10 Rock Songs Written About Real People
3. American Idiot - Green Day
With America fast going into war, many of the choices of President George Bush were beginning to seem idiotic with each passing day. Instead of just resting on their laurals with songs about boredom and masterbation, Green Day came roaring back to life with a song that took on the political hierarchy head on.
From its stomping punk rock groove, "American Idiot" is a pure indictment of the political system happening in the States at the turn of the millennium. In just a few strokes, Billie Joe Armstrong outlines a version of America that is restless, apathetic, and stagnant at the hands of a corrupt leader. Perhaps the most venomous line in the whole song comes when Armstrong claims to not be "part of a redneck agenda," almost blatantly calling out Bush's Southern upbringing.
Given the subject matter, this song was slated to be one of the most contentious rock songs of the era. Instead, the angry youth of the country latched onto the band's authentic approach and chose to stand alongside these punk rock brats in their rage-filled defiance against the President. In an era filled with nu metal whining, Green Day made everyone wake up and pay attention to the political landscape that was shifting around them.