As Green Day’s American Idiot cycle came khổng lồ an end in 2006, the b& found themselves treading unfamiliar waters: they were, as frontman Billie Joe Armstrong noted, no longer the underdogs. While 1994’s Dookie thrust them inlớn the spotlight adecade prior, their 2004 career-changing seventh studio album presented anew level of superstardom that required careful onward navigation. Where would they go fromhere?
“We’re lượt thích aboxer who’s fought his way up & is now the champion,” Billie Joe considered. “We’ve sầu got to stay in good shape or else we’re going khổng lồ get our asseskicked!”
The trio’s decision lớn take their time on album number eight, then, was deliberate, resulting in their longest-ever gap between records. American Idiot took them up to lớn December 17, 2005 và allowed for afew sporadic sets the following year. But 2006 as awhole was all about coming khổng lồ terms with the conclusion of their most successful chapter yet, as well as turning thoughts towards what would become 21st Century Breakdown. It would also involve time away frommusic.
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Billie Joe channelled his energy into helping victims of Hurricane Katrimãng cầu, taking his family out khổng lồ New Orleans lớn build houses, and later regrouping with Mike and Tré for acharity cover of The Saints Are Coming with U2. In terms of an actual sabbatical, he travelled to lớn France và Mexico, while Tré headed lớn Cutía, and Mike ventured toEurope.
After nearly ayear, new material was “getting there”, but the desire khổng lồ avoid doing anything reactionary to the album’s predecessor played on their minds. “In no way do we want to lớn make music that feels lượt thích we’re cashing in on our past success,” Billie Joe explainedshrewdly.
It wasn’t until October 2007 that fans finally had asolid update. Green Day had been chipping away at “something like 45 songs”, và were almost ready lớn startdemos.
But then they did something no-one saw coming, when agarage roông chồng bvà by the name of Foxboro Hot Tubs appeared as if from nowhere in December, with new songs lớn boot. Two months later, seemingly letting the world know that Green Day had slipped further down his priorities, Billie Joe temporarily resurrected another side-project, Pinhead Gunpowder, for several Oaklvà club gigs. By April 2008, the focus was baông xã on the Hot Tubs, và the arrival of their brilliant debut, Stop Drop AndRoll!!!
A string of U.S. tour dates followed, & Billie Joe, Mike and Tré ostensibly boasted an all-new ‘anything goes’ phase. “I started liking Foxboro Hot Tubs more than Green Day,” Billie Joe confessed. “We partied so much that Iended up with walking pneumonia at the end of thattour.”
“It meant we could get some swagger back,” added Mike. “We took that swagger và all that fucking energy back to thestudio.”
He wasn’t wrong. Stepping away from the rehearsal space they’d been demoing at previously, Green Day hit four local(ish) studios, joining forces for the first time with renowned producer Butch Vig. Ultimately, this partnership would result in their boldest effortyet.
As had been the case up until that point, though, it was the journey there that was complicated. The record’s primary writer had made his vocals inaudible in early mixes lớn keep 21st Century Breakdown’s lyricssecret.
Billie Joe wouldn’t show Butch or his bandmates what he’d written until later in the year, when he read them aloud in trackdanh mục order. Only then would Mike, Tré & Butch learn what had inspired his songwriting: politics, religion, drugs, prosperity & poverty, self-destruction, andlove.
Across its three acts – Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades – & 69minutes, Billie Joe used everything from Hurricane Katrina lớn his wife, Adrienne, as creativestimuli.
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Sonically, it was the next logical step for Green Day, too. While the likes of Murder City & The Static Age could have sầu comfortably sat on American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown as awhole delivered more: ultra-sleazy, mariachi-esque vibes (Peacemaker), mini-roông chồng operas (the title-traông xã, American Eulogy), lighters-in-the-air sing-alongs (21 Guns), and epic rallying-cries (Know YourEnemy).
“It’s amusical narrative,” Billie Joe pondered. “It ebbs & flows. It takes you from asaloon in the 19th century khổng lồ adark melancholy place, to driving down astreet, blasting your radio loudly while throwing beer bottles out thewindow.”
Green Day struggled to lớn let the album go when it was complete, however. Even after initially submitting it khổng lồ Warner Bros. ahead of its May 15 release in 2009, they hastily took it backagain.
But this painstaking approach worked wonders. losartanfast.com! awarded the album the perfect 5K rating và the record hit Number One in the U.S. and the UK, as well as scooping their second Best Rock Album win at theGRAMMYs.
Across the pond, the 21st Century Breakdown U.S. tour grossed $74 million, while the UK hosted what Billie Joe referred lớn as “the biggest fucking show in
Green Day’s eighth LP. would also make its way inlớn theatres as part of the American Idiot musical in 2010, with five sầu tracks used in the production’s storyline. Not nội dung with creating the records that inspired it & writing the book, Billie Joe took on the role of St. Jimmy between tours that year, và went on to lớn make another 50 appearances in2011.
Their triumphs weren’t khổng lồ last, however. And while Green Day’s frontman later confessed to lớn having some “huge” meltdowns on 21st Century Breakdown’s touring cycle, these problems snowballed very publicly in2012.
But the band didn’t know that just yet. For now, they basked in what they believed was the best record they’d evermade.