green day
Punk Culture

Green Day Explains Brief Departure from Political Songwriting and Return with “Saviors” Album

Green Day, the iconic punk-rock band, has shed light on their temporary departure from political songwriting and their return to their roots with the upcoming album, Saviors. The band, consisting of Billie-Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, discussed their political stance and the inspiration behind their lead single, “The American Dream Is Killing Me.”

The conversation arose in the context of their announcement of the 14th studio album, Saviors, which the band describes as bridging the gap between their seminal albums Dookie and American Idiot.

In promoting the upcoming release, the trio recalled how they had distanced themselves from political songwriting in recent years but have now returned to it with fervor. Billie-Joe Armstrong explained that during the making of their last album, Father Of All Motherfuckers, they consciously avoided political themes due to the obvious and divisive political climate in the United States. However, with the upcoming album, they felt it was the right time to reintroduce politically motivated songs.

“For ‘Father Of All…’ we didn’t want to go political because it was so obvious. It was such low-hanging fruit because we had just terrible politics and terrible division in the United States,” Armstrong said. “But this time, we brought it out and it felt like it was the perfect time for it.”

“We got away from the politics for a while [because] we didn’t want to be like another pundit on CNN, finger-pointing,” he added. “But political songs… It takes a lot of heart to do that.”

Armstrong emphasized that crafting political songs should come from special, inspired moments rather than being driven solely by anger. He stated, “I think if you keep doing it for the sake of doing it, just because you’re angry, then you take the heart out of it. Then it just becomes part of what everyone is complaining about. It takes those special, inspired moments to really have a moment like ‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’.”

“The American Dream Is Killing Me” is the lead single from the upcoming album Saviors, set to be released on January 19, 2024, via Reprise/Warner. The single was followed by another track, “Look Ma, No Brains!“

This marks Green Day’s return to a more politically charged musical landscape, a departure from the experimentation they pursued with Father Of All Motherfuckers back in 2020. The band will embark on a massive world tour in 2024, celebrating 30 years of Dookie and 20 years of American Idiot. They will be joined by Nothing But Thieves, The Hives, Donots, The Interrupters, and Maid Of Ace on select dates.