Song Of The Week: Jesus Of Suburbia by Green Day

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the lack of updating, but I'm currently recovering from a Harry Potter marathon I did with three very good friends of mine and I'm exhausted. It's a bit late, but here's the song of the week for this week!

The American Idiot album cover
Source: Tumblr

This time, the song of the week is Jesus Of Suburbia from Green Day. I discovered Green Day in 2008/2009. I had heard from them before, but never heard one of their songs, until I watched MTV one morning before school and When I Come Around from Green Day was playing. I really liked the song and the overall sound, so I looked up more songs. At the end of 2009, 21st Century Breakdown from Green Day was the first CD I ever brought.
Even though I loved Green Day, my little sister loved them even more and started collecting their other CD's. At some point she brought American Idiot and we played it in the car. To this day, American Idiot is my favourite Green Day album. Jesus Of Suburbia, Holiday, Letterbomb, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends, are my favourite songs form the album.

Jesus Of Suburbia is actually called Jesus Of Suburbia/ City Of The Damned/ I Don't Care/ Dearly Beloved/ Tales Of Another Broken Home, but I think everyone gets why it's just called Jesus Of Suburbia most of the time. Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's singer and guitarist, says Jesus Of Suburbia "broke every rule people thought Green Day were supposed to be. Lyrically, it's everything about my past, but at the same time, written on the outside as well. That song is like purging everything, throwing it out."


And this is what the song means:

Jesus of Suburbia

This is the introduction of the album's leading character. He describes himself as "the son of rage and love", living on a "steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin" and "doing someone else's cocaine". He sarcastically mentions that this messed up life he's living is completely normal for him: "there's nothing wrong with me, this is how I'm supposed to be", and goes on with his story about the "land of make believe" that he lives in.

City of the Damned

The motto says "Home is where your heart is", but it doesn't mean that this works for everyone; some people just don't fit in. Jesus points out that people don't really care about anyone but themselves these days ("Lost children with dirty faces today no one really seems to care"), and surrounded by this indifference he states that now he doesn't care either.

I Don't Care

Jesus gives his opinion on the world - "everyone is so full of shit, born and raised by hypocrites". He says that if no one cares about him, there is no reason for him to care about anyone else ("I don't care if you don't"). He's tired of this "land of make believe" that doesn't believe in him.

Dearly Beloved

This part shows a softer side of Jesus' personality. His disguise of sarcasm covers his cry for help ("Oh therapy, can you please fill the void?"). He's tired of being alone and rejected, of not fitting in. He wants to break free.

Tales of Another Broken Home

Jesus states that he's not living, he's just existing - "to live and not to breathe is to die in tragedy". And he decided to run away and try to find something worth living for. He doesn't want to walk that same line anymore, doesn't want to keep living a life that he has no faith in. He feels no shame for leaving - "running away from pain when you've been victimized". He doesn't know what's waiting for him, he just wants to start a new life.

(Source: geekstinkbreath.net)


I hope that everyone who reads this gives Jesus Of Suburbia a listen, and I hope you'll all like it as much as I do. Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Gasoline Diamond

This is pretty awesome
Source: Tumblr

Sources used in this post:

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/jesus+of+suburbia

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/american+idiot

http://www.geekstinkbreath.net/greenday/song-meanings/jesus-of-suburbia/