Green Day is made up of three band members. They are lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, bass player Mike Dirnt, and the drummer Tre Cool. The band met in 1987 when they were 15 years old. Their band name was Sweet Children, but then decided that they should change it, because there was confusion with them and a band called Sweet Baby. They chose Green Day. The first Green Day album that came out was “39/Smooth,” but the one that got them known was “Kerplunk!” with a different drummer. Tre Cool joined their band after filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante (their former drummer) did not plan to commit to the band full time, he left to attend college. Tre’s spot as Green Day’s drummer became permanent, forming a three person band.
The next album they made together was “Dookie,” and it became a huge success, one of their best albums at the time. They became even more popular between 1997 and 2002 with “Nimrod,” which entered the charts at number 10. It also made them mega popular. They were one of the most famous punk rock bands in the world. Then in 2000, they came out with “Warning” which was another great hit and four years later they came out with “American Idiot.” The album was a rock opera and it follows the life of the Jesus of Suburbia, a sort of anti-hero that Billie Joe created. He said that he put more work into that album than any other. One song in the album “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was about Billie Joe’s father’s death when Billie was only 10 years old. His dad died on the 10th of September of esophageal cancer. This is some of the song:
Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last./Wake Me Up, When September Ends/Like my father’s come to pass, seven years has gone so fast/Wake Me Up, When September Ends/Here comes the rain again falling from the stars/Drenched in my pain again/Becoming who we are/As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost/Wake Me Up, When September Ends.
The newest album came out in 2009. It’s called “21st Century Breakdown.” It’s like a story being told with the songs. It has two main characters: Gloria, and Christian. Gloria is trying to fight for her ideals and beliefs in a world where they’re disappearing. She represents hope. Christian, on the other hand, is the opposite of Gloria. He’s self-destructive and wants to “burn everything down.” The songs are about these two different ideas. They haven’t done much since, but they are said to be touring: October 8th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, and 29th. Visit their websites for more information: www.greenday.com, www.greendaycommunity.com, and www.greendayauthority.com
CLC Middle School 
