With two hits of the hi-hat and two quick rolls on the snare, “Dookie” explodes into life with its opener “Burnout”. The album was Green Day’s major label debut and the first words ‘I declare I don’t care no more’, however grammatically incorrect it may be, resonated with many a bummed out teenager of the nineties.
“Dookie” has been in my possession since Christmas 2005 but I never really appreciated it. I’d really only wanted it to hear the transition of “Chump” into “Longview” because I’d read on fan sites that the band liked to do that technique where songs seam into one another. I already owned “International Superhits!”, the band’s singles compilation, so why would I need to hear any more of their other stuff?
That was a bad mistake. In fact, it wasn’t until 2010 when I sat down and listened to “Dookie” the whole way through. The album’s inclusion on “Green Day: Rock Band” excited everyone, and it made me appreciate the instrumentation even more. I knew Tré Cool was a brilliant drummer, but I didn’t know he could do all those fills and rolls, and at such a pace as well. Overall, the songs were quite short but were satisfying in terms of their melodies, structure and quality.
“Dookie” is a fantastic album. Is it my favourite….? It’s up there. This song is one of the reasons why.
Also, next year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album’s original release, so look out for any Green Day gigs near you. That might just start playing the whole thing in full!
Get Tré to sing “All by Myself”, people.
Jamie.
The Music in My Ears 