Eyesore wrote:
Well, in their defense they've never had completely retarded lyrics. Even going back to Smoothed Out Slappy Hours their lyrics were fairly intelligent. They actually started showing a lot more maturity on Nimrod. On Warning they were much more mature, socio-political, as well. American Idiot's lyrics are not a bandwagon response, I don't think, but more of a sign of the times. People write about what influences them, politics have invaded everyones' lives during Bush's current reign.
I haven't weighed in on this debate before because I can see both sides. Green Day were a favorite of mine in my pre-metal days and I never really stopped liking them. I enjoyed AI for what it was,(particularly the 2 long tracks) but Warning remains my favorite of theirs. As Eyesore notes, Warning's lyrics were socio-political, and I think they were quite brilliant in places. One can argue that Green Day suck or cater to the mainstream excessively but I don't see AI as a bandwagon album.
Considering Green Day has cooked by the same recipe since the beginning I can't see how anyone can say they cater to the mainstream. It is what it is, they've not changed or pandered to anyone. Green Day is Green Day, they always have been, always will most likely.
