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| Length = | Label = Reprise | Producer = | Last album = ''Shenanigans'' (2002) | This album = ''American Idiot'' (2004) | Next album = ''Bullet in a Bible'' (2005) | Misc = }} ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Green Day. Produced by Rob Cavallo, the album was released on September 20, 2004 by Reprise Records. Green Day first achieved popularity in the 1990s with a string of successful albums. Following disappointing sales of their sixth album, ''Warning'' (2000), the band took a small break. They later reconvened to record their next album, titled ''Cigarettes and Valentines'', a process cut short when its master tapes were stolen. Rather than re-record that material, the group decided to start over. A concept album and "punk rock opera," ''American Idiot'' follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, an adolescent anti-hero that is divided between "rage and love." Through its plot, the album expresses the disillusionment and dissent experienced by a generation which came of age during various turmoil including the Iraq War. The album was inspired by several musicals and the work of the Who. Recording of ''American Idiot'' was split between two California studios between 2003 and 2004. Its album art—inspired by propaganda—depicts a heart-shaped hand grenade. ''American Idiot'' marked a career comeback for Green Day following a period of decreased relevance. It charted in 27 countries and peaked at number one in 19 of them, eventually selling 15 million copies worldwide. The album spawned five successful singles, all of which went platinum: "American Idiot", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday", "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Jesus of Suburbia". ''American Idiot'' received rave reviews and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2005. Its success inspired a Broadway musical and an incomplete feature film adaption. It has been praised in the years following its debut, with numerous appearances on "greatest" lists. ==Background== Green Day, which formed in 1987 and spent early years touring punk rock clubs, emerged in the early 1990s as one of the most popular rock acts. With their third album and major-label debut ''Dookie'' (1994), the band helped propel punk rock music to mainstream notoriety, selling upwards of 20 million albums in the process. Subsequent releases were also hits, including ''Insomniac'' (1995) and ''Nimrod'' (1997). By the time the group released ''Warning'' (2000), their sales had began to drop off considerably. ''Warning'' was considered a significant commercial disappointment, despite largely positive reviews.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Warning'' (2000): Reviews )〕 In early 2002, the band embarked on the Pop Disaster Tour, co-headlining with Blink-182.〔Spitz, 2006. pg. 143〕 While their relevance was in question, the tour created momentum for the trio, who began to be viewed as "elder statesmen" of the pop punk scene at the time, which consisted of bands like Good Charlotte, Sum 41, and New Found Glory.〔〔 By this time, things had come to a point regarding unresolved personal issues between the three. The band was argumentative and miserable, according to Dirnt, and needed to "shift directions".〔 In addition, the band released a greatest hits album, ''International Superhits!'', which they felt was "an invitation to midlife crisis". Armstrong called Dirnt and asked him, "Do you wanna do (band ) anymore?" He felt insecure, having become "fascinated and horrified" by self-destruction in terms of his reckless lifestyle, and his marriage was in jeopardy.〔 Dirnt and Cool viewed the frontman as controlling, while Armstrong feared to show his bandmates new songs.〔 Beginning in January 2003, the group had weekly personal discussions, which resulted in a revitalized feeling among the musicians.〔 They settled on more musical input from Cool and Dirnt, with "more respect and less criticism". The band had spent much of 2002 recording new material at Studio 880 in Oakland, California for an album titled ''Cigarettes and Valentines'',〔Spitz, p. 152〕 creating "polka songs, filthy versions of Christmas tunes, () salsa numbers" for the project, hoping to establish something new within their music.〔 After completing 20 songs, the rough demo master tapes were stolen that November. The musicians insisted they had no leads on its whereabouts; no bootleg versions have ever surfaced online. The band consulted longtime producer Rob Cavallo about what to do next. Cavallo told the members to ask themselves if the missing tracks represented the group's best work.〔Spitz, p. 153〕 Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said that the band members "couldn't honestly look at ourselves and say, 'That was the best thing we've ever done.' So we decided to move on and do something completely new."〔 The band members agreed to spend the next three months writing new material.〔Spitz, p. 154〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American Idiot」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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