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Rating: When we talk about this genre, we're delving into a topic even more complex than the history that defines it. Punk, or rather punk rock, has influenced generations, forms of art, and cultural aspects, starting with music, moving through literature, and finally reaching fashion. It almost becomes automatic to think of the Sex Pistols but also the Ramones, The Stooges, or The Clash. History teaches us how influential and iconic these names have been in the famous first wave of punk. Vivienne Westwood, the "Godmother of Punk," for example, was the living testament to how the Pistols became fashion and cultural phenomena.
Since the early seventies, when it began to emerge on the west coast of the United States (as a continuation of the sixties garage rock), and then landed more concretely in the UK, up to the present day, the genre has undergone progressive evolution.
If English punk was raw, anarchistic, nihilistic, violent, and provocative, the American version took a total reversal in the eighties with the birth of Straight Edge. Towards the end of this decade, it became generally complex to translate the genre into a single stream of thought. The classifications had branched out; ranging from anarchism to communism, through apoliticism or extremism, to the complete rejection of any ideology.
And then came the nineties. Another iconic decade for music, which saw the birth of mainstream phenomena such as blink-182, Sum 41, but also Offspring, Bad Religion, and Green Day. All born under a single trend, punk-rock, eager to rebel against the canonical rules of punk, moving away from nihilism, the bad boy attitude at all costs, the disdain for melody, and the low inclination for lightness. Enough with seriousness at all costs, raw meanness from rebels; punk should have been about escapism, messing around, and fun.
Among others, Green Day stood out in the California scene already in the early years of the decade, being active in the Bay Area punk environment, starting from the 924 of Gilman Street in West Berkeley, also home to Rancid, AFI, and The Offspring. The same gathering place that today, after a radical change of direction and quality of music offered, has distanced Green Day from the favor it once enjoyed. But that's another story.
This very year marks the thirtieth anniversary of "Dookie", the third iconic studio album by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, and the first released on a major label (Reprise Records), as well as produced by Rob Cavallo. The first two releases, "39/Smooth" and "Kerplunk", were instead released under an independent label, Lookout! Records.
"Dookie" is an album with a crude and simplistic title (in Italian literally "Shit"), in line with the trend of the era in which it was conceived but nevertheless filled with content resonant with an entire generation. Recorded in 1993, it was conceived and written mainly by Billie Joe Armstrong and is strongly influenced by his personal experiences. There are exceptions in the compositional process, with two tracks: "Emenius Sleepus", made in collaboration with Mike Dirnt, and "All By Myself", a ghost track composed by Tré Cool. The themes touch on boredom, anxiety, sex, masturbation, and relationships (not necessarily in that order).
Among the fifteen tracks, "Longview", "Welcome to Paradise" (re-recorded version already present on Kerplunk), "When I Come Around", "She", and especially "Basket Case", the most famous and representative song of the band, have made history. This song managed to catch Rob Cavallo's attention and secure their first major contract. Armstrong has frequently shared that the lyrics of the song speak about his anxiety and how writing and re-reading the words helped him control his recurring panic attacks.
"Longview" talks about boredom, masturbation, and cannabis, with predominantly adolescent reflections in the lyrics:
«When masturbation's lost its fun/You're fucking lonely»
"She" is addressed to one of Armstrong's girlfriends, much to the peace of his wife Adrienne Nesser, to whom it was initially believed to be dedicated. Perhaps the events narrated are connected to the words of "When I Come Around", which tells of a walk with friends after an animated discussion of the frontman with Mrs. Armstrong.
With "In the End" and "Why do you want him?", Billie addresses his mother and stepfather, without hiding the little esteem he had for the latter.
All the ingredients to excite a crowd of unruly teenagers are present. "Dookie" was released at the most suitable time possible and marked an era, regardless of what genre purists or nostalgic representatives of the first powerful wave might say (any reference to the words directed by John Lydon at the Berkeley band is purely coincidental).
The somewhat confused cover (although entirely "narrated" by the band over the years), the crazy and contemporary style, the power and immediacy of the tracks, only serve to give "Dookie" the good judgment it deserves.
It took three weeks and a demo cassette played through Rob Cavallo's car stereo to reach the goal. For the thirtieth anniversary, the album has been reissued in different versions: a colored vinyl, a collection of CDs enriched with old demos, and an expensive box set with rarities, unreleased tracks, and memorabilia. As usual, a shrewd major label operation, of course. But also an opportunity to own a delightful collectible for all who still can't get this album out of their heads, but most importantly from their hearts.
They decided to call it "crap" and it turned out to be worth gold. And we'll definitely be here to remember it in another thirty years, even with little memory and ears at half capacity.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Burnout (02:07)
I declare I don't care no more
I'm burning up and growing bored
In my smoked out boring room
My hair is shagging in my eyes
Dragging my feet to hit the street tonight
To drive along these shit town lights
I'm not growing up, I'm just burning out
And I stepped in line to walk amongst the dead
Apathy has rained on me
And now I'm feeling like a soggy dream
So close to drowning but I don't mind
I've lived inside this mental cave
Throw my emotions in the grave
Hell, who needs them anyway.
I'm not growing up, I'm just burning out
And I stepped in line to walk amongst the dead
02 Having a Blast (02:44)
I’m taking all you down with me
Explosives duct taped to my spine
Nothing’s gonna change my mind
I won’t listen to anyone’s last words
There’s nothing left for you to say
Soon you’ll be dead any way
No one here is getting out alive
This time I’ve really lost my mind and I don’t care
So close your eyes
And kiss yourself goodbye
And think about the times
You spent and what they’ve meant
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
I’m losing all my happiness
The happiness you pinned on my
Loneliness still comforts me
My anger dwells inside of me
I’m taking it all out on you and all the shit you put me through
No one here is getting out alive
This time I’ve really lost my mind and I don’t care
So close your eyes
And kiss yourself goodbye
And think about the times
You spent and what they’ve meant
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
Do you ever think back to another time?
Does it bring you so down that you thought you lost your mind?
Do you ever want to lead a long trail of destruction and now down
any bullshit that confronts you?
Do you ever build up all the small things in your head
To make one problem that adds up to nothing.
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
To me it’s nothing
03 Chump (02:54)
I don't know you but I think I HATE you
You're the reason for my misery
Strange how you've become my biggest enemy
And I've never even seen your face
Maybe it's just jealousy
Mixing up with a VIOLENT mind
A circumstance that doesn't make much SENSE
Or maybe I'm just DUMB
You're the cloud hanging out over my head
Hail comes crashing down welting my face
MAGIC MAN, EGOCENTRIC PLASTIC MAN
Yet you still got one over on me
Maybe it's just jealousy
Mixing up with a VIOLENT mind
A circumstance that doesn't make much SENSE
Or maybe I'm just DUMB
I'm a chump
''This part of the song is instrumental.''
04 Longview (03:59)
I sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on
I change the channels for an hour or two
Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit
I'm sick of all the same old shit
In a house with unlocked doors
And I'm fucking lazy
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored I'm going blind
And I smell like shit
Peel me off this velcro seat and get me moving
I sure as hell can't do it by myself
I'm feeling like a dog in heat
Barred indoors from the summer street
I locked the door to my own cell
And I lost the key
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored I'm going blind
And I smell like shit
I got no motiviation
Where is my motiviation?
No time for no motiviation
Smoking my inspiration
Sit around and watch the phone, but no one's calling
Call me pathetic, call me what you will
My mother says to get a job
But she don't like the one she's got
When masturbation's lost its fun
You're fucking lonely
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored
I'm going blind
And loneliness has to suffice
Bite my lip and close my eyes
I'm slipping away to Paradise
Some say, "Quit or I'll go blind"
But it's just a myth
05 Welcome to Paradise (03:44)
Dear mother, can you hear me whinin'?
It's been three whole weeks since I have left your home
This sudden fear has left me tremblin'
Cause now it seems I am out here on my own
And I'm feeling so alone
Pay attention to the cracked streets and the broken homes
Some call it slum, some call it nice
I want to take you through a wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to Paradise
A gunshot rings out at the station
Another urchin snaps and left dead on his own
It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's still now feeling like my home
I'm never gonna go
Pay attention to the cracked streets and the broken homes
Some call it slum, some call it nice
I want to take you through a wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to Paradise
Dear mother, can you hear me laughin'?
It's been six whole months since I have left your home
It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's still now feeling like my home
I'm never gonna go
Pay attention to the cracked streets and the broken homes
Some call it slum, some call it nice
I want to take you through a wasteland I like to call my home
Welcome to Paradise
06 Pulling Teeth (02:30)
I'm all busted up
Broken bones & nasty cuts
Accidents will happen
But this time I can't get up
She comes to check on me
Making sure I'm on my knees
After all she's the one who put me in this state
Is she ultra-violent?
Is she disturbed?
I better tell her that I love her
Before she does it all over again
Oh god, she's killing me
For now I'll lie around
Hell, that's all I can really do
She takes good care of me
Just keep saying my love is true
Is she ultra-violent?
Is she disturbed?
I better tell her that I love her
Before she does it all over again
Oh god, she's killing me
Looking out my window for
Someone that's passing by
No one knows I'm locked in here
All I do is cry
For now I'll lie around
Hell, that's all I can really do
She takes good care of me
Just keep saying my love is true
07 Basket Case (03:03)
Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining 'cause it's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
And am I just paranoid?
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?
09 Sassafras Roots (02:37)
Roaming 'round your house
Wasting your time
No obligation, just
Wasting your time
So why are you alone ?
Wasting your time
When you could be with me
Wasting your time
I'm a waste like you
With nothing else to do
May I waste your time too ?
Warding off regrets
Wasting your time
Smoking cigarettes
Wasting your time
I'm just a parasite
Wasting your time
Applying myself to
Wasting your time
well, I'm a waste like you
With nothing else to do
May I waste your time too ?
So why are you alone ?
Wasting your time
When you could be with me
Wasting your time
well, I'm a waste like you
With nothing else to do
May I waste your time too ?
May I waste your time too ?
May I waste your time too ?
May I waste your time too ?
10 When I Come Around (02:58)
Well, I heard you crying loud
All the way across town
'Cause you've been searching for that someone
And it's me out on the prowl
As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself
Well don't get lonely now
And dry your whining eyes
I'm just roaming for the moment
Sleazin' my backyard, so don't get
So uptight you've been thinking about ditching me
No time to search the world around
'Cause you know where I'll be found
When I come around
I heard it all before
So don't knock down my door
I'm a loser and a user
So I don't need no accuser
To try and slag me down because I know you're right
So go do what you like
Make sure you do it wise
You may find out that your self-doubt
Means nothing was ever there
You can't go forcing something if it's just not right
No time to search the world around
'Cause you know where I'll be found
When I come around
No time to search the world around
'Cause you know where I'll be found
When I come around
When I come around
When I come around
When I come around
11 Coming Clean (01:35)
== Seventeen and strung out on confusion
Trapped inside a roll of disillusion
I found out what it takes to be a man
Mom and Dad will never understand
Secrets collecting dust but never forget
Skeletons come to life in my closet
I found out what it takes to be a man
Mom and Dad will never understand
What's happening to me
Seventeen and COMING CLEAN for the first time
I finally figured out myself for the first time
I found out what it takes to be a man
Mom and Dad will never understand
What's happening to me
----
12 Emenius Sleepus (01:43)
I saw my friend the other day and I don't know
Exactly just what he became
It goes to show
It wasn't that long ago
I was just like you
And now I think I'm sick and
I wanna go home
How have I been, how have you been
It's been so long
What have you done with all your time
And what went wrong
I knew you back when
And you ... you knew me
And now I think you're sick
I wanna go home
Anybody ever say no?
Ever tell you that you weren't right?
Where did all the little kid go?
Did you lose it in a hateful fight?
And you know it's true
It wasn't that long ago
I was just like you
And now I think I'm sick and
I wanna go home
14 F.O.D. (04:08)
Something's on my mind
It's been for quite some time
This time I'm on to you
So where's the other face?
The face I heard before
Your head trip's boring me
Let's nuke the bridge we torched
2,000 times before
This time we'll blast it all to hell
I've had this burning in my guts now for so long
My belly's aching now to say
Stuck down in a rut of dilogic and smut
A side of you well hid
When it's all said and done it's real and it's been fun
But was it all REAL fun
Let's nuke the bridge we torched
2,000 times before
This time we'll blast it all to hell
I've had this burning in my guts now for so long
My belly's aching now to say
to say...
You're just a fuck
I can't explain it 'cause I think you suck
I'm taking pride
in telling you to fuck off and die
I've had this burning in my guts now
for so long
My belly's aching now to say
I'm taking pleasure in the doubts
I've passed to you
So listen up as you bite this
You're just a fuck
I can't explain it 'cause I think you suck
I'm taking pride
in telling you to fuck off and die
Good night
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Other reviews
By ste84
"There’s a bit of 'Dookie' in all of us!"
"Dookie is the paranoia of someone who just can’t understand themselves to the point of goosebumps."
By John
Dookie was a complete album, the true essence of Punk, a complete work in every sense.
Basket Case brought worldwide success to Green Day and Punk with its chorus that sticks in your head and after years you realize it hasn’t left yet.
