The bands history can be traced to Billie Joe  Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (bass) starting a band called Sweet Children in 1987. By 1989 they signed to a local label called “Lookout Records” and released their first EP “1,000 hours”. They changed their name to Green Day and released their first album

Green Day – The Punk Rock Superstars

“I'm going to point a gun at Tré, Tré will point a gun at Mike and Mike will point a gun at me. We're going to count to 3 then pull the trigger.” Green Day

21^st Century Punk Heroes

Ok so you can either love Green Day or hate Green Day, maybe even ask Noel Gallagher of Oasis or rock royalty Bono, but the one thing you can’t do is ignore or deny Green Day. Deny the juvenile three chord progression, ferocious bass line and crazy drumming, deny the nearly 55 million in worldwide album sales and rock superstardom!  From Basket Cases to American Idiots the trio has indeed come a very long way and most of it by accident – or so they say! Billie Joe  Armstrong wants to be a rock god; something unlike any other punk band leader worth his salt would argue that the very nature of punk music stands for the anti-establishment and against the rock excess.

So who is Green Day? There are two sides to Green Day, the very believable drunk college punksters with their silly videos and even sillier lyrics. And then there is the subliminal, serious punk rockers preaching to the anti-war Bush haters, basking in the brooding shadows of misery and isolation. Green Day references Queen for their melodic rock intensity, Pete Townsend for the rock opera concept and guitar chords, Hüsker Dü and the Clash for their punk credibility. The London twang, schoolboy ties, snorting core antics and stadium rock have given Green Day commercial glory and “sell out” tag from the punk community!

The Formation of the Geeks

The bands history can be traced to Billie Joe  Armstrong and Mike Dirnt (bass) starting a band called Sweet Children in 1987. By 1989 they signed to a local label called “Lookout Records” and released their first EP “1,000 hours”. They changed their name to Green Day and released their first album “39/Smooth”. In 1990, they embarked on a US tour playing at punk events and bars. The band now replaced the existing drummer with Tré Cool. The tour saw them travel to Europe and they went to release their second album “Kerplunk” which sold 50,000 copies in the US

Diamond Breakthrough

The second album’s success was attributed to their extensive touring and major labels took an interest. They signed with Reprise Records causing a stir in the underground punk community. The band released the first major label album “Dookie” in 1994 was a commercial breakthrough. MTV played their first three singles “Basket Case”, “Longview” and “When I come Around” all three songs reached NO.1 on the US Alt Rock charts. They toured the US appearing on the ’94 version of Woodstock. The performance gave them widespread popularity which became even more when the band won Grammy for Best Alternative Album.

The album has sold an astonishing over 10 million copies.

The band followed up with this success by their next album released in 1995 titled “Insomniac” which peaked at No. 2 on the US album charts and has sold 7 million copies worldwide. The album features their punk signature tune “Geek Stink Breath” dealing with affects of drugs.

Nimrod and Decline

The band released “Nimrod” in 1997 which debut at No. 10 on the US charts and featured the acoustic classic “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. The band went on an international tour which was well received. The bands next two albums “Warning” in 2000 and “Minority” were distinctly different from their punk roots but were criticized for lacking in energy and direction. The band seemed to have lost steam and their relevance. The decline was evident in commercial sales.

The Big Ideas And Rock Stardom!

In 2003, the band started recording a new album tentatively titled “Cigarettes and Valentines”, but the master disc was stolen from the studio. The band decided to scrap the idea of recording and start afresh. They also cleared some of their personal issues and decided to record. During the recording session Billie Joe decided to convert the album into a rock opera concept. The band’s ambition grew with the progress of the recording and released the single “American Idiot” which skyrocketed to the top. The single was pure guitar driven energy! The album with the same name was released on Sept of 2004 with its now iconic cover.

Debuting at No.1 on the album charts – the bands first. The album talks about the fictitious character “Jesus of Suburbia” and his journey. The twin “Holiday” which was a direct attack on the Bush administration ushered in the albums defining moment. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” was Green Days finest moment. Often criticized for its clichéd lyrics, the intensity of the rock ballad is undeniable. It won the Record of the Year Grammy

The single “Wake me up when September Ends” is a slow melancholy ballad which  Armstrong as painful childhood memory of the loss of his father.

The band had transformed them selves and were now one of rock music’s biggest acts touring stadiums around the world.  

They recorded “The Saints are Coming” with legendary U2, who Billie Joe has often claimed as one of his inspiration. They also recorded the classic John Lennon track “Working Class Hero” for the Amnesty International album for Darfur

They released “21^st Century Breakdown” the sequel to American Idiot”, though less accessible it was critically and commercially hailed as the perfect follow-up. The album debut at No.1 on the US charts and spawned hit single “Know your Enemy”; the band is currently on a global world tour.

• Green Day appeared on The Simpsons Movie playing the theme song

• In March 2010 it has been widely reported that Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has plans to convert Green Day’s rock opera “American Idiot” into a movie

• Green Day and Irish Rock Legends U2 performed a live version of “The Saints Are Coming” at the Louisiana Superdome which was hosting its first game after the damage caused due to Hurricane Katrina  

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