Saturday, October 21, 2017

Song Of The Week: 10/22/17







Song: "Having A Blast"

Artist: Green Day

Album: "Dookie"

Year: 1994

Place Of Origin: East Bay, California

Years Active: 1986 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Having A Blast" appears to be a song about pent up anger and frustration. The vocalist is so pissed off at everything and everyone that he's at a tipping point. So much so, the he feels he wants to destroy himself and others if they happen to be near him. In the end, it's more of a battle going on in his own head. Is he a psychopathic killer in a rage? Or is he just dealing with so many little things that seem to keep piling up and adding to his anger? With all the mass killings that have been happening around the world recently, "Having A Blast" almost has an ominous feel to it.

GREEN DAY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1990 - 39/Smooth (Lookout! Records)
1991 - Kerplunk (Lookout! Records)
1994 - Dookie (Reprise Records)
1995 - Insomniac (Reprise Records)
1997 - Nimrod (Reprise Records)
2000 - Warning (Reprise Records)
2002 - Shenanigans (Reprise Records)
2004 - American Idiot (Reprise Records)
2005 - Bullet In A Bible (Reprise Records)
2009 - 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise Records)
2011 - Awesome As Fuck (Reprise Records)
2012 - Uno! (Reprise Records)
2012 - Dos! (Reprise Records)
2012 - Tre! (Reprise Records)
2014 - Demolicious (Reprise Records)
2016 - Revolution Radio (Reprise Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF GREEN DAY:

In 1986, Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar) and Mike Dirnt (bass) formed the band Sweet Children in the East Bay, California. The band became part of the rising punk scene at the infamous 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, California. In 1988, the band signed on with Lookout! Records and officially changed their name to Green Day. In 1990, they released their debut album, "39/Smooth". That was also the year the drummer Tre Cool joined the band and that trio is still intact to this very day. After dropping the successful "Kerplunk" in 1991, Green Day signed to major label Reprise Records. Two longtime relationships formed at this time. Reprise has been the only label Green Day has known since their epic 1994 release "Dookie" and producer Rob Cavallo became intregal to producing the Green Day sound on most of the band's records. Speaking of "Dookie", can you say certified diamond?! That means more than 10 million albums sold worldwide!! Green Day, along with The Offspring, Rancid and Bad Religion, were at the forefront of a resurgence in punk rock music in the mid-90's. Though the record sales dropped a bit on their next few albums, 1995's "Insomniac" and 1997's "Nimrod" still achieved multi-platinum status. 2000's "Warning" saw a drop in sales and perhaps questions that maybe Green Day had run their course as a band. Then came 2004. Some ten years after "Dookie", Green Day dropped the punk rock opera known as "American Idiot". Selling over 6 million units worldwide, Green Day had reinvented themselves and became one of the the biggest bands in the world... again!! It's rare for a band to have that type of success twice in their career the way Green Day did. Often, music goes through phases and band's get caught up in that. Older bands get pushed aside for what is hot at the time. Green Day totally broke that mold with "American Idiot". 2009's "21st Century Breakdown" would be the last Green Day album that was a multi-platinum effort. In 2012, Green Day released three albums, basically a month apart from each other. "Uno!", "Dos!" and "Tre!" was an ambitious project but perhaps a little oversaturated. Collectively, all three albums have sold just under 2 million units. In 2016, Green Day released their most recent full length studio album, "Revolution Radio". Green Day is a killer band. Early on, they were snotty punk filled with teenage angst and as the years went on, they became a more politically charged band. At the forefront is the songwriting of Billie Joe Armstrong. Equally great at writing snotty pop punk anthems, personal lyrics and shining a light on some social issues, Armstrong is just a really talented songwriter. Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool are the backbone of the band, holding everything together. Not only were Green Day influenced by punk rock artists like Operation Ivy, The Ramones and the Sex Pistols, they were also heavily influenced by alternative acts like Husker Du and The Replacements as well as classic bands like The Who, The Kinks and Cheap Trick. They really laid the blueprint for melodic pop punk that influenced a slew of newer bands that came out after them. In my opinion, they don't have any bad albums. While some are better than others, I can say that I love all of their albums. It's really a testament to who they are as a band. Over 85 million albums sold worldwide. Five time Grammy Award winners. 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Green Day, one of the best bands of all time!!

TEN GREEN DAY SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. J.A.R.
2. 2,000 Light Years Away
3. Suffocate
4. Going To Pasalacqua
5. Nice Guys Finish Last
6. Minority
7. Geek Stink Breath
8. Still Breathing
9. X-Kid
10. Coming Clean

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