[ Written by Stacy (classof13). Thanks for sending it in! -Delfina ]

As the decade draws to a close, many lists of the top albums of the decade have been published, and of course, American Idiot has made most, if not, every single one of them. Most of the lists I have seen talk about the social importance of American Idiot, with its call-to-arms anthems; rebellion against the leader at the time, George W. Bush; and its anti-war sentiments. They also talk about the music of the album, which is both inspiring and intelligent, something you can bang your head to but still learn valuable lessons from. And, yes, while all of these aspects were important in the shaping of this album to be one of rock’s classics, I would like to look at something else either equally or more important: the personal importance of American Idiot.

Many people probably have stories just like mine. (Feel free to share them!) I will not go into detail how I found American Idiot, but it was one of the happiest moments of my life. As an eighth grader (Yes, I was one of those reviled tweens…) living in the closed suburbs at the time, it was a new world that I could know and understand. I had other music I liked, like The Beatles and The Who, but it was mostly because of my parents. And I liked Kelly Clarkson’s album, Breakaway, but, as said before, I was a tween. I did not yet have music I could call my own, until one important car ride. I can vaguely remember the first time I heard the album, and can only remember it was one of my family’s long car trips, but I can remember the experience I gained from this record as vividly as if it were yesterday. Putting American Idiot into my old CD player (i-Pods weren’t “in” yet.) and listening to it was one of the best moments of my life. Every time I listen to it I go back to that moment as an innocent eighth grader finally being opened up to the outside world.

Even though I didn’t yet understand all the anti-war lyrics and its place in society at that moment, I knew it was good music. Oh, was it good. I found myself banging my head along with every song and listening to the album multiple times, until I knew every word and every note by heart. “And there’s nothing wrong with me/This is how I’m supposed to be/In the land of make believe/That don’t believe in me,” Billie Joe Armstrong belted in my ear over and over again. And I knew exactly what he meant. I was never the coolest person, and still, five years later, am not exactly cool, but that didn’t matter anymore. There was a world-wide famous band out there who knew exactly how I was feeling.

After I saw them at Giants Stadium September 1, 2005, I began to listen to their older albums and greatest hits, and although they had great songs and lyrics, nothing could beat American Idiot for me. (I have to say “Geek Stink Breath” scared the hell out of me, though.) And to think that when I had first seen the “American Idiot” music video nearly a year before, I had found it wild and stupid, to say the least.

I found that not only did I love the music, but the boys in the band were great as well. Mike Dirnt, although the quietest member of the band, had a great sense of humor and a mean bass riff; Tre Cool, a wild, wacky and fun guy who was never boring, to say the least; and Billie Joe Armstrong: what can you say about him? All I knew was that I was literally in love with this man. I had never felt this way about a singer before. He was quiet and at first I was surprised by his slightly nerdy voice, but that did not matter. The way he spoke his mind, controlled the crowd at concerts, even the fact that he had a wife and was a loving and doting husband: hell, I just loved everything about him.

American Idiot helped shape me into the person I am today. I learned not to take anything at face value, to speak my mind and to not care what anybody else thought of me. And five years later, now almost 19 and more mature, I can understand the importance of the album and what it meant to the world back in 2004, both socially and musically. But, most of all, I had found a music I could call my own. I loved everything this band wrote, something that never happened with any other band I had listened to. Billie Joe Armstrong once said that everybody has that band that just changes their life. Well, Green Day was that band for me.

So, after a long five-year wait, I was very happy when I listened to 21st Century Breakdown to hear it both lyrically and musically beat American Idiot. But American Idiot will always have the special place in my heart. When the world is looking ugly, and I may not feel so great about myself at the moment, I just turn on my i-Pod and listen to my all-time favorite album. No, there’s nothing wrong with me, and there sure as hell is nothing wrong with this album.

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