It’s been 20 years since Green Day’s American Idiot first arrived, and the seminal pop-punk album is still striking a chord with fans worldwide, as evidenced by the title track reaching a significant milestone: surpassing 1 billion streams on Spotify.
The achievement occurred this past week as Green Day is on the road with their “Saviors Tour,” which is not only supporting their new album, Saviors, but celebrates the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot, with the band performing both albums in full at each stop.
Lyrically, “American Idiot” itself speaks to the turbulent socio-political climate of America in the 21st century, referencing national tension, propaganda, a country controlled by the media, and more. To that end, it’s little surprise that the track has remained a beloved anthem. Now, it joins “Basket Case” as Green Day’s second song to pass the 1 billion mark, with the band’s picture serving as the cover of Spotify’s BILLIONS CLUB playlist this week.
Up next, Green Day will continue celebrating American Idiot with a massive anniversary box set, arriving on October 25th with a tracklist including several previously unreleased songs (pre-order here). Additionally, they’re honoring the album in more unconventional ways, like unveiling an American Idiot themed Keurig coffee brewer, complete with K cups from their Punk Bunny Coffee line (which itself will be brewed in 7-Elevens for a limited time).
Green Day will continue the “Saviors Tour” with shows in Texas and the West Coast, wrapping with a final performance in San Diego on September 28th. Get tickets here.
For more, revisit Consequence’s 2019 article on American Idiot and how it kick-started the 21st century protest music scene.