Green Day has a plethora of hits to their name, but for many fans, “American Idiot” towers above the rest. That single — a protest song of the George W. Bush administration that eventually inspired a Tony-winning Broadway musical — has become a key example of contemporary politically conscious tracks, and many expected a similar song from the Grammy-winning band following the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, bassist Mike Dirnt explains why the band chose to hold off on addressing Trump in their music.
“‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’ [from the band’s forthcoming Saviors album] was written by Billie [Joe Armstrong] almost four years ago. But we all knew it was just low-hanging fruit. We’re not a parody of who we are, and songs like that need time to be fleshed out,” Dirnt said. “If that means just sitting back and letting life happen, so be it. And it was one of the last things we recorded.”
The band’s new record, Saviors, arrives Jan. 19, and “The American Dream Is Killing Me” served as the set’s lead single. The song has since peaked atop Rock Airplay and at No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Dirnst notes that the track’s title was initially a line Billie was kicking around “a while back ago,” but the band agreed that it was “just not the right time” for that particular sentiment.
“I think it’s a wider statement than Trump. It’s more important than him,” Dirnst asserts. “It speaks to the fact that Billie’s dad was a Teamster truck driver, and his mom was a waitress, and somehow they could afford to raise five kids and buy a home, and that just doesn’t work for everybody anymore. We are back-asswards right now.”
Saviors marks Green Day’s 14th studio album. The rockers have released three additional singles from the record, including “Dilemma,” “One Eyed Bastard” and “Look Ma, No Brains!” The band is set to embark on a North American stadium tour in support of the record — in addition to the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot — with support acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas.
Recently, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong trolled Trump during the band’s performance at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (Dec. 31). He altered the original “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” lyric in “American Idiot,” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.”
Green Day has earned 11 top 10 entries on the Billboard 200, including the chart-toppers American Idiot (three weeks), 21st Century Breakdown (one week) and Revolution Radio (one week). On the Billboard Hot 100, the beloved band has notched nine career entries, including the top 10 hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (No. 2) and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” (No. 6).