2004 was a year full of musical milestones; Kanye West released his debut album “The College Dropout,” MF Doom with back-to-back releases of “MMMM…FOOD” and “Madvillainy” and Usher releasing his most popular song “Yeah.” However, no one could have expected the release of one of the biggest comeback albums in music history and the resurgence of one of the ‘90s biggest bands. Pop-punk icons Green Day released what some believe to be the magnum opus of their career “American Idiot” on Sept. 21, 2004.

This award-winning concept album follows the story of the character “Jesus of Suburbia” as he begins his journey to find a life worth living outside of suburban America. While on his expedition, he is forced to make tough decisions along the way, leaving loved ones behind to be forgotten in order to find a new purpose. The story is told through many decade-defining songs such as “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Along with many other great songs throughout the album, Green Day gives listeners a masterclass of storytelling presented through a rock-opera style while also staying true to their punk roots.

The album was very well received by critics and fans alike upon release and won multiple awards, including two Grammys for Best Rock Album and Record of the Year (given to “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”). The album debuted at no.1 in the United States, becoming the band’s first album doing so, ultimately selling 267,000 copies in its first week of release and as of August, the album has sold 23 million copies worldwide. Not only was the album a commercial success and sold millions of copies, but it also had a message to send. Despite the album being released 20 years ago, the topics discussed are just as relevant today as they were then, with many songs expressing Green Day’s views towards the mass confusion and fear surrounding the United States at the time under the Bush Administration. During this time, the nation was undergoing severe panic living in a post-9/11 world that was also in the middle of the Iraq War.

The opening title track “American Idiot” was frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s way of telling the American people not to feed into the propaganda and to remember not to let the higher-ups in government dictate how to live their lives:

“Don’t wanna be an American idiot/ One nation controlled by the media, Information age of hysteria/ It’s calling out to idiot America.”

To celebrate the 20 years of their accomplished album, the band released a 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Version on Oct. 25, which includes the full original tracklist as well as demos that were recorded during the early writing process of the album and live versions of every song.

Green Day also celebrated the milestone during their 2024 Saviors Tour, playing the entirety of the album live. It is safe to say that after all these years, no matter what you think of their music or political views, Green Day created something in 2004 that saved them from being another forgotten band in the ‘90s to the legends that they are today.

Image from Green Day via Facebook