Green Day- American Idiot

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: September 20, 2004

Genre: Pop Punk, Punk Rock, Alternative

Track Listing

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus of Suburbia
3. Holiday
4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
5. Are We The Waiting
6. St. Jimmy
7. Give Me Novocaine
8. She's a Rebel
9. Extraordinary Girl
10. Letterbomb
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Homecoming
13. Whatsername

Green Day lineup:
Billie Joe Armstrong- vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
Mike Dirnt- bass guitar
Tre Cool- drums, percussion

L-R: Mike, Billie Joe, Tre

About Green Day: 
I'm sure I don't have to tell you too much about Green Day, since they're pretty famous. They have released 11 studio albums to date. And that's not even including compilations and live CDs. They've sold millions and millions of CDs. Fun fact that you may not know: Dookie, their first big success, has actually sold 10 million copies in the US, while American Idiot, which is often considered to be their most well known and commercially successful album, has only sold 6 million in the US!

My Opinion about Green Day:
I really like Green Day, but they don't quite make my top 10 bands. They'd definitely make my top 20, and probably my top 15, but they don't quite get up there. I've found that of all the bands I like, the ones that are super commercially successful (like Green Day, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Panic! At The Disco), while I do really like those bands, they're almost never the ones that end up as my absolute favorites. IDK if I subconsciously like really popular bands less, or if the ones that are popular only among alternative fans just make better music. Although I would say that among the alternative bands, Green Day is definitely one of the most talented ones. 

About the CD:  

What could I say about this CD that you may not already know? I'm thinking NOTHING. One fun fact about the CD is that the band originally recorded an entire album, before the master tracks were stolen and they decided to start from scratch, writing new songs, which would go on to become American Idiot, which is possibly their most commercially successful album

IMHO: 
I hate to be "that" Green Day fan, but I would be lying if I said that this wasn't my favorite CD by them. Even the songs that I don't like as much are really great. Green Day created a masterpiece with this CD, and I honestly don't think they'll ever be able to outdo themselves.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

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American Idiot- 10/10. There's a reason that this song is one of Green Day's most well-known songs. It's so true to Green Day's whole vibe and so in your face that it's hard to dislike it. Plus, it's just so fun to jam to.

Jesus of Suburbia- 10/10. Generally, I have trouble making it all the way through songs that are nearly 10 minutes long, but I could listen to this one on repeat. Granted, it is a 5 act song, a la Bohemian Rhapsody, but it's just so great, and each section is just as strong as the last.

Holiday- 9.5/10. The guitar part is just really great and recognizable. And I really love the bridge. I don't know what else to say, I just really enjoy this song! Also, the way it seamlessly transitions to Boulevard is great. 

Boulevard of Broken Dreams- 9/10. This is a really great song. It would have a higher rating, but I'm just incredibly burnt out from hearing it as many times as I've heard it. 

Are We The Waiting- 8.5/10. It's a good song, but it's not one of my favorites on the CD. I can never seem to enjoy the slower Green Day songs as much as the fast ones.

St. Jimmy- 9.5/10. This is what Green Day does best, heavy guitar, fast tempo, gritty vocals. It just works so well, and it shows off all of their strongest skills.

Give Me Novocaine- 9/10. I really like the contrast between the relaxed verses and the heavy chorus. This is one of Green Day's strongest slower songs, in my opinion. And once again, the transition into the next song is really great.

She's a Rebel- 10/10. Possibly my favorite song on the whole CD. Although it's really short, it embodies Green Day's vibe almost perfectly. It's so loud and jam-worthy. Any time it comes on, I crank up the volume. 

Extraordinary Girl- 8.5/10. Good, but not one of my favorites on the CD. I actually tend to forget that it's on the CD, so that shows how much I really pay attention to it! But when I actually listen to it, I enjoy it. 

Letterbomb- 9/10.  Surprisingly, I don't like this one quite as much as some of their other fast songs. Although, I do really like the line "It's not over 'til you're underground" as well as the tie-ins to all the other songs.

Wake Me Up When September Ends- 9.5/10. If you'd asked me a year or two ago, this probably would've gotten a 10. But like Boulevard, this one has just been played far too many times. It's a great song, I just need some distance from it, after how much I used to listen to it. 

Homecoming- 8/10. This is one of the long songs I have more trouble making it through. This is probably my least favorite song on the CD, just because it keeps going and going. Obviously, I still like it since I gave it 8, but it takes some patience for me to get through the entire song.

Whatsername- 9/10. I love the simplicity of all of the instruments' parts, and how although they're playing basically the same thing over and over, it creates a really good song.

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Favorite Songs: She's A Rebel, American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, and Holiday.

Least Favorite Songs: Homecoming, Are We The Waiting, and Extraordinary Girl.

Video! 

American Idiot music video

Jesus of Suburbia music video

Rating: 9.5/10. I'd say that this CD is probably one of my favorites of all-time. It's not perfect, but it's pretty close. If I were giving 1/4 points, this would get a 9.75, but since I'm not, and since 10 is getting reserved for the best best of the best, this one loses out a bit. But it's such a great CD and it is an extremely cohesive CD, which gives it major brownie points

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? What are your opinions on Green Day? Let me know in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

Kelly Clarkson- Breakaway

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about! This one's a bit out of the ordinary for me, but I think you'll be familiar with this one...

Release Date: November 30, 2004

Genre: Pop, Pop Rock

Track Listing

1. Breakaway
2. Since U Been Gone
3. Behind These Hazel Eyes
4. Because of You
5. Gone
6. Addicted
7. Where Is Your Heart
8. Walk Away
9. You Found Me
10. I Hate Myself for Losing You
11. Hear Me
12. Beautiful Disaster (Live)

About Kelly Clarkson: 
I mean, is there anything I can really tell you that you don't already know? She won season 1 of American Idol back in 2002, had a bit of a rocky start and then blew up the charts with this CD and has been successful ever since.

My Opinion about Kelly Clarkson:
As far as pop singers go, I think she's one of the best. She can sing exceptionally well, which is something that many pop singers can't actually say. She also seems to be really nice and down to earth, which is another thing many celebrities can't say. She's one of the few pop artists that I'll admit to actually liking.

About the CD:  
This has been Kelly's most successful CD. Back in 2004, I don't think I had a single friend who didn't have this CD. In the US alone, it's a multi-platinum selling CD, and has sold even more worldwide. This CD put her career back on a successful track.

IMHO: 
This may surprise you from all of my punk CDs, but I used to really enjoy pop music. I really loved this CD back in 5th grade, when it came out. Now, the nostalgia keeps me enjoying it. Maybe we should just go back to the pop/ pop rock music of the early 2000s, when they used actual instruments, like guitars. That would be nice.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

Breakaway- 9/10. I used to think this song was just perfect, and it was my favorite for a while, but it's slipped a bit simply because I've heard it way too many times
Since U Been Gone- 9.5/10. I love when Kelly gets up into a belt range, and the hook of this one is up in there. I just really enjoy this.
Behind These Hazel Eyes- 9.5/10. This one has always been one of my favorite!
Because of You- 8.5/10. This one was really popular with everyone, and though I like it, it's not my favorite.
Gone- 7.5/10. It's never been one of my favorite, but it's still a fun song.
Addicted- 7/10. It's ok. I just think it's a bit boring, honestly.
Where Is Your Heart- 8/10. As stated earlier, I enjoy Kelly's belt range. It's a good song.
Walk Away- 10/10. For the longest time, I didn't like this song, and would always skip it. However, it slowly became my favorite song on the CD. I love the attitude in this song. It's just great.
You Found Me- 8/10. I dunno, I just kinda like it. Is it so bad to like a song but not have an explanation?
I Hate Myself for Losing You- 6/10. I'm not a big fan of the concept, and it's not a memorable song.
Hear Me- 6/10. Just boring. I have no other explanation.
Beautiful Disaster (Live)- 8/10. I think this song is super cute and I like it!

Favorite Songs: Walk Away is definitely my favorite, followed by Since U Been Gone and Behind These Hazel Eyes

Least Favorite Songs: I Hate Myself for Losing You and Hear Me, for sure.

Video! 

Walk Away Music Video

Behind These Hazel Eyes Music Video

Rating: 8/10. Of pop albums, I'd definitely say that this is one of the best ones. However, for me, I enjoy it but I don't listen to it much.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? Do you like Kelly Clarkson? Have you had this CD for as long as I have? Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!