Green Day Nimrod: the album that was both a return to form for the band and somehow underrated. It turns 25 today.
Here’s the story, as I remember it. Granted, I was a teenager in the ’90s, and I’m far from that now, so cut me a little slack. I’m not going for historical accuracy here. Just trying to capture the moment. Anyway, Green Day exploded out of the Gilman Street scene with 1994’s Dookie. We know this. Being a good, young punk band, they looked to capitalize on that success quickly, and they did. A little over 18 months later, they followed up with Insomniac.
As I wrote for that album’s 25th anniversary, Insomniac carried over a lot of the energy of Dookie, but with more focus. Green Day hadn’t lost their sophomoric sense of humor, but there was a sheen of cynicism cast over it. Having kids call you “sellouts” for the better part of a year will do that. But pound-for-pound, Insomniac packs just as much punch as Dookie did to my ears. Sadly, a lot of critics disagreed. Which I think had less to do with the actual content of the album and more to do with trying to take down a band that had been saddled with the “sellout” tag. That was a big thing in the ’90s. It was stupid then, and it’s stupid now.
Green Day Nimrod Turns 25
Green Day went hard promoting Insomniac. A bit too hard, as they ended up cutting short their European Tour plans to regroup back home in California. What came from that decision was more time with family and more time to write, resulting in a batch of songs with a sheen of maturity and sincerity that Green Day hadn’t yet exhibited. Importantly, they kept intact their sense of humor, so there was balance, too. Add to that an expanded sonic palate (acoustic guitar! strings!) and you end up with a rock-solid Green Day album that I think a lot of fans underappreciate.
Take a spin through a few of the tunes below and see if you don’t agree with me.