Green Day released 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, a compilation of new material and previously recorded tracks from their earlier EPs. Soon after the release of 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, Al Sobrante left the band for college (Wikipedia). Tre Cool, whose band The Lookouts had become mostly inactive, was asked to temporarily replace Sobrante. The addition of Cool worked so well he became the permanent drummer, and the new trio began to dominate Berkeley’s underground punk scene.
The pre-Dookie 1990s was a compelling period in American rock. The Seattle-based grunge genre dominated the radio and MTV. While grunge ruled the mainstream, Green Day was part of a flourishing underground punk contingent around Berkeley. Along with such peers as Operation Ivy and Rancid, Green Day frequented played at Berkeley’s famous punk Mecca, 924 Gilman Street. Their music was mostly influenced by British bands like The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Who, The Beatles, and The Sex Pistols. As a result, Billie Joe developed a quasi-Johnny Rotten, fake British singing accent which has become his penchant. He describes this peculiar voice as “an American guy faking an English accent faking an American accent” (quoted in Foege 26). In addition to their British muses, the young Green Day was inspired by American counterparts The Ramones and Generation X. On local indie label Lookout! Records, they released 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour (1991) and Kerplunk (1992), which were revered exclusively within Bay Area punk circles. However, Kerplunk! caught the attention of several major labels, and much to the disappointment of Berkeley’s underground devotees, Green Day signed with Warner Bros. Reprise Records in 1993 (Dougherty and Small 94).
After signing to Reprise, Green Day’s career and fate would take a drastic turn, for better and worse. Inevitably, they were shunned by the East Bay underground scene which embraced them. The band members were blunt and uncompromising in their response to their core fans’ virulent reactions: “I don’t come from the world where you can afford to turn down cash,” Billie Joe once said (quoted in Dougherty and Small 95). While being labeled as “sell outs” by the Gilman Street crowd, they were intent on maintaining their integrity in the spotlight. In Dirnt’s words, “Rock star means, like, a rich asshole. That’s a 1980s thing. No matter what anyone says, I’m too deeply rooted to just turn asshole overnight” (quoted in Foege 26) After working on material with their new record company and producer, Rob Cavallo, for over a year, Green Day released Dookie in February of 1994. The album immediately changed rock music, as its sound marked a departure from grunge, “framed by lean guitar parts and melodic bass lines, Green Day’s songs are the polar opposite of the fuzz-toned Seattle sound” (Foege 26). As Dookie gained more prominence throughout 1994, Green Day was able to redirect the alternative scene following the musical rift created by Kurt Cobain’s suicide in April of that year. Headlining Woodstock (where they playfully started an enormous mud fight with fans while performing) and Lollapalooza, the band became notorious for their powerfully energetic live performances and found itself rising to national fame over the course of one year.
Dookie was recorded in little more than three weeks, and Billie Joe’s vocals were done in a mere two days (Rollingstone). This urgent recording habit was symptomatic of their earlier independent releases which were recorded quickly due to low budgets. The album’s overall sound is masterfully summarized in a Time Magazine review as “a cathartic punk explosion” (Farley 72). The first single and biggest commercial hit, “Longview,” is an animated song about the boredom of lethargic summer days, and more specifically, masturbation. Armstrong describes the song as “cheap self-therapy from watching too much TV” (Rollingstone). The song skillfully changes between quiet, droning verses with an infectiously simple bass line, and a loud chorus with an invigorating guitar riff. “Basket Case” is the album’s most memorably frenetic track, with lines such as, “I am one of those / melodramatic fools / neurotic to the bone / no doubt about it,” and “I think I’m crackin’ up / Am I just paranoid? / Or just stoned?” The success of both “Basket Case” and “Longview” was propelled by their hilarious and self-degrading videos which spent a considerable time in heavy rotation on MTV. “When I Come Around” is probably Dookie’s most thematically meaningful songs, depicting a guy stalking a girl who was unwilling to accept his obsession with her. “Coming Clean” also has great lyrical substance, as Armstrong relates the feelings of his teenage self contemplating his sexuality. The album’s hardest track, “Welcome To Paradise,” is an endearing yet stark tribute to the band’s former Berkeley stomping grounds. The song uses a blaring guitar riff and the expertly harnessed ferociousness of Tre Cool’s drums to candidly depict life in rundown neighborhoods around the punk scene.
Over twelve years of existence, Dookie has perpetuated itself through its appeal to a wide demographic of young fans and musicians. Cool explains this phenomenon by saying, “We get older and our audience stays the same” (quoted in Pappademas). The greatest accomplishment of Green Day as artists is their ability to redefine and evolve their sound, thus continually making refreshing material which is appreciated by old and new fans. According to Spin Magazine writer Alex Pappademas, this effect was evident while Green Day was touring after releasing their latest album, American Idiot (2004): “On Green Day's current tour, longtime fans will have to fight for space in the mosh pit with 14-year-old newcomers-kids who got into the band via the countless other punk outfits who've learned from Dookie's example.” (Pappademas) These countless heirs to the pop-punk revolution which Green Day started, such as Blink 182, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, and Sum 41, are proof (whether good or bad) of Green Day’s extensive influence and significance in rock music. Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus acknowledges the debt that the newest generation of punk bands owes Green Day, saying “They were a huge inspiration for us. Green Day breaking punk rock into the mainstream consciousness really helped us and opened up people's minds to our kind of music” (quoted in Appleford 34).
Dookie’s commercial accolades far exceeded the expectations of the former Berkeley, California underground punk heroes. The album is number 193 on Rollingstone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” has sold 10 million copies worldwide, and won a Grammy for Best Alternative Rock Performance. Billie Joe Armstrong (guitarist/singer), Mike Dirnt (bassist), and Tre Cool (drummer) were essentially 70s punk revivalists, and with the tremendous sensation created by Dookie, they found themselves as the premiere forerunners of the pop-punk genre. Dookie’s success can be primarily attributed to the band’s ability to connect with the detached, neurotic, television-obsessed youth of the post-Cobain alternative rock scene. The band was able to combine snotty, unapologetic lyrics with exceedingly loud and catchy three-chord tunes, and deliver it all in an innately playful fashion. This sound, especially at their live performances, appealed to a legion of riley fans, both old and new. As San Francisco DJ Steve Masters said, “They have that awesome punk rock energy that makes me want to smash beer bottles on my head" (quoted in Dougherty and Small 94).
Over a span of ten years, this charmingly unsophisticated sound has evolved into the politically fueled, vivid rock opera of 2004’s American Idiot. Green Day’s progression and steadfastness in the mainstream is a result of their relentless diligence and underground roots, and is a testament to the relevance of their long, meaningful career.
Green Day’s roots began in 1987 when Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (both 14-years-old) formed Sweet Children with drummer Al Sobrante. Armstrong and Dirnt were best friends since elementary school, and had been playing guitar and bass, respectively, since the age of ten (Wikipedia). Both grew up in Rodeo, California, a suburb of Oakland, and came from broken homes. Armstrong’s father was a jazz musician and truck driver who died of cancer when Billie Joe was ten (Wikipedia). Billie Joe’s mother remarried soon after, and he had a volatile relationship with his step-father (Wikipedia). Dirnt was born to a heroin-addicted mother and was given up for adoption at an early age (Wikipedia). His adoptive parents divorced when he was seven, and he eventually grew close to his step-father (his adoptive mother’s second husband), who died when Dirnt was seventeen (Wikipedia). The dismal circumstances of Armstrong and Dirnt’s adolescence would become a recurrent theme in Green Day’s frequently anxiety-driven music. “Why Do You Want Him?” from their first LP, 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, is about Armstrong’s maligned step-father. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” from American Idiot is an emotional track which addresses the death of Armstrong’s father for the first time in Green Day’s music.
At the same time Armstrong and Dirnt formed Sweet Children, Tre Cool was the drummer for The Lookouts, a Berkeley-based punk group that frequently performed at Berkeley’s all-ages punk club, 924 Gilman Street (Wikipedia). The Lookouts’ guitarist, Larry Livermore, was also the founder of local independent label Lookout! Records. After hearing Sweet Children perform a small gig in Berkeley, Livermore offered them a record deal in 1988, and they released their first EP 1000 Hours in 1989 under the name Green Day (Wikipedia). In 1991, Green Day released 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, a compilation of new material and previously recorded tracks from their earlier EPs. Soon after the release of 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour, Al Sobrante left the band for college (Wikipedia). Tre Cool, whose band The Lookouts had become mostly inactive, was asked to temporarily replace Sobrante. The addition of Cool worked so well he became the permanent drummer, and the new trio began to dominate Berkeley’s underground punk scene.
The pre-Dookie 1990s was a compelling period in American rock. The Seattle-based grunge genre dominated the radio and MTV. While grunge ruled the mainstream, Green Day was part of a flourishing underground punk contingent around Berkeley. Along with such peers as Operation Ivy and Rancid, Green Day frequented played at Berkeley’s famous punk Mecca, 924 Gilman Street. Their music was mostly influenced by British bands like The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Who, The Beatles, and The Sex Pistols. As a result, Billie Joe developed a quasi-Johnny Rotten, fake British singing accent which has become his penchant. He describes this peculiar voice as “an American guy faking an English accent faking an American accent” (quoted in Foege 26). In addition to their British muses, the young Green Day was inspired by American counterparts The Ramones and Generation X. On local indie label Lookout! Records, they released 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour (1991) and Kerplunk (1992), which were revered exclusively within Bay Area punk circles. However, Kerplunk! caught the attention of several major labels, and much to the disappointment of Berkeley’s underground devotees, Green Day signed with Warner Bros. Reprise Records in 1993 (Dougherty and Small 94).
After signing to Reprise, Green Day’s career and fate would take a drastic turn, for better and worse. Inevitably, they were shunned by the East Bay underground scene which embraced them. The band members were blunt and uncompromising in their response to their core fans’ virulent reactions: “I don’t come from the world where you can afford to turn down cash,” Billie Joe once said (quoted in Dougherty and Small 95). While being labeled as “sell outs” by the Gilman Street crowd, they were intent on maintaining their integrity in the spotlight. In Dirnt’s words, “Rock star means, like, a rich asshole. That’s a 1980s thing. No matter what anyone says, I’m too deeply rooted to just turn asshole overnight” (quoted in Foege 26) After working on material with their new record company and producer, Rob Cavallo, for over a year, Green Day released Dookie in February of 1994. The album immediately changed rock music, as its sound marked a departure from grunge, “framed by lean guitar parts and melodic bass lines, Green Day’s songs are the polar opposite of the fuzz-toned Seattle sound” (Foege 26). As Dookie gained more prominence throughout 1994, Green Day was able to redirect the alternative scene following the musical rift created by Kurt Cobain’s suicide in April of that year. Headlining Woodstock (where they playfully started an enormous mud fight with fans while performing) and Lollapalooza, the band became notorious for their powerfully energetic live performances and found itself rising to national fame over the course of one year.
Dookie was recorded in little more than three weeks, and Billie Joe’s vocals were done in a mere two days (Rollingstone). This urgent recording habit was symptomatic of their earlier independent releases which were recorded quickly due to low budgets. The album’s overall sound is masterfully summarized in a Time Magazine review as “a cathartic punk explosion” (Farley 72). The first single and biggest commercial hit, “Longview,” is an animated song about the boredom of lethargic summer days, and more specifically, masturbation. Armstrong describes the song as “cheap self-therapy from watching too much TV” (Rollingstone). The song skillfully changes between quiet, droning verses with an infectiously simple bass line, and a loud chorus with an invigorating guitar riff. “Basket Case” is the album’s most memorably frenetic track, with lines such as, “I am one of those / melodramatic fools / neurotic to the bone / no doubt about it,” and “I think I’m crackin’ up / Am I just paranoid? / Or just stoned?” The success of both “Basket Case” and “Longview” was propelled by their hilarious and self-degrading videos which spent a considerable time in heavy rotation on MTV. “When I Come Around” is probably Dookie’s most thematically meaningful songs, depicting a guy stalking a girl who was unwilling to accept his obsession with her. “Coming Clean” also has great lyrical substance, as Armstrong relates the feelings of his teenage self contemplating his sexuality. The album’s hardest track, “Welcome To Paradise,” is an endearing yet stark tribute to the band’s former Berkeley stomping grounds. The song uses a blaring guitar riff and the expertly harnessed ferociousness of Tre Cool’s drums to candidly depict life in rundown neighborhoods around the punk scene.
Over twelve years of existence, Dookie has perpetuated itself through its appeal to a wide demographic of young fans and musicians. Cool explains this phenomenon by saying, “We get older and our audience stays the same” (quoted in Pappademas). The greatest accomplishment of Green Day as artists is their ability to redefine and evolve their sound, thus continually making refreshing material which is appreciated by old and new fans. According to Spin Magazine writer Alex Pappademas, this effect was evident while Green Day was touring after releasing their latest album, American Idiot (2004): “On Green Day's current tour, longtime fans will have to fight for space in the mosh pit with 14-year-old newcomers-kids who got into the band via the countless other punk outfits who've learned from Dookie's example.” (Pappademas) These countless heirs to the pop-punk revolution which Green Day started, such as Blink 182, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, and Sum 41, are proof (whether good or bad) of Green Day’s extensive influence and significance in rock music. Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus acknowledges the debt that the newest generation of punk bands owes Green Day, saying “They were a huge inspiration for us. Green Day breaking punk rock into the mainstream consciousness really helped us and opened up people's minds to our kind of music” (quoted in Appleford 34).
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