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1994 In Review: Green Day - "Dookie"


"I declare I don't care no more." There's the battle cry for Green Day's sophomoric sophomore album Dookie, a snotty and snarling bunch of quick ditties that duped a generation. Pop in punk's clothing, Dookie's tunes are so masterfully executed that Green Day is allowed to push the tempo as high as they want while maintaining all of its melodic punch. A lot of us have forgotten (or were beaten into submission by their three-album opus in 2012), but there was a time when the approach was fresh and exciting; in a way, Dookie opened up the door for every pop/punk band you love or hate today.

Of course, they'd move on to explore new sonic territory and tackle bigger issues as they began to fill stadiums, but there's something truly refreshing about going back to Dookie, when they had no world domination plans or interest in going outside of their musical comfort zone. This is part pure nostalgia and part pure adoration; no matter your opinion on Green Day, you can't deny that Dookie contains one mean batch of tunes. From the world's most well known ode to masturbation (Longview) to the young-and-on-your-own anthem Welcome To Paradise to the first glimpse at their true pop crossover potential (When I Come Around), Dookie is filled to the brim with simple, effective songs.

I haven't even mentioned Basket Case, perhaps the biggest beast this album has. It's pretty much the moment they pulled it all together into the perfect representation of their band (and themselves) at a moment in time; that hook so sharp, that lyric so fun, that melody so inviting. If there's a reason why some purists are always talking about being disappointed by new Green Day albums, it's probably got something to do with how perfect Basket Case is. I also need to shout out Pulling Teeth, a great song about having a shitty girlfriend that could have been a hit alongside the rest of them but they'd already had enough hits from this album, and never released it as a single.

The lasting impression that Dookie leaves is simple bliss; it's the sound of a band that didn't yet have rock opera ambitions or pressure to talk about important issues. It's three friends in a room making music because they enjoy it. Being signed to a major label wasn't the victory; after all, it's hard to overstate just how many bands were being given major label contracts in the post-Nirvana gold rush. They were given a chance, like so many others, but they knocked their pitch out of the yard with Dookie. Twenty years later, and there's still no Green Day record quite like it in terms of sheer front-to-back enjoy-ability. So crank it up, and just enjoy it already!

February 1, 1994 • Reprise
Highlights Longview • Basket Case • When I Come Around

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