What Makes This Song Great? "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" GREEN DAY

[@jakegreene4313]

Rick playing air drums is the greatest thing I have ever seen

[@rowegardner9673]

Agreed! Loved how much fun he was having in this one.

[@DeanoSonic]

I want to be a drummer now...

[@lulikastrati5911]

His 'acoustic' air guitar is not as good

[@mattmarkus4868]

hahaaa

[@TokyoBlue587]

It's great in every video!

[@antonvelev]

"Green Day doesn't realize it - they just play what sounds good. But I know it, now you know it" - best line ever

[@neongray7959]

y'know

[@richarddeese1991]

Agreed; but I suspect their *_producer_* knew it!!! That's what those guys are *_for_***! "NO NO NO!!! You don't play a ***_FLAT_* there!?! How are you tools even a band?!? Now put down the beer & *_play!!!_* :D ℝ𝕚𝕜𝕜𝕚 𝕋𝕚𝕜𝕜𝕚.

[@GNVS300]

I wondered how Green Day became so theoretical

[@altruism8637]

anton velev Kind of presumptuous of him could be right tho

[@wolfganghuber3616]

@@trsidn Tell the three guys they wrote a punksong in Fm Dorian....oh my g...

[@shauryarathi3546]

Now we need an hour long episode for Jesus of suburbia

[@omamero]

Haha agree

[@SonnyJrLuy]

fckin 💯

[@phil393]

I concur

[@charliep123]

Yes please

[@dcarsondavis]

Yep. Best song

[@er5490]

Mike's bass playing is simple, melodic, and fits the band perfect. His playing is underrated

[@charliet.sanford2495]

Some of his fills on the earlier records are great. Fairly simple, but outside the box and well executed.

[@calebhouser5837]

very underrated. Tre is phenomenal too. green day is honestly better than any other band because you can show someone any song from them and they will love it.

[@TomWeikert]

He fits his parts in perfectly to create the groove of the song without distracting from it. The are simple but not always easy, definitely underrated.

[@Beautiful_Twisted_Fantasy]

His backup vocals are killer too! Tré is also a legendary drummer, really makes a powerful beat!

[@TJTurnage]

@@Beautiful_Twisted_Fantasytotally agree, his backing vocals are extremely underrated as an ingredient to the band’s success

[@themadkraken1912]

I never noticed how absolutely phat Mike's bass tone was on this song. Nice.

[@johnathom-v3y]

Mikes tone has always been killer, they just started burying his bass lines around ai, luckily they started mixing his bass like they used to during revrad

[@paulrainey4990]

His sound was always a little thin on earlier records, especially Dookie, but I love his later tone on albums like this and the Uno, Dos, and Tre.

[@jakefellner5786]

@@paulrainey4990 his bass on dookie was insane

[@thedamnshame]

@Tyler Haraf he talking about the tone not the actual bass line. his riffs are dope but the low end is a little buried in the mix...

[@vinunleaded]

Fat Mike? Wrong band 😂

[@michaelcosta7235]

"It is a perfect pop song." I could hear Green Day fans heads explode at that moment. Lol.

[@pinkraven4402]

Technically it's pop punk ^^

[@vismaea9033]

@@pinkraven4402I actually think its more alternative than pop-punk

[@OsirisGaming66]

It’s PUNK ROCK!

[@MattWarb2]

It’s music.

[@vismaea9033]

@@MattWarb2 its good music!

[@kevinfitzpatrick95]

Big metal fan here and I can safely say that that outro was unexpextedly one of the heaviest riffs I've ever heard live. Their live sound is phenomenal.

[@samuliauno8163]

I agree, but it's not a surprise. Mikael Åkerfelt from Opeth has said a million times that heaviness is not a tuning matter, it's an arrangement matter. Most of Opeth's songs are in standard E tuning, yet sound beastly heavy. Deliverance and Heir Apparent are good examples of this. It's all about the correct use of bass guitar (and synths maybe). For this same reason many modern "progressive metal" or "djent" bands can't reach the same heaviness as Meshuggah does: their arrangements suck.

[@moonkef]

@@samuliauno8163 haha meanwhile Sorceress is drop A. But it's a good point, it's like how can we make E as heavy as possible. Sandman does a good job. Even Sabbath, Iron man doesnt lack menace.

[@moonkef]

@@augustgreig9420 Yup, most of RATM is in standard or drop D. V heavy there in places. Unsane take a lot of beating especially on Occupational Hazard album. Drop D, Telecaster, three piece, massive overdriven P Bass - heavy! They also do the 6th string down to A on 1 tune on that album.

[@SspaceB]

Then you hear Bolt Thrower for the first time

[@kevinfitzpatrick95]

@@samuliauno8163 exactly, heaviness is all about arrangement. I just wasn't prepared for Boulevard of Broken Dreams in particular to be the song that blew me away with its heaviness. Can't stress enough as well how great their live sound is though. Mike's bass tone is really something else and the whole band was so tight.

[@samuelcurto5505]

People give this Green Day too much hate. They are truly good musicians. Awesome video!

[@echt114]

Samuel Curto: People who give Green Day hate have no interest in music. For them it's about image. They're the same kind of dirtbags who originally liked Nirvana but started hating them as soon as lots of other people started liking them.

[@toxictophat711]

I love the album Dookie but there newest albums are more pop that punk so i moved away but i like what they do for there fans being kids on stage to play guitar it's cool

[@Jonky98]

Especially Tre Cool, best name ever french tre = very very cool

[@duffman18]

I always thought they are amazing at writing melodies. It's so much more difficult to write something simple and still have it good and catchy, than make something complicated for complicated sake. They always use simple chord progressions, and so it's the melodies that make their songs great. I've never properly listened to all their albums but weirdly I've still seen them live 3 times, at various festivals, and they're usually the best band of the day.

[@toucantango1]

They get hate because this album comes off as un-American.Most reasonable people do not want to hear that.

[@PerceivedWaves]

I wasn’t a Green Day fan until I went to their concert with my wife (she was a fan). Boy, they are phenomenal live, best concert I have ever been.

[@gabrielpaiva9070]

Really hope I'll ever get to see them play live one day. 😔😔

[@evanoglesby9504]

Growing up, when music was IT, we had no choice but to be extreme critical purists. Now that time has passed and we’re hanging on to what’s fading fast, we see that Green Day has really stood the test of time and aged well. Their songs are clever and catchy.

[@davecam4863]

They really are.

[@RobinhoGuitarCovers]

I agree after seeing them last Wednesday. Amazing live show

[@wesleynaleagaca5703]

Man..wish I had a teacher like this in the 90's.

[@iamajay3333]

It's never too late

[@sadastronaut78]

@@iamajay3333 Well... Apparently it is too late to have a teacher like this in the 90's.

[@gabrielpaiva9070]

@@sadastronaut78 It wouldn't be too late if it were the 90's but it's not.

[@rowegardner9673]

I'd be so down for more songs from this album. The production is outrageously good imo.

[@user-qr8ki8ue4i]

Agreed. Brilliant album.

[@moonkef]

Yes for sure.

[@DedSec44]

awesome production on this album

[@DrBonely]

Yes, please!

[@hartzy7425]

American Idiot is their best record. Dookie is an incredible record, and so is Nimrod. But they can't top American Idiot. That album is their career milestone.

[@wanik4]

One thing I love about Green Day is Billie Joe's ability to have fun with the crowd and make shows an experience. He's gotten cooler as he's aged and matured.

[@jbellis11]

So I was hoping to fall asleep to this, but now I want to go downstairs and get the guitar. Thanks for another awesome episode.

[@powdermnky007]

This

[@JH-ev7wn]

Exact same...headed to keyboard to play around with these progressions.

[@taintlessproductions]

I fell asleep and I didn't mean to

[@hanreality.7266]

Yep, straight to the guitar...

[@pmaster1173]

Green Day fan here and I thought it'd be boring too cause it's one of the most played rock song of all time. I was wrong.

[@heythere6983]

I used to tell my friend everytime I spoke about this song how it was one of those "perfect" songs. So well written, everyone in the band does the right thing. This album I would say is a Masterpiece.

[@mitchweiner]

I would agree! This album made their careers!

[@harrisontownsend910]

This record has an amazing track list and sounds amazing. Green Day is the perfect Pop/Punk band.

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Man, that's such a killer drum sound. I'm mixing drums tonight and suddenly feeling less competent than I did before watching this video. Then again, that's exactly why I watch these :)

[@andriealinsangao613]

Sweet!

[@Abhishek_Pawar93]

Partly Sampled

[@emalinedickinson7492]

I sincerely loved Tre. Underrated drummer in his time. Then again, a lot of great musicians were underrated in that era, too much mellon collie.

[@seblockett1242]

It’s boots and cats drum beat :)

[@rossmclellan8875]

Ah its ok ..... He'll never reproduce the Dookie drum sounds....that was killer...

[@SPARKLISWEETS]

The passion and enthusiasm from your air drumming is infectious. Great video Rick.

[@kitchenasmr6876]

I learn so much from you in these videos. And you point out things I've never heard in songs I've heard a hundred times. Thank you!

[@TheVirginianRambler]

KitchenASMR ikr. Such greatness. Much like

[@CFCMahomet]

The drum bass relationship in Green Day is very underrated.

[@jamesallen6309]

Apparently, Tré Cool's drumming is so unusual, it took the band ages to sync with him. Maybe that adds to the flavour of the band's all round sound now that they have him worked out?

[@punkdoggo211]

@@jamesallen6309 As a drummer who loves to play Green Day songs, yes. Tre’s beats, and especially fills, are usually somewhat complex and very specific with what’s being hit when.

[@jamesallen6309]

@@punkdoggo211 Good luck. I play guitar. I tried the skins but couldn't keep a decent beat. People said I should form a band with Lars Ulrich? I still don't get the joke.

[@punkdoggo211]

@@jamesallen6309 I think the joke is that Lars Ulrich isn’t the *best* timekeeper out there (which is a pretty important skill in drumming). I.e. saying you should form a band with him cause u both sometimes get off-time? XD Also, I kinda want to learn the electric guitar. Sounds fun :)

[@artvjon]

Favorite song of all fucking time. Thank you for this video breaking it down and explaining all the nuance, kudos.

[@SmackinBabies]

Lol, your favorite song of all time. You have some really bad taste

[@guitarmaniac004]

not my favorite of all time but definitely up there.

[@brokenbird2136]

@@SmackinBabies and you are some child that has to judge someones taste its

[@SmackinBabies]

@@brokenbird2136 look at you judging me. We all judge everyone all the time. Love you

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@Kill Switch Hahah ARTV sounds like an immature baby.

[@sheltonhhh]

I don't know what to be more impressed by, that he can dive so deep into songs, or that he gets the stems for LITERALLY EVERYTHING

[@shawarmageddonit]

Well, maybe not LITERALLY _EVERYTHING._

[@HerenBass]

I was going to comment just that. He is getting the tracks for massive hits.

[@celeumacolorada]

Rick, those videos are absolutely brilliant. Please keep doing episodes of 'WMTSG'. It's pure gold.

[@jakebeaudrie]

I'd love an entire channel of WMTSG!

[@davidrobinson5180]

It is amazing to watch this for free.

[@blondaibonsai]

David Robinson so true!

[@martinherrera7991]

I feel like whatsername is the most underrated green day song, as always great video!

[@hartzy7425]

Oh, dude. Whatsername is probably my favourite song from American Idiot. It just tugs at the heartstrings.

[@cesarescalona3913]

Is the most beatiful green day song

[@satyajeetpatil8177]

Letterbomb!

[@Janruzalem]

Its also the only green day song in drop d

[@Dave-us5fq]

Satyajeet Patil agreed

[@yanagida_01]

the're bands that I now regret listening from my early teens, but even though I've completely moved out of this scene I never left Green Day. they were the first band that put a mark on me since I was 8, though I may not casually listen to them right now, I still jam their songs on the guitar from time to time, they're just fun especially the first tracks that they released... like the Dry Ice solo

[@Ab.gs3]

I think thats their best solo. Most people think they just play three note solos, but they have yet to listen to their bluesy solos. Pretty good even if they can be repetitive with the licks they use in them. But still pretty great!!

[@mitchweiner]

I know what you mean! I’m a fan of over 25 years!

[@shawarmageddonit]

"The're"??

[@jaygoin3426]

I love that you use music theory to explain how something happened in a song, rather than to predict what should happen in a song. Cutting against what music theory predicts is a huge part of what makes a song great.

[@johnkeeler5]

The voice solo around 11:00 was eargasmic

[@JeffManseau]

I can just picture Billie Joe going wait guys let’s change this up to F dorian so we can use this chord ;)

[@nuke2625]

😅

[@danacoleman4007]

Rick Beato....... Equal parts music fan and music intellectual. 100% awesome!

[@IndiePlanet]

The way the cymbals are mixed in this song is incredible when you listen to the whole band. Really the song is perfectly mixed

[@losdesertboys]

These videos are like the musical equivalent of watching Bob Ross paint. Love ya Rick

[@kevingranquist6159]

A little tree here...a great bass line there...

[@klawis]

Tré Cool is a weird person but an incredible drummer. He's the secret weapon of Green Day (well, all of them are equally great that's why they're one of the most important bands in rock history) I gotta say American Idiot is one of the greatest album of all time. It has many layers and has a superior literary value

[@tbkmusic2640]

Iodine Cerium I always loved Travis Barker from blink and his drumming and how unique it was using his symbols like they’re toms and whatnot. But tré’s drumming is still so incredible

[@scottandersen4798]

on the topic of drummers, jazz-influenced players like Bonham and moon have very cool rhythms

[@red149]

@@scottandersen4798 you mean Tré Cool rhythms ? :P

[@calebhouser5837]

if not the best of all time

[@HatWearingDog]

I feel like this guy underestimates Billie Joe’s understanding of music theory. Even in their earliest albums they played around with key changes and harmonies that weren’t really a part of the punk pop genre at the time. Say what you will about the simplicity of Green Day’s music, or whether or not it’s punk, you can tell Billie understood what he was doing when playing around with different sounds. A punk artist “playing what sounds good” doesn’t go on to write American Idiot, they go on to be Limp Bizkit (which is probably more nu metal but you get my point). Plus the guy plays a plethora of instruments from the sax to the drums, he’s a full blown musician. Mike Dirnt & Tre Cool ain’t slouches either. Enjoyed the video tho, really informative.

[@luciussavagemusic]

What he probably means is that Billie just does it not knowing what he's doing and then realising after that what has been written, most of the time musicians aren't actively thinking about theory when they right something.

[@HatWearingDog]

Lucius Savage Music That’s kinda how I took it... but a basic understanding of music theory is required to write a song like understanding key, tempo, time signature, etc. And when artists are able to successfully (key word here) push the boundaries of their genre with a new sound you can attribute it to: A. The artist understanding what about their preceding music worked B. Having a deep enough understanding of music theory where one can play around with unorthodox techniques in an educated guess sort of way. The point I’m really trying to make here is, good song writers know when they’re doing something cool/weird/new with their music, even if they aren’t necessarily thinking about it in technical terms; it’s their understanding of music that lets them make it work.

[@amirmasjid2351]

well said bro. well fucking said.

[@sixty2612]

I’ve always thought that they know what they’re doing but don’t know the technical music terms for it. I doubt they sat down and wrote the chord progression like “yeah music theory says this’ll be cool”. Like how most people can describe medical symptoms without knowing the medical terms (“heart problems” instead of “cardiac arrhythmia”)

[@theangryginger7582]

All the instrumentalists in limp bizkit know plenty of theory and they're all amazing players

[@michaelbell75]

They write some of the best pop songs ever, they just understand how to craft melodies like few others ever have. Dirnt is one of the most underrated bassists ever too.

[@gabeaddisonmusic]

Mike Dirnt is underrated

[@gabrielpaiva9070]

@@gabeaddisonmusic Mmm, not really, I'd say.

[@hartzy7425]

I'd love to see Jesus of Suburbia, or maybe Homecoming from this record on this series. Both phenomenal songs.

[@davidotoole909]

The wonderwall progression. One the greatest chord progressions ever.

[@TristanJCumpole]

@@paulmcgrath6118 I was hearing Imagine, but then again that's just another part of that very long list!

[@TristanJCumpole]

@@paulmcgrath6118 I think you're right. That's what happens when you binge on three hours of Rick's videos in the background whilst doing lighting electrics in the kitchen. Mind is on two things, only concentrating on one 100% ;-)

[@Thennecan]

That coda is fucking massive, I've always loved it.

[@Paul-dw2cl]

Love them or hate them, Green Day are easily one of the best bands of all time.

[@EGPlaysGames]

if you hate green day then they are not "one of the best bands of all time" to you. so i dont see your point?

[@Paul-dw2cl]

Zoomy There are bands I don’t enjoy but can recognize that they are important or great

[@Paul-dw2cl]

I don’t enjoy James Taylor’s music very much but I recognize his extraordinary talents

[@saidkarakoc2526]

I don’t enjoy Queen. But they’re important in music.

[@RhadaGhast100]

Not the greatest band of all time but in terms of active bands they are my favorite atm. Their even better live imo.

[@scottwallace1]

I swear this happened….I happen to have heard this song over the last couple days, so I’m rocking out to it as I’m laying in bed (headphones of course)…and I find the arrangement so interesting that I immediately went to KZbin and searched ‘Green Day Rick Beato’….imagine my joy to find that he did an awesome breakdown of the very song. Awesome. Rick…someday before I die, I’d love for someone like you who understands music so intimately to take a survey of not just songs, but chords and progressions and harmonies that particularly get to me….and explain it all to me. And point me to things that fit the profile that I may not have heard of. What a gift that would be….you’re just awesome at what you do Rick.

[@Hi_Ryyydrums]

4:35 never realized the bass line was like that and honestly as a drummer I feel like this is why Tre wears those in ear monitors and overhead headphones for this song live

[@b4ever637]

The reason why Tre wore headphones during this song back in the day wasn’t to hear Mike’s bass. The tremolo guitar and octave hook guitar were a backing track. Tre was listening to a click track (metronome) so that the band kept in time with it throughout the verses, because Billie, Mike and Tre didn’t start using IEMs until 2009. 🙂👍🏻

[@bennattj]

Dude, Rick, you talk about bass sometimes...for me Green Day has one of the greatest bass lines of all time in "Sassafras Roots". For me, it's the most melodic bass line I've ever heard!!! The entire song is the bass line (with drums).

[@alonedownthere47]

beach side property by modest mouse tho

[@brrrrett]

Air drums Rick is a happy Rick! Makes me happy too!

[@JCavLP]

Rick playing air instruments has to become a meme

[@DonPiruflo]

this is beyond memes

[@matej1769]

real music needs air instruments

[@th3giv3r]

I didn't realize how much I needed this.

[@Brunzer2shit]

@Ryan Smith it does

[@Paul-dw2cl]

I think it’s cool that Billie writes most of the songs but they’re all credited to the band & Mike & Tre get royalties

[@ericroll]

I agree. I believe Van Halen was the same way. Equal writing credits for all band members. Interestingly, I just watched a documentary of the Go-Gos, and the unequal pay due to writing credits really drove a wedge between the band members. It led to a quick breakup of the band.

[@johnnysmithy2187]

This used to be pretty common. It's a sign of faith a songwriter would give to their bandmates, but people started exploiting it. That's why there are random people credited with writing 3 a.m. by Rob Thomas. He wrote the song by himself, but because he put it on an album with the band he was in before Matchbox 20 and gave the band credit, the band members were able to sue for royalties and writing credits after he re-released the song with Matchbox 20.

[@christ9359]

When I was in a band in high school, that's pretty much how it went. The reason was because every member contributed the nuances with their own instrument. So even if one person wrote lyrics and a progression, they didn't necessarily write all the leads, bass line, drum fills, etc. It was a group effort every time, but to differing degrees.

[@amc1140]

It seems fair in many cases, imagine Blink without Travis?

[@reddoo8936]

@@amc1140 Great example. I guarantee while Mark and Tom are writing about fucking dogs and moms, they're not coming up with the drum parts for it. Travis's drumming absolutely elevates the already great songwriting to another level, even if he's not the one writing out the riffs or melodies.

[@anthonymarshall8826]

This is truly such a refreshing and original channel. It’s a revelation for music lovers who know very little about the technicalities of how sounds make up the music we cherished. Brilliant!

[@NewoNZ]

There is so much enthusiasm in these videos that it's hard not to come away from them with appreciation.

[@caschdiify]

"The caveman entrance" of the drums. Made my day xD

[@zacpilled]

Been waiting for a Green Day episode for a while now!!

[@brandonkelly7107]

I guess you can say you've "been waiting a long time for this moment to come." Better thank your lucky stars.

[@LetsTalkAboutMathRock]

Another awesome episode. I learn so much from these. My favourite part was the air drumming. Haha

[@tanguyen11]

FYI Your channel was actually the gateway to this channel and Adam Neely's. Thank you

[@LetsTalkAboutMathRock]

@@tanguyen11 that's awesome. I learn a great deal from Rick's videos.

[@thestrum71]

Been in punk rock bands for over 3 decades. One thing we learned along the way was that by using changes in dynamics during a song it actually increases the bursts of power you need to get a song across. We were never trained musicians so we came up with stuff like what happens in a tune like this. The ending of this comes from classic Bad Religion style riffs. We're punk rockers, we never invent things, we use what we have... Great video!

[@ChefClary60]

One of the best. Damn. Forgot how good this album was.

[@darthivory]

I've been a HUGE Green Day fan for most of my life and I love how you've analyzed them. Mike's bass and Tre's drums are underappreciated; Glad to see them highlighted as well!

[@FrankReynolds182]

I was hoping you'd be dissecting Jesus of Suburbia, which I can't help but feel is their best song, but this is cool too. :)

[@th3giv3r]

Are We the Waiting did the most for me, personally, off of Idiot.

[@joshs5135]

JoS is an amazing song (honestly my favorite ever). But musically it’s pretty simple. It’s mostly a 1-4-6-5 progression I believe.

[@alvatrous]

FamousLastWords actually letterbomb is if were gonna go there

[@ThyReverend]

FamousLastWords Dissecting Jesus of suburbia would take a very long time lol

[@subpar.smoocher]

Christ that'd be like an hour long video

[@jesseshort8]

Mr. Beato, you Sir, are amazing. 6th-9th grade band was the extent of my musical education (euphonium), which isn't much. I watch every video that I catch and binge on what I've missed. Most of what you talk about is way over my head but you grab my attention and don't let go until the end. The wealth of musical knowledge and ability to explain it in a way that I feel like I understand most of it is very much appreciated. Just wanted to thank you for your time and effort that goes into these videos and your generosity to share this beautiful information with all of us. Great content from a great creator, keep up the awesome work Sir. Ps. Love your witty replies to the trolls too. Rock on.

[@MeNoWorryYouNoWorry]

That coda progression, when tuned down, could be a death metal progression.

[@anamrajbhandari6593]

How’s life at juventus?

[@MarkVanWey]

Rick, I LOVE your channel, you are such a fantastic teacher. I have learned so much about musical theory from you. But... The intro guitar effect on blvd of broken dreams isn't just a volume tremolo. If you use a simple volume tremolo in a live setting, the drummer cant find the groove because it doesn't react with him. Humans cant hear volume changes very well. But if you delay the drummer’s actual kick, he will lock with it. Period. He is listening to his own output & will adjust to the delay tempo. (When the Levee Breaks) This trick only works because the kick is so simple on this song. The drummer is only playing ¼ notes. You need 3 noise gates and a delay. 1. Gate the kick signal until you only get a short pulse. 2. Delay the kick drum until you get 1/16 notes. Drummer kicks once & the delay spits out 3 more short bursts. Might have to gate this again to only get a ¼ note worth of bursts. 3. Feed the 1/16 note bursts into the sidechain of a 3rd noise gate. The noise gate will only let sound thru in 1/16 note intervals. 4. Run the guitar thru heavy reverb. 5. Run that processed guitar thru the main channel of the 3rd noise gate so it only plays in 1/16 notes. The guitar bursts will also get less intense as the ¼ note passes. No matter what the guitarist plays, it will be in 1/16 notes and perfectly in time with the drummer. This works live also, because the drummer will automatically “find” the groove with the delay. I use this for anything that needs to be staccato and perfectly in sync with a live drummer (synth pads, etc...) This would be a GREAT gear tutorial.

[@doublestrokeroll]

The whole album was an absolute masterpiece. Green Day take a lot of flack from all sides but they are brilliant song writers and musicians. They really started to come into their own on Dookie (where most of the "true punk fans" would claim they "sold out"...sold out meaning started to write decent songs). Prior to that much of their music was typical 1/8 note plodding stereo-typically boring "real punk". Dookie has a lot of that too but at least half the album is constructed of other songs with fantastic hooks like Longview and not 3 chord 1/8th note riding. Insomniac was much the same. American Idiot was when they put the whole thing together though into a complete package of solid material with not a single cliche "punk song". Combine that with the fantastically socially critical lyrics and you end up with their most punk album of all...no matter what their "purist 'EPs and Kerplunk' were their best" fans might say.

[@hartzy7425]

American Idiot will always be, in my books, their best album. I don't think they will be able to top just how iconic that album became. Dookie and Nimrod and Insomniac will always be fantastic records. But American Idiot is just several steps ahead. One of the last great conceptual albums in rock. It's still in my top 5 to this day.

[@JamesFletcher0]

Kerplunk is anything but boring. In reality, there isn't much of a jump between the two albums apart from the production and recording process. A lot of songs on Kerplunk are criminally underrated by Green Day fans and the Punk scene in general, good songwriting, energetic and melodic . While I would say from a artistic and critical point of view Dookie and American Idiot are Green Day's best albums, Kerplunk is my personal favorite.

[@doublestrokeroll]

@@JamesFletcher0 To you. If you dig it then great! More power to you. It's subjective after all. For me though, I've listened to it a few times and never found much interesting in it. First two songs sound exactly the same to each other and are formulaic "punk". I get that's what "punk fans" think is "real" but it's just repetitive 2 or 3 chord 1/8th note riding, with no decent hook or melody. Welcome to Paradise is a good tune I'll admit. Christie Road is boring 1/8th note plodding. Private Ale has a good chorus line but the verse is boring 1/8th note plodding. Dominated love slave is comedic effect. Cute I guess. One of my Lies is formulaic and repetitive. 80 has a great verse part but is ruined by the formulaic and repetitive chorus. Android - rapid 1/8th note boring No One Knows is OK I guess. A bit repetitive Who Wrote... formulaic Words I Might - A A A A A A A A G G G G G G G G A A A A A A A A G G G G G G G G A A A A A A A A G G G G G G G G ughh....boring. Again...just my opinion. I simply prefer songs with strong hooks, and melodies that define themselves and don't sound like the same thing over and over again. Way too much of Kerplunk is repetitive and the interesting bits are few and far between. Greenday later would discover more and more of those "interesting" bits and they progressed. And it just bugs me that punk snobs seem to think that formulaic playing is what equals "real punk". Then they'll point to some repetitive band like Pennywise or something as "true punk". When the reality is "true punk" bands like Sex Pistols, Clash, Dead Kennedy's, D.O.A etc...all knew how to write great hook laden music and were every bit as "real" as anything the punk snobs think is "true punk." Writing a great line is not "selling out". It's simply making great music.

[@toxictophat711]

Dookie is my favorite there last album couldn't spike my interest needs something added thicker bass lines it seems poorly put compared to how everything else i listen to sounds but i love what theres guy do for there fans being kids on stage to cover guitar like damn thats to cool

[@kevinconnor6035]

American Idiot is a more interesting album, but Dookie charges me up from start to finish. There is not a single moment of that album I don't love (maybe In The End, but even that's pretty good). American Idiot is of course incredible too in a different way. I just love the sheer energy and intoxication I get from Dookie.

[@thedondeluxe6941]

0:42 Couldn't agree more! Perfect pop song. And I f***ing love that outro.

[@GeoZero]

Rick, you knocked it out of the park. Great choice of song. Always always always awesome to watch this series. Thank you so much.

[@totoabicyclette7100]

you really should be a public service : teaching us, precisely, what makes this sound great

[@nuke2625]

7:27 what really sticks out for me is the way Billie sings the line "on the boulevard of broken dreams" . He's voice is grooving with the drums.

[@kristopherthomas7166]

Rick, I'm pretty confidant that you could explain more or less what makes anything and everything "great." You know what makes "this song great?" Is YOU. What I mean is that YOU have this gift of explaining why something boring might actually be interesting. Makes me think of the FNM lyric "You're perfect, yes it's true, but with out me, you're only you." I'd love to see a "what makes this song great" instalment of Faith No More...actually any track from Angel Dust. One of the greatest albums written and recorded by a band i can barely stand but cant deny. The music on that album would be beautiful no matter who made it. Also....do Iron Maiden. Love you Rick. You're the best BEST BEAST at what you do. Can't even begin to tell you how much your work has improved my understanding of music and how much music has shaped and coloured my life. You're a saint as far as Im concerned.

[@richardskinner1155]

kristopher thomas couldn’t agree more! About Angel Dust and Rick! I get so excited when I see a new “What Makes This Song Great “!!!

[@davecarsley8773]

Geez. You falling in love?

[@remuso287]

Amen! I'm still hoping for a FNM or Primus analysis

[@OuterSpacedVideos]

And I wore cologne, I wore cologne

[@4TuneMedia]

I work alone, I work alone

[@TheBlinkisback09]

To get the feeling right We started making out, and she took off my pants But then I turned on the tv

[@anne-mariev.3295]

Genius.

[@davecarsley8773]

I've never gotten that out of this song. Now, I will never unhear it.

[@Tilmann5138]

Cannot be unheard. Damn you!

[@salverejina4177]

"Caveman Entrance" is the best thing i've ever heard this 2018...love this show btw

[@TheMisterMonkeyman]

One of the things I love most about this series is how Rick explains the technical musical reasons behind what most bands/songwriters aren't even aware they are doing. They're just writing what they think sounds good, as he mentioned. Then he also goes into the recording aspects and "quirks" of the song. Super insightful and entertaining. So glad I found and subscribed to this channel. Peace.

[@papo_parra]

I hadn’t even noticed the extra tension note in the C chord before the outro. Damn. I’ve heard this song since it was released and just know Rick is showing me this. You are cool, good guy Rick!

[@davecarsley8773]

I find it funny how many people in the comments are saying Green Day "probably don't know" they're playing in Dorian.... What would possibly inspire a random guy in a comment section on KZbin - who obviously knows what Dorian is - to assume that the professional musician of 30 years that he's listening to _doesn't_ know what he knows?? I have no clue if Green Day knew or not. But no, it is not really "safe to assume" they didn't. After all, *You* know it; I know it; Rick knows it; millions of former college and high school music students know it; tons of guitar players in weekend cover bands know it... Why would it be "safe to assume" the artist doesn't?? It's not as if Dorian is a well kept secret.

[@Driver8takeabreak]

Rick talked about this a number of episodes back, commenting that many of the bands likely don't know the theory of what they wrote. They just liked the way it sounded. I tend to agree with him. Artists can have great ears for new progressions without having the training to know exactly what they're playing theory-wise.

[@Labyrinth1010]

I agree with you, 100%. It's not like modes are very complicated. I love Rick, but it's a bit presumptuous to say Green Day and various other artists don't know theory. For sure, some (many? most?) don't, but many do.

[@frostyriffs]

Lots of good bands admit to knowing little to no theory. Wanna know who does what what they are doing when it comes to writing.... the producers who they are in the studio recording with.

[@tvpnyc]

How incorrect you are. I've worked with Billie Joe for years- one of the smartest songwriters EVER

[@rayerscarpensael2300]

what a whiner you are @Paulo Alexandre is that all you got from this great song analysis, whine about you muh feelings for someone you dont know. anyway rick is right, seen the ubersimple power chord structure, the embelishments were there almost by accident, happens to me all the time, to get instinctivelyh something right without guessing the theory first

[@gkarjala]

Spot on Rick. "American Idiot" is top 5 rock studio albums. Green Day went yard and cleared the benches

[@brianmiller1077]

I wasn't that much of a fan but that album showed off the potential they had.

[@gkarjala]

@@brianmiller1077 Oddly enough, my kid turned me on to Green Day. Dookie days.

[@Timliu92]

Great video Rick! Some people think that musicians have to be at Dream Theater level of virtuosity to be considered 'good', which is nonsense IMO - Green Day and DT are excellent in their own ways! Just because a song has 'easy chords' does not mean that it is not a good song, and just because a singer does not sing like Luciano Pavarotti or Freddie Mercury does not mean that he or she is a bad singer (and I love those two guys massively - RIP).

[@jeffhoward162]

Those drum hooks are one thing I always noticed when I was young and in garage bands...it always seemed to me to be a huge difference between pros and amateurs, those little accents and fills that add character and nuance to a song, rather than the simple mathematical progression that a lot of novice musicians fall into.

[@seanrooney4847]

Rick Beato is a total legend for making these videos. So insightful and soooo interesting. Thanks Rick!

[@guitardudeguy3139]

My fav Green day song for sho. Thanks for changing it up a little. Truly a well written and arranged song. A song hard not to like.

[@aymericmarchand3472]

And yet...

[@dosgos]

Incredible pop song. Thank you so much for sharing your musical and production insight.

[@warrenxiii6721]

I never really got into this song of theirs but your breakdown and analysis has piqued my interest into this song, seeing it in a whole new light.

[@akavienne]

*piqued

[@warrenxiii6721]

@@akavienne haha thanks for pointing that out 🤘

[@warrenxiii6721]

@Hocus Smokus haha yeah but I grew up on old green day, the whole American idiot album was hard for me to take in. Dookie will forever be my favorite era of theirs.

[@missJJ_onYT]

This album came out when I was in high school and I remember listening to the album on repeat. Even as my music choices have evolved and I started listening to other genre (metal, R&B, etc), but this is that one album that I always goes back and listen on repeat until today. There's just something special about this album.

[@becksvlogs9057]

Green Day is probably my favorite band right now. They taught me to love concept albums.

[@darrenjoe674]

Wow Green Day is one of top 3 bands of all time. What a great detail breakdown!

[@g-wiz154]

In curious who the other 2 might be.

[@davidhornbeck1470]

I agree...I rank them right up there with the Beatles

[@synishere]

@@g-wiz154 in my opinion I think Bands worthy of top 3 are Green Day, P!atd, Fall Out Boy, MCR, Tøp, Paramore, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Linkin Park, Rise Against, OLN, 3DG, and others are definitely worth a mention.

[@synishere]

@@michaelabraham8873 Well to be fair the bands I stated have a lot of musical talent. I don't know I just don't like most music for its lack of Melody.

[@howardelzey2760]

I love you tube I have learned more about music over the past few years from my couch. Thank you Rick .

[@jaydedjen110]

American Idiot was the first Green Day album I ever bought, and it got me to buy the rest of their albums.

[@gabrielpaiva9070]

Same here and the only Green Day album I have since I was young. Unfortunately, later my mom banned me from listening to it because I was very young and ended up using explicit words.

[@Beautiful_Twisted_Fantasy]

Just today I got Nimrod and American Idiot, and I love them both!

[@corneliusdobeneck4081]

One of the major reasons I come back to your channel is about how much you enjoy music. Salute man!

[@timothyholmes4588]

green day had so much experience at this point and came through with some of their best work ever .the piano and acoustic guitar sound great .excellent vocal harmony and a perfect rhythm section. great work I think Billy Joe had really put some effort into this songwriting it's just so well done

[@BeneathWalls]

What I especially love is that the c major chord is consistent with Holiday. It provides a familiar transitional environment between the verses and choruses. On the original album, the two songs are merged into one.

[@jazamora2053]

try listening to Supersonic by Oasis, the chorus chords are exactly the same. To think greenday nicks the wonderwall chords on the verse, referencing another Oasis song for the chorus is overboard

[@revnrave]

@@jazamora2053 Lmao its a very common chord progression, now get your head out of your ass

[@peppermeat_]

Trè Cool to me is the best punk rock drummer to ever play he's amazing on every GD record he got me into my love of drumming 💚🖤💚🖤💚

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

This is my favorite album ever.

[@BlibbertyBlobberty]

Just found your channel. Love your enthusiasm. I've listened to and played along with this song since 2004 and I've still learnt things I've not heard before in it from your video.

[@imwithstupid248]

WMTSG is favorite series, thank you Rick. You're the best.

[@dastuffz]

I always forget how hard this song goes. Awesome breakdown! You should really consider making an analysis for Jesus of Suburbia. That song has SO much to unpack and it would be a super interesting episode.

[@lindaleeb6659]

American Idiot is a masterpiece. I like Green Day, I think they're great, as a Bay Arean of approximately the same era, familiar with Gilman Street and their origins, I followed them with sporadic interest, but this album was a leap forward. It had not just their usual hooks and verve, but an almost symphonic sweep and almost mythical thematic coherence, plus a wider variety of sound and mood. Also some great musical quotes and references, from western to Supremes to Johnny Cash, and I find more every time I listen to it. It's a very rich album, with a lot of texture and melodic interest. It's almost too much--sometimes I find myself satiated before the album ends. This album came about because they were pretty much finished with another album (recorded not far from where I lived at the time) which disappeared. The tapes were lost and never found. They had to start from scratch and this was the result. Genius. Little known fact: Billie Joe is a professionally trained vocalist and used to sing show tunes as a kid.

[@rhys2275]

Btw, it’s “But it’s home to me and I walk alone.” Not, “But it’s only me and I walk alone.” Just thought I’m mention that.

[@nombregenerico3677]

Falling In Zero Gravity I was about to mention that then I saw ur comment

[@mastod0n1]

I always thought it was "it's only me and I walk alone" and thought it was such a silly lyric. The actual lyric is much better and less "14 year old writing their first lyrics" sounding haha.

[@cowboybhop5953]

That's the way I heard it and I thought it was wrong til I saw your comment lol. has more impact to it too

[@greendayforever2k9]

I've always heard "home to me" tbf though i guess it's far more obvious when you listen to it isolated

[@stevenwatchorn9816]

Never knew that until I read your comment. Thanks!

[@justsomemincedgarlic]

I really never noticed how incredible that acoustic guitar actually sounds when its layered in with the rest of the track. Love these song breakdowns

[@thhunter]

Nice. Green Day has some great tunes. This is one of my favorites. This is a great breakdown. There's so much going on in a "simple" song.

[@PintsofGuinness]

glad to see green day get some love. its been the cool thing to hate them since american idiot came out, so im used to getting roasted when i tell people theyre my favorite band.

[@Jdub54]

Pints of Guinness They’re mine as well!

[@buzzardsinuses4780]

Mine too!!! Dookie is my favorite album of all time!!! I’m currently wearing an American Idiot shirt right now!

[@TokyoBlue587]

I had no idea it was supposed to be "cool" to hate them. Says who? They are my favorite band, and I wear my "Dookie" and "American Idiot" T-shirts all the time, and tell people they are my favorite band. I don't care what anyone thinks, I love the music I love.

[@Blitterbug]

@@TokyoBlue587 Was wondering the same. Did some jingoists take exception to their portrayal of the American Dream lying in tatters, perhaps?

[@pulykamell]

I dunno. American Idiot I feel they became cool again. In the 90s the hipsters in my area hated them because well, Californian pop punk was considered “fake wannabe punk.” When American Idiot came out, I reassessed them and saw them for the great pop songwriters they were and are. And I feel a lot of people I knew came around to that view. Maybe it’s because we’re older now and not the snotty high school/college kids we used to be.

[@Evertron69]

This is what I’ve been waiting for!

[@TeleCustom72]

I love the air-drums and air-guitar. That’s totally how I listen to music too.

[@ledgepedge2970]

This was already one of my favorite songs, but now I love it even more.

[@jaumepp1975]

Tré definitely knows his ways in terms of live and recorded drums and cymbals, since the beggining of the band. Bravo.

[@Fnortner01]

A friend once told me I really should be listening to this album. I thought really? Green Day? Anyway I bought the cd and it's still in my car. Because it's perfect.

[@skidrowe68]

best content on the tube!

[@rager-69]

Rick, you made me smile at 8:26 when you started singing the melody with "de do de do" instead of the lyrics. Every time I hear this song, I sing the "do do do do" of Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner.

[@mrflipperinvader7922]

Timestamp mess up

[@rager-69]

@@mrflipperinvader7922 I have fixed it. Thanks.

[@marpaul2223]

That "G#" note in the end to make that augmented flavor is GOLD!!!

[@sonorstudio1]

Great ideaa to take this song. Fantastic harmonic pressure has this song ! Rick is the best to bring it over !