True, but when almost everybody who matters cites a band as an influence, you gotta figure there’s something there. You might want to go read what other punk bands have to say about the Ramones. Like WordMan says, you ain’t gotta like it, but to call it mediocre? No way. Simplistic? Sure. They’re a power chord band. What’s amazing is how much fucking JUICE they got out of that simple formula.
My beef is with the “alpha and omega” thing.
Punk existed before The Ramones, and it sure as hell would have kept on going even if there had never been The Ramones. The question is, to what degree, but I think it would be a pretty small difference. They ain’t no Beatles or Chuck Berry or Pixies.
Are you sure? There’s at least three mashups that include Travis too - the one I’ve heard includes " I Wrote for Miles" in the middle. Funny how they can take three songs I like and put them together in a way that sucks up until the last 30 seconds or so…thus far i’d rather they not mashup any songs since I’ve yet to hear one that improves any of the songs.
As for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, it’s the first Green Day song after Nimrod that I actually like. I like wistful. Sue me.
I agree that “alpha and omega” is stretching it, but I took that as hyperbole anyway. After all, ain’t nobody the alpha and omega of any musical genre.
I’d also agree that “they ain’t no Beatles”, but I think they’re much more influential than either the Pixies or Chuck Berry. I know, I know, Keith Richards loves Chuck, and I know he was innovative – kindof an Elvis in reverse – but black artists of the time pretty much dismiss him. They weren’t listening to him. Punks were listening to the Ramones, and trying to capture their energy.
In the time it took my last post to post, I realized I had to retract. I can’t say that the Ramones were “much more influential” than Berry. That’s just incorrect.
Sample - you seem to know your music, my use of hyperbole, and have the willingness to go back and correct yourself when you overstate. You rock. I agree with everything you said - including the modifier - Chuck Berry is pretty damn influencial (even if he was considered a hayseed by the black artists of his day - he was just trying to play Louis Jordan’s horn arrangements with two strings on his guitar…).
With all that in mind, I again concede that Boulevard isn’t the best song on the CD and is worthy of some of the derision you throw at it. The Whitesnake quote - ouch, that hurts. I still stand by my love of the overall CD. Just listened to it again over dinner…
Btw, I LOVE the song. I think it fits the theme of the Punk Opera that is “American Idiot” as well. It definetly fits the feeling of isolation and alienation of the rest of the album.
It is one of my fav songs on the entire album.
Btw, I think “Holiday” would be a great choice as the next single, but I really, really want them to release “Jesus of Suburia”. That would be fun :D.
I would like to dispel the notion that this is a punk song. It’s a pop-rock tune. It’s about as punk as my Aunt Sophie.
Dude, your Aunt Sophie is f**king METAL. Seriously, though. This belongs on a mix tape with GNR’s “November Rain” and Nelson’s “Love and Affection” and every other mid-tempo ballad that an otherwise high-tempo rock band ever recorded. Damn… now I’ve gotta go download that Nelson song. Turns out it was pretty good, just overplayed.
But it was never punk, and neither is BoBD.
Yeah, I’ve heard it too. I’ve been unable to think of the Green Day tune as anything but “Wonderwall of Broken Dreams” since.