Oh Love by Green Day - Single Review

Saying that Green Day have changed quite a bit over the years, is like saying that McDonalds are 'quite a big corporation', or The Beatles 'did quite well'. They have changed frequently, and dramatically. Virtually unrecognisable from the early days of 1,039/Smooth out slappy hours and Kerplunk, their lives have taken them from teenage angst punk, complete with manic hair and matching personalities, to the more grown up, less raw albums such as Warning, gaining eager fans and huge exposure with Dookie, until eventually reaching phenominal success with the creation of the political, screaming album that was American Idiot. This was a monumental moment in music, and potentially an incredibly influential record. They included some of that new found power in the generally well acclaimed 21st Century Breakdown. The question is, where can they go now?

In a recent interview, shortly after announcing the triple album triology ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tre!, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said that the new records would 'be a departure from their recent work'.
However, he claimed the new sound will not return to the style of Dookie or Insomniac, but instead would be 'punchier, more power-pop. Something between AC/DC and the early Beatles'.

The idea of an album triology may be a brave choice - it seems as though there could be two outcomes. They either produce 3 brilliant, unique albums, or the standard of songs simply suffer due to the sheer volume of music they have created. I sincerely hope the latter is just a possibility, rather than a reality, for their sakes, as well as their fans. I can't comment on that yet (sadly, time travel is a little out of my reach), but I can say something about their 1st single, 'Oh Love', released on July 16th.

The hype created by the band, meant I was expecting a huge deal from this single. The wonderful older songs I know and love, such as Redundant, Good Riddance, Basket Case and Macy's Day Parade (I could carry that list on for another paragraph!), as well as the power of American Idiot, and subsequently 21st Century Breakdown, (even the occasional quirky/mental contribution from Tre - listen to D.U.I. or Dominated Love Slave...), show they're incredibly capable of producing amazing records, and are insanely talented. It would be a huge shame were they not to put these talents to full use. After listening to Oh Love, virtually all day, I'm sad to say I'm somewhat disappointed. It sounds like something Billie Joe has written in 5 minutes. I don't hate it, not even close, but then again I'm not overly compelled to put it on repeat. Every band has a less that brilliant song, but Green Day have set the standard so high for themselves, BY themselves, that they have a great deal to live up to. I understand that they are aiming to create a simpler sound, but there are ways of doing this without boring the listener to death. The song is incredibly repetitive after while - perhaps the 5 minute length is just too much?

Even as I write exactly what I think, I almost feel a sense of guilt. Green Day are my favourite musicians, who have created what I believe to be some of the greatest records ever made, that I feel disloyal by writing negative comments. They're astounding back-catalogue is why I am so surprised by this song. Where's the legendary Tre Cool drumming, and the heaving hitting Mike Dirnt bassline? Billie Joe's beautiful voice is still well and truly there, but they're considered to be in amongst the greatest musicians of the 21st century - their talent is not 100% evident in this song. Imagine this was the first single of a new band. How well do you honestly think they'd do? Would they get the worldwide fanbase of Green Day, from that song alone?

The chorus is powerful, and pleasant enough, but in its entirety, the song seems to lack in excitement, power or drive. The basics are there, but something vital is definitely missing.  It's as though they've forgotten to include the element that maintains the listeners attention.

My loyalty to Green Day hasn't worn off, I admit to welling up every time I watch the Bullet In A Bible DVD, just because of the sheer amazing memory of that day. I'm not writing them off yet. A live version of a new song called Stray Hearts can be found on YouTube, and it's really, really good. This is why I haven't lost enthusiasm about the new albums. It just seem like strange choice for a debut single. I hope there's more, I really do. Only time will tell. (25th of September, to be precise. See, I'm still excited!)