Índex de continguts

Band history..........................................................................................................................................1
Formation and Lookout years: 1987–1993......................................................................................1
Breakthrough success: 1994–1996..................................................................................................2
Middle era and fall in popularity: 1997–2002.................................................................................3
American Idiot and renewed success: 2003–2006...........................................................................4
Foxboro Hot Tubs and 21st Century Breakdown: 2007–present.....................................................5
Musical style and influences................................................................................................................6
Related projects....................................................................................................................................7
Band members......................................................................................................................................8
Discography..........................................................................................................................................9
Awards.............................................................................................................................................9
References............................................................................................................................................9
Green Day...........................................................................................................................................10
Green Day
is an American rock trio formed in 1987.The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar),
Mike Dirnt (bass guitar, vocals), and Tré Cool (drums, percussion) for the majority of its existence.
Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its
early releases for independent record label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some
of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label.Nevertheless, its major label debut
Dookie (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and
15 million worldwide.As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk
bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the
United States.Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the
massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum,
and gold status respectively.Green Day's 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity
with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S.The band's eighth studio album, 21st
Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009.
Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States. They have won three Grammy
Awards; Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year
for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Band history
Formation and Lookout years: 1987–1993

"Welcome to Paradise"

Sample of "Welcome to Paradise" from Kerplunk This was before Green Day re-recorded the
song for its major-label debut Dookie.

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In 1987, friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, formed a band called
Sweet Children. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in
Vallejo, California where Armstrong's mother was working.In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working
with former Isocracy drummer, John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante). Kiffmeyer served as both
the band's drummer and business manager, handling the booking of shows and helping the band
establish a fan base.
Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his
label. In 1989 they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band
dropped the name Sweet Children, according to Livermore this was done to avoid confusion with
another local band Sweet Baby. The band adopted the name Green Day, allegedly due to their
fondness of marijuana.
Lookout! would release Green Day's first LP, 39/Smooth in early 1990. Green Day would record two
EPs later that year: Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included some older songs they had
recorded for Minneapolis indie label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, a compilation of the 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours EPs. In
late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend
college. The Lookouts drummer Tré Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it
became clear that Sobrante did not plan to commit to the band full time, Tré Cool's position as Green
Day's drummer became permanent. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a
stretch of shows overseas in Europe. The band's second full length album Kerplunk sold about 50,000
copies in the U.S.

Breakthrough success: 1994–1996

Kerplunk's underground success led to a wave of interest coming from major record labels, and they
eventually left Lookout! on friendly terms and signed with Reprise Records after attracting the attention
of producer Rob Cavallo. Signing to Reprise caused many punk rock fans to regard Green Day as
sellouts.Reflecting on the period, Armstrong told Spin magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk
scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure ... The only thing I could
do was get on my bike and go forward."After signing with Reprise, the band went to work on recording
its major label debut, Dookie.

"Longview"

Sample of "Longview", the first single from Dookie, which combined a memorable bass line
with a guitar riff and drums introduced in the chorus.

"Basket Case"

Sample of "Basket Case", the third single from Dookie, which was about Armstrong's panic
attacks.

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Released in February 1994, and recorded in 3 weeks,Dookie became a commercial success, helped by
extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come
Around", all of which reached the number one position on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. That year,
Green Day embarked on a nationwide tour with queercore band Pansy Division as its opening act. At a
September 9, 1994 concert at Boston Esplanade, mayhem broke-out during the band's set (cut short to
seven songs) and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested.The band also
joined the lineups of both the Lollapalooza festival and Woodstock 1994, where they started an
infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading
fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions by pay-per-view television, the Woodstock
1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition,and helped push its
album to eventual diamond status. In 1995, Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album
and the band was nominated for 9 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year.
In 1995, a new single for the Angus soundtrack was released, titled "J.A.R.". The single went straight to
number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was followed by the band's new
album, Insomniac, which was released in the fall of 1995. Insomniac was a much darker and heavier
response by the band, compared to the poppier, more melodic Dookie.Insomniac opened to a warm
critical reception, earning 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone, which said "In punk, the good stuff
actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire
immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets." Insomniac used a piece of art by Winston
Smith entitled God Told Me to Skin You Alive for its album cover. The singles released from Insomniac
were "Geek Stink Breath", "Brain Stew/Jaded", "Walking Contradiction", and "Stuck With Me". Though
the album did not approach the success of Dookie, it still sold two million copies in the United States.
Insomniac won the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite
Alternative Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" got the
band a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form, in addition to a Best Special Effects nomination
at the MTV Video Music Awards.After that, the band abruptly cancelled a European tour, citing
exhaustion.
Middle era and fall in popularity: 1997–2002
After taking a break in 1996, Green Day began to work on a new album in 1997. From the outset, both
the band and Cavallo agreed that the album had to be different from its previous records. The result
was Nimrod, an experimental deviation from the band's standard pop-punk brand of music. The new
album was released in October 1997. It provided a variety of music, from pop-punk, surf rock, and ska,
to an acoustic ballad. Nimrod entered the charts at number 10. The success of "Good Riddance (Time
of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video for the song's video, which
depicted people undergoing major changes in their lives while Billie Joe Armstrong strummed his
acoustic guitar.The song was also used in the second "clip show" episode of Seinfeld and on two
episodes of ER. The other singles released from Nimrod were "Nice Guys Finish Last", "Hitchin' a Ride"
and "Redundant". The band made a guest appearance in an episode of King of the Hill entitled "The
Man Who Shot Cane Skretteberg", which aired in 1997.
In 2000, Green Day released Warning, a step further in the style that they had hinted at with Nimrod.
Critics' reviews of the album were varied. Allmusic gave it 4.5/5 saying "Warning may not be an
innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying." Rolling Stone was more critical, giving it 3/5,
and saying "Warning... invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social
commentary from what used to be snot-core's biggest-selling band?" Though it produced the hit
"Minority" and a smaller hit with "Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the
band was losing relevance, and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's past albums
had reached a status of at least double platinum, Warning was only certified gold.
At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight awards that they were nominated for.
They won the awards for Outstanding Album (Warning), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (Warning),
Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer,
Outstanding Songwriter and Outstanding Artist.
The release of a Greatest Hits compilation, International Superhits!, and an assemblage of B-sides,
Shenanigans, followed Warning. International Superhits and its companion collection of music videos,
International Supervideos!, sold reasonably well, going platinum in the U.S. Shenanigans contained
some of the band's B-sides, including "Espionage" which was featured in Austin Powers: The Spy Who
Shagged Me and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
In the spring of 2002, Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182. Despite the co-
headlining title, Green Day would play each show before Blink-182, who at the time were experiencing
more success. The tour was documented on the DVD Riding In Vans With Boys.

American Idiot and renewed success: 2003–2006

Spectators watch Green Day from the grass slopes at the National Bowl.
In the summer of 2003 the band went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album,
tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines.After completing 20 tracks, the master tapes were stolen
from the studio. The band chose not to try to re-create the stolen album, but instead started over. By the
end of 2003[when?], Green Day collaborated with Iggy Pop on two tracks for his album Skull Ring. On
February 1, 2004 a new song, a cover of "I Fought the Law" made its debut on a commercial for iTunes
during NFL Super Bowl XXXVIII. The band underwent serious "band therapy," engaging in several long
talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was
"the band's Nazi" and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members.
The resulting 2004 album, American Idiot, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, the band's
first ever album to top the chart, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot." The
album was billed as a "punk rock opera" which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of
Suburbia".American Idiot won the 2005 Grammy for "Best Rock Album" and the band swept the 2005
MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the
coveted Viewer's Choice Award.
Through 2005, the band toured in support of the album with about 150 dates — the longest tour in its
career — visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the United Kingdom, where they drew a crowd of
130,000 people over a span of two days. While touring for American Idiot, they filmed and recorded the
two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On
Earth' in a Kerrang! Magazine Poll.
These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD called Bullet in a Bible on November 15, 2005.
This CD/DVD featured hits from American Idiot as well as a few songs from all its previous albums,
except "Kerplunk" and "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The DVD featured behind-the-scenes
footage of the band, and showed how the band prepared to put on the show. The final shows of its
2005 world tour were in Sydney, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia, on December 14 and 17
respectively. On January 10, 2006 the band was awarded with a People's Choice Award for favorite
group.

Green Day live in Germany during the American Idiot tour.

On August 1, 2005, Green Day announced that that it had rescinded the master rights to its pre-Dookie
material from Lookout! Records, citing a continuing breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties, a
complaint shared with other Lookout! bands. The pre-Dookie material, which remained out of print for
about a year, was reissued by the band's current label, Reprise, on January 9, 2007.
In 2006, Green Day won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken
Dreams"which spent 16 weeks at the number one position of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, a record
it shared along with Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" and Staind's "It's Been Awhile," (the record
has been since been beaten by Foo Fighters' 2007 hit "The Pretender" which reigned at the top spot for
18 weeks).
Brandon Flowers of The Killers went on record in 2007 claiming that Green Day's politically driven
concept album American Idiot displays "calculated Anti-Americanism." He explained that he has
problems with the album content itself and the fact that the band's live DVD, Bullet in a Bible, was
filmed in England. The taping of the concert, featured on Bullet in a Bible, shows thousands of
Europeans singing along to "American Idiot." Stating that he felt Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he
said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song -
those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he (Billie Joe Armstrong) knew it."

Foxboro Hot Tubs and 21st Century Breakdown: 2007–

present

Green Day performing during a secret show at the Kesselhaus in Berlin on May 7, 2009.

"Know Your Enemy"

Sample of "Know Your Enemy", the first single from 21st Century
Breakdown

"21 Guns"

Sample of "21 Guns", the second single from 21st Century Breakdown

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Green Day engaged in several other smaller projects in the time following the hype of American Idiot.
Green Day released a new album under the band name Foxboro Hot Tubs entitled Stop Drop and
Roll!!!. In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs went on a mini-tour to promote the record, hitting tiny Bay Area
venues including the Stork Club in Oakland and Toot’s Tavern in Crockett, CA. One song, “Ruby Room,”
even gives a shout-out to the Oakland dive bar where “the Pabst Blue Ribbon unravels.”
In an interview with Kerrang!, Armstrong revealed that 2008 would "be a fair estimate of the release
date of their new untitled eighth studio album for Green Day."In an interview with Carson Daly, Garbage
lead singer Shirley Manson revealed that Butch Vig would be producing Green Day's forthcoming
album.The span of nearly five years between American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown was the
longest gap between studio albums in Green Day's career. The band had been working on new material
since January 2006. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written, but the band showed no further
signs of progress until October 2008, when a video of the group recording with producer Butch Vig in
the studio was posted on YouTube. Two videos showing the band in the studio were posted on
YouTube .In the tour section of the band's official website, the message "World Tour coming soon!" is
shown. The writing and recording process, spanning three years and four recording studios, was finally
finished in April 2009.
The new album, titled 21st Century Breakdown, was released worldwide on May 15, 2009.[44] It
received rave reviews from the likes of Nirvana's Krist Novoselic.[45] The album had mainly positive
reception from critics, getting an average rating between 4 and 5 stars. After the release, the album hit
#1 in fourteen different countries, hitting Gold or Platinum in each. 21st Century Breakdown achieved
Green Day's best chart performance to date. The band started playing shows in California in April and
early May. It was their first live show in about 3 years. Green Day is currently on a world tour that
started in North America in July, 2009 and continuing around the world throughout the rest of 2009 and
early 2010.[46]

Musical style and influences

Green Day's sound is often compared to first wave punk bands such as the Ramones, The Clash, Sex
Pistols, The Jam, and the Buzzcocks.[21][47] The majority of their song catalog is composed of
overdriven guitar, fast, manic drums, and relatively high-treble bass. Most of their songs are fast-paced
and under four minutes. Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are
seminal alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, and that their influence is
particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs.[21] In fact, Green Day has covered Hüsker
Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a B-side for the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr.
Whirly" in their song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name.[48] Among
other influences, Green Day have also cited Queen,[49] proto-punks The Who, and power pop pioneers
Cheap Trick.[50] Armstrong's lyrics commonly describe alienation, ("Jesus of Suburbia", "Boulevard of
Broken Dreams", "Road to Acceptance", "Disappearing Boy", "Castaway") hysteria ("Basket Case",
"Panic Song", "American Eulogy"), girls ("She", "80" "Only of You","Maria" "She's a Rebel"), growing up
("Longview" and "Welcome to Paradise"), and the effects of doing drugs ("Geek Stink Breath", "Green
Day", "Give Me Novacaine"). The Ramones had similar lyrical themes such as hysteria ("Anxiety",
"Psycho Therapy"), alienation ("Outsider", "Something To Believe In"), girls ("I Wanna Be Your
Boyfriend", "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"), and drugs ("Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "Chinese
Rocks"). Green Day has covered Ramones songs several times, including recording "Outsider" for the
tribute album We're a Happy Family, and performing "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Teenage Lobotomy" when
the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, John Lydon, former front man of
the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols commented:
So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like
Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their
wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do.
[51]

In another interview, Lydon stated that:

Look, I'm sorry, they're a bit fake for me. They change their image. Fake mockneys. The
London twang and vocal is a little out of place. Enjoy your own culture and stick with
what you know.[52]

British rock musician Noel Gallagher of Oasis also complained about the band semi-jokingly, claiming
that they ripped off his song "Wonderwall" with their song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".[53] Mashup
DJs Party Ben and team9 would later release a mashup of the two songs called "Boulevard Of Broken
Songs" under the spoonerism Dean Gray.
Cool mentioned in a July 2009 interview that while Armstrong is the primary songwriter, he looks to the
other band members for organizational help.[54]

Related projects
Main article: Green Day related projects
Ever since 1991, some members of the band have branched out past Green Day and have started
other projects with other musicians. Notable related projects of Green Day include Billie Joe
Armstrong's Pinhead Gunpowder (which also features Green Day's live backup guitarist Jason White),
The Frustrators in which Mike Dirnt plays bass, and The Network, in which all three members of Green
Day play under fake stage names.[55] Billie Joe Armstrong has also confirmed that the main members
of Green Day are in the band Foxboro Hot Tubs. A Foxboro Hot Tubs album titled Stop Drop and Roll!!!
was released on 2008-05-20.[56]
In September 2006, Green Day teamed up with U2 and producer Rick Rubin to record a cover of the
song "The Saints Are Coming", originally recorded by The Skids, with an accompanying video. The
song is to benefit Music Rising, an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost
during Hurricane Katrina, and to bring awareness on the eve of the one year anniversary of the
disaster.[57]

"Working Class Hero"

"Working Class Hero", a cover of a John Lennon song, was released on the Instant Karma
CD.

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In December 2006, Green Day and NRDC opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on
America's dependency on oil.[58][59]
Green Day released a cover of the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", that was featured on the
album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The band performed the
song on the season finale of American Idol. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2008, but lost to
The White Stripes' "Icky Thump".
That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in The Simpsons Movie, where they perform the
show's theme song. Their version was released as a single on July 24, 2007.
In 2009, the band adapted their album American Idiot in to a one-act stage musical that premiered at
the Berkeley Rep on September 15, 2009.
In October, a Green Day art project was exhibited at StolenSpace Gallery in London. The exhibition
showed artworks created for each of the songs on 21st Century Breakdown, was supported by the
band, and led by their manager Pat Magnarella. [60] He explained in an an interview that "[Artists are]
basically like rock bands. Most are creating their art, but don't know how to promote it."[61] For Billie
Joe Armstrong, "Many of the artists... show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to
that type of creative expression.” [62]

Band members
Current
 • Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitars (1987–present)
• Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals (1987–present)
• Tré Cool – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1990–present)
with
• Jason White – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1999–present)
• Jason Freese – keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, trombone, saxophone, accordion, backing
vocals (2003–present)
• Jeff Matika – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009–present)
Former

• John Kiffmeyer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1990)

Former touring musicians

• Gabrial McNair – trombone, tenor saxophone (1999–2001)

• Timmy Chunks – rhythm guitar (1997–1999)[63]
• Garth Schultz – trombone, trumpet (1997–1999)
• Kurt Lohmiller – trumpet, timpani, percussion, vocals (1999–2004)
• Ronnie Blake – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (2004–2005)
• Mike Pelino – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2005)[64]
Session

• Gabrial McNair – trombone on Nimrod (1997)

• Gary Meek – saxophone on Warning (2000)
• Jason Freese – saxophone on American Idiot (2004) and piano on 21st Century Breakdown
(2009)
• Petra Haden – violin on Nimrod (1997)
• Rob Cavallo – piano on American Idiot (2004)
• Stephen Bradley – trumpet on Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000)

Discography
Main article: Green Day discography
• 39/Smooth (1990)
• Kerplunk (1992)
• Dookie (1994)
• Insomniac (1995)
• Nimrod (1997)
• Warning (2000)
• American Idiot (2004)
• 21st Century Breakdown (2009)

Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Green Day

References
• Cohen, Johnathan (2004). "Green Day's 'Idiot' Fueling Banner Year" (http). Billboard.com.
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000732979. Retrieved
July 27 2005.
• Cohen, Johnathan (2005). "Green Day not ready to rest 'Idiot'" (http). Billboard.com.
http://www.billboard.com/bb/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000991882. Retrieved
July 27 2005.
• Spitz, Marc. Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. New
 York: Hyperion, 2006. ISBN 1-4013-0274-2
• The Green Day Story (Broadcast on Radio 1 Mon June 20, 2005) (Alternate Link

Green Day

Studio 39/Smooth · Kerplunk! · Dookie · Insomniac · Nimrod · Warning · American Idiot ·

albums 21st Century Breakdown
EPs 1,000 Hours · Slappy · Sweet Children
Compilation
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours · International Superhits! · Shenanigans
albums
Live at Gilman Street · Live Tracks · Foot in Mouth · Bowling Bowling Bowling
Live albums Parking Parking · Tune In, Tokyo... · Bullet in a Bible · 21 Guns Live EP · Last
Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo
Video
International Supervideos! · Riding in Vans with Boys · Bullet in a Bible
albums
"Longview" · "Welcome to Paradise" · "Basket Case" · "She" · "J.A.R." · "When I
Come Around" · "Geek Stink Breath" · "Stuck with Me" · "Brain Stew/Jaded" ·
"Walking Contradiction" · "Hitchin' a Ride" · "Good Riddance (Time of Your
Life)" · "Redundant" · "Nice Guys Finish Last" · "Minority" · "Warning" ·
Singles "Waiting" · "Macy's Day Parade" · "I Fought the Law" · "American Idiot" ·
"Shoplifter" · "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" · "Holiday" · "Wake Me Up When
September Ends" · "Jesus of Suburbia" · "The Saints Are Coming" · "Working Class
Hero" · "The Simpsons Theme" · "Know Your Enemy" · "21 Guns" · "East Jesus
Nowhere" · "21st Century Breakdown"
Discography · Songs · Awards · 21st Century Breakdown World Tour · Pop Disaster
Tour · American Idiot: The Musical · Cigarettes and Valentines · American Edit ·
Related
Live Freaky! Die Freaky! · Adeline Records · Punk rock in California · Rock
articles
Against Bush, Vol. 2 · Skull Ring · Green Day related projects · Jason White · Jason
Freese