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American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for American Idiot took place at Studio 880 in Oakland and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, both in California, between 2003 and 2004. A concept album, dubbed a "punk rock opera" by the band members, American Idiot follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle-class American adolescent anti-hero. The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War.
Following the disappointing sales of their previous album Warning (2000), the band took a break and then began what they had planned to be their next album, Cigarettes and Valentines. However, recording was cut short when the master tapes were stolen; following this, the band made the decision to start their next album from scratch. The result was a more societally critical, politically charged record which returned to the band's punk rock sound following the more folk and power pop-inspired Warning. Additionally, the band underwent an "image change", wearing red-and-black uniforms onstage, to add more theatrical presence to performances and press events.
The album charted in 27 countries, reaching number one on the Billboard 200, a first for the group. It has sold over 23 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling album for the band (behind their 1994 major-label debut, Dookie) and one of the best-selling albums of the decade and all time. It is also the best selling rock album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. It was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2013. The album spawned five successful singles: the title track, "Holiday", "Wake Me Up When September Ends", "Jesus of Suburbia", and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year-winner "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
American Idiot was a critical and commercial success upon release. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won the award for Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Album at the Europe Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards, winning the former. Its success inspired a Broadway musical, a documentary, and an unmade feature film adaptation. Rolling Stone placed it at 225 on their 2012 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and it was 248 on the 2020 update of the list.
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