Reminiscing Over Green Day and 'Dookie'

A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through Twitter, and came across this article from The Ringer.

You ever have a surreal moment and realize after it hits you that you know you’re getting old? In the back of my mind I knew that Green Day’s Dookie was released in 1994, towards the end of my high school years, and was played repeatedly in my first car, whether on the radio or by cassette, when I finally obtained a driver’s license. When I saw the headline ’25 Years Later,’ it took me for a bit of a loop.

The article goes on to tell a first-hand account of Green Day’s September 9^th, 1994 free concert at the Hatch Shell in Boston, which lasted for a good twenty minutes before it escalated into a full-blown riot. Several weeks earlier Green Day was the breakout band of Woodstock ’94, a concert to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the original festival in upstate New York. That same month the band released “Basket Case,” the second single from Dookie, which was played on a continuous loop on MTV. The culmination of these events vaulted the band to commercial success, all laid by the groundwork of their third studio album released on February 1^st, 1994.

Although they never repeated the success of Dookie sales wise (10 million in the U.S.), Green Day still managed to stay relevant through the years, even while the pop punk genre fizzled out of the mainstream during the 2000s. Can they credit this sustained success to the subsequent releases after Dookie over the last quarter of a century? As someone who has maintained a fandom for the band through the years, and to remember Dookie on its 25^th anniversary, I felt obligated to do a deep dive into the band’s catalogue. If I had to personally rank their albums, and highlight some of their strengths and weaknesses, it would go something like this.

12. Warning (released October 3^rd, 2000)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Minority,” “Warning,” “Waiting”

Many fans and critics will rank this album higher, but this is probably my least favorite album of theirs. It’s one the band’s most progressive and stripped-down record, with acoustic guitars making appearances on multiple tracks. These songs are good, but this might have been a reason that I found this album difficult to initially get into when it was first released. This was also the year of Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP, Coldplay’s Parachutes, and Radiohead’s Kid A, so there was other music occupying my speakers. Plus, I was probably anticipating something similar to their previous album, Nimrod. Decent record, and ‘Minority’ is as catchy as they come, but not one of my go to options.

11. 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (released April 13, 1990)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “At The Library,” “Going To Pasalacqua,” “Paper Lanterns”

This is essentially Green Day’s first album, even though it mixes the release 39/Smooth and the EPs Slappy and 1000 Hours. I often associate this with Kerplunk! as the two records I needed to buy after the success of Dookie, also triggered by “Going To Pasalacqua” and “Paper Lanterns” being displayed in the band’s MTV: Jaded in Chicago ’94 concert special (which at one point had recorded on VHS, eventually wearing out the tape). The album is pretty much what you might expect; raw pop punk songs that don’t extend over the four-minute mark. It’s not great, but a decent debut with some highlights of what’s to come.

10. ¡Tré! (released December 11, 2012)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “X-Kid,” “99 Revolutions”

9. ¡Dos! (released November 13, 2012)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “See You Tonight,” “Lazy Bones,” ‘Wild One,’ “Baby Eyes,” “Wow! That’s Loud”

8. ¡Uno! (released September 25^th, 2012)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Nuclear Family,” “Stay The Night,” “Fell For You,” “Oh Love”

Like many critics, I lump these records together, all being released within three months of each other at the end of 2012. They were overshadowed by lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong’s onstage meltdown at the iHeart Radio Festival on September 21^st of that year, leading to his essential stint in rehab and the cancellation of a number of U.S. tour dates. !Uno! is definitely the most consistent, providing a pop punk tone that is reminiscent of their early days. If ¡Tré! wasn’t partnered with the other two, I would probably have it at the bottom of this list, mostly because I’m turned off by the ballads ‘Brutal Love’ and ‘The Forgotten.’ There’s definitely some good stuff here though, although the albums never received the promotion and recognition they deserved.

7. Insomniac (released October 10, 1995)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Armatage Shanks,” “Geek Stink Breath,” “Brain Stew/Jaded,” “Walking Contradiction”

The day had finally came. The follow up to Dookie, and a heavily anticipated album in the fall of 1995 when record releases used to mean something. At the time I remember forcing myself to like it, wanting it to be as good as its predecessor. It wasn’t by any means, but still sold over 2 million copies. The template was pretty much the same as Dookie, but with a darker tone. This was also the tour that I saw the band in a fifteen thousand seat arena, and witnessed a mob of kids bum rush and topple a security guard just to be part of the mosh pits on the floor. This was when Green Day was at the height of their powers, even if Insomniac fell a little short.

6. Kerplunk! (released January 17, 1992)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “2000 Light Years Away,” “Welcome To Paradise,” “Christie Road,” “Dominated Love Slave,” “No One Knows”

The other pre Dookie release on label Lookout! Records, and the first album to feature drummer Tré Cool. It also came out four months after Nirvana’s Nevermind, so grunge was on the rise, but Kerplunk! still had some initial success for an independent label. The record is slightly more polished than 39/Smooth, and also significantly better. It would go on to sell 1 million copies in the U.S., but most importantly it helped pave the way for the band to sign with Reprise Records and eventually record Dookie.

5. Revolution Radio (released October 7, 2016)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Bang Bang,” “Revolution Radio,” “Still Breathing,” “Forever Now”

Bouncing back after Armstrong’s meltdown, this record is reminiscent of the band’s previous rock operas American Idiot and 21^st Century Breakdown, evident in Armstrong’s attack on social issues and the mini-opera track ‘Forever Now.’ In a year where some of the top critically reviewed albums came from Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, and Beyoncé, a rock throwback to some of the band’s stronger material was a pleasant surprise. Any run of the mill fans should definitely give it a listen.

4. 21^st Century Breakdown (released May 9, 2009)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Know Your Enemy,” “Before The Lobotomy,” “Peacemaker,” “Last Of The American Girls,” “The Static Age,” “21 Guns”

Produced by Butch Vig, famously known for producing Nirvana’s Nevermind, this is the band’s second rock opera. Similar to its predecessor American Idiot, it takes on social issues and authority as it follows the story of a young punk couple. The album displays some of the band’s best songwriting, building on what they accomplished in American Idiot. It went on the win Best Rock Album at the 2010 Grammy’s, the second time they’ve won in that category.

3. Nimrod (released October 14, 1997)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “Nice Guys Finish Last,” “Hitchin’ A Ride,” “Redundant,” “Scattered,” “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”

Green Day is three chord power punk at its core, but this is the record they begin to diverge into new territory. The album features harmonicas (“Walking Alone”), horns (“King For a Day”), a surf-rock instrumental (“Last Ride In”), and a very successful acoustic ballad (“Good Riddance”). The result is a more melodic effort, and a sign the band was maturing from being punk brats. With 18 tracks that clock in close to 50 minutes, it was their most extensive and complex effort until…

2. American Idiot (released September 24, 2004)

Tracks to keep on repeat: “American Idiot,” “Holiday,” “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends”

Doing their best Who impersonation, American Idiot is Green Day’s first punk rock opera that also brought them back to relevance. It’s charged with politically motivated and adult themes, and it shows in the band’s mature songwriting. Two of the songs (“Jesus Of Suburbia,” “Homecoming”) are mini-operas themselves, and both reach the 9-minute mark. The album sold over 6 million copies in the U.S., won Best Rock Album and was nominated of Album of the Year at the 2005 Grammys, and spawned a Tony Award winning Broadway musical. It’s considered by many as not only one of the best albums of 2004, but of the entire decade.

1. Dookie (released February 1, 1994)

Tracks to keep on repeat: Besides the whole album? “Burnout,” “Chump,” “Longview,” “Basket Case,” “Welcome To Paradise,” “She,” “When I Come Around”

No real surprise here seeing as this piece is commemorating this album. Besides its critical acclaim and critical success that launched Green Day’s career, what else can be said about this record? Top album of 1994? It’s in some prestigious company, but deserves to be there. One of the best albums of the 90s? An argument can certainly be made. It even garnered a tweet from Serena Williams (yes, the tennis phenom) on its anniversary that the album changed her life “for the better,” and she thanked the band members by tagging them individually.

But regardless if you’ve had the feeling like me that you're getting old and perhaps lost touch with Green Day, there’s no doubting the pop cultural impact of Dookie. So go to Apple Music, Spotify, or even dig out your old CD if that still suits your fancy, and crank up these three-chord classics for old times sake. You'll be thankful that you did.