So there’s some good theories listed about this song. I’m not shooting any of them down or saying that they’re absolutely wrong but I’m going to disagree and build on the theory that it’s the newly transformed Jesus of Suburbia (now Jimmy) talking to/about whatsername. When I read the posts about American Idiot songs, I really notice that people are missing the fact that American Idiot is a Punk Rock Opera, so an idea that may not make sense by itself or may lack evidence of making sense by itself can fit together perfectly with the other songs.
I really don’t think that Jimmy’s talking about drugs, mostly based on the fact that he’s talking about a kiss goodnight. He’s talking about a feeling, but I really think he’s talking about love. He’s never felt it before, because as mentioned in “Jesus of Suburbia,” nobody’s ever been there for him, especially his mom and “Brad,” and I really think this refers more to Billy Joe’s dad, who died when BJ was a kid. The sense that his mom was never there could relate to the fact that she was picking up extra shifts at work to make up for lack of a second paycheck coming in.
It’s a “Bitter sweet migraine” because the love he’s getting feels so good, but because it’s been introduced so recently it’s overwhelming. It makes him feel special and like he belongs, a feeling that he’s never experienced. Whatsername is giving him so much attention and caring that it’s building up inside of him, and because nobody’s ever been around, he himself can’t describe or release the feeling that are bottling up inside of him. He’s asking for the novacain because he just can’t deal with the pressure building up inside of him.
The line “Kiss the demons out of my dreams I get the funny feeling, that’s alright Jimmy says it's better than here” is a bit controversial in my mind, it’s not quite clear to me. I’ve basically established that Jesus of Suburbia transforms into Jimmy, but why does he then talk about Jimmy. The only thing I can come up with is that this is whatsername talking to Jimmy. So depending on where you stand on this issue, you could either see it as Jimmy talking, Whatsername talking, or both of them talking to each other. I really feel strongly about it being Jimmy’s point of view, but it’s only my opinion.
I appreciate the input, but I have to disagree with you here. The key thing that you overlook is that this song is immediately AFTER St. Jimmy, and immediately BEFORE She's a Rebel, where Whatshername is introduced. Therefore I don't see how this could involve her if she hasn't even become part of the story yet. I think it's an ode to the punk rock person (or persona) of St. Jimmy introducing the naive Jesus of Suburbia to life as a whole, and to SOMETHING (it doesn't actually have to be specific, but rather a general and symbolic introduction) to...
I appreciate the input, but I have to disagree with you here. The key thing that you overlook is that this song is immediately AFTER St. Jimmy, and immediately BEFORE She's a Rebel, where Whatshername is introduced. Therefore I don't see how this could involve her if she hasn't even become part of the story yet. I think it's an ode to the punk rock person (or persona) of St. Jimmy introducing the naive Jesus of Suburbia to life as a whole, and to SOMETHING (it doesn't actually have to be specific, but rather a general and symbolic introduction) to get by through the cold and angry world.
@jesus_of_suburbia it's a nice theory, but she's a rebel does such a good job at introducing whatshername that i really think that is when she appears.
I really think that this songster up jesus's new life as jimmy. story wise we kind of need to see what jimmy is now doing before moving on to his meeting whatshername. he's doing drugs and staying numb while she is a real rebel and so they don't work out.
@jesus_of_suburbia it's a nice theory, but she's a rebel does such a good job at introducing whatshername that i really think that is when she appears.
I really think that this songster up jesus's new life as jimmy. story wise we kind of need to see what jimmy is now doing before moving on to his meeting whatshername. he's doing drugs and staying numb while she is a real rebel and so they don't work out.
So there’s some good theories listed about this song. I’m not shooting any of them down or saying that they’re absolutely wrong but I’m going to disagree and build on the theory that it’s the newly transformed Jesus of Suburbia (now Jimmy) talking to/about whatsername. When I read the posts about American Idiot songs, I really notice that people are missing the fact that American Idiot is a Punk Rock Opera, so an idea that may not make sense by itself or may lack evidence of making sense by itself can fit together perfectly with the other songs.
I really don’t think that Jimmy’s talking about drugs, mostly based on the fact that he’s talking about a kiss goodnight. He’s talking about a feeling, but I really think he’s talking about love. He’s never felt it before, because as mentioned in “Jesus of Suburbia,” nobody’s ever been there for him, especially his mom and “Brad,” and I really think this refers more to Billy Joe’s dad, who died when BJ was a kid. The sense that his mom was never there could relate to the fact that she was picking up extra shifts at work to make up for lack of a second paycheck coming in.
It’s a “Bitter sweet migraine” because the love he’s getting feels so good, but because it’s been introduced so recently it’s overwhelming. It makes him feel special and like he belongs, a feeling that he’s never experienced. Whatsername is giving him so much attention and caring that it’s building up inside of him, and because nobody’s ever been around, he himself can’t describe or release the feeling that are bottling up inside of him. He’s asking for the novacain because he just can’t deal with the pressure building up inside of him.
The line “Kiss the demons out of my dreams I get the funny feeling, that’s alright Jimmy says it's better than here” is a bit controversial in my mind, it’s not quite clear to me. I’ve basically established that Jesus of Suburbia transforms into Jimmy, but why does he then talk about Jimmy. The only thing I can come up with is that this is whatsername talking to Jimmy. So depending on where you stand on this issue, you could either see it as Jimmy talking, Whatsername talking, or both of them talking to each other. I really feel strongly about it being Jimmy’s point of view, but it’s only my opinion.
I appreciate the input, but I have to disagree with you here. The key thing that you overlook is that this song is immediately AFTER St. Jimmy, and immediately BEFORE She's a Rebel, where Whatshername is introduced. Therefore I don't see how this could involve her if she hasn't even become part of the story yet. I think it's an ode to the punk rock person (or persona) of St. Jimmy introducing the naive Jesus of Suburbia to life as a whole, and to SOMETHING (it doesn't actually have to be specific, but rather a general and symbolic introduction) to...
I appreciate the input, but I have to disagree with you here. The key thing that you overlook is that this song is immediately AFTER St. Jimmy, and immediately BEFORE She's a Rebel, where Whatshername is introduced. Therefore I don't see how this could involve her if she hasn't even become part of the story yet. I think it's an ode to the punk rock person (or persona) of St. Jimmy introducing the naive Jesus of Suburbia to life as a whole, and to SOMETHING (it doesn't actually have to be specific, but rather a general and symbolic introduction) to get by through the cold and angry world.
@jesus_of_suburbia it's a nice theory, but she's a rebel does such a good job at introducing whatshername that i really think that is when she appears.
I really think that this songster up jesus's new life as jimmy. story wise we kind of need to see what jimmy is now doing before moving on to his meeting whatshername. he's doing drugs and staying numb while she is a real rebel and so they don't work out.
@jesus_of_suburbia it's a nice theory, but she's a rebel does such a good job at introducing whatshername that i really think that is when she appears.
I really think that this songster up jesus's new life as jimmy. story wise we kind of need to see what jimmy is now doing before moving on to his meeting whatshername. he's doing drugs and staying numb while she is a real rebel and so they don't work out.