Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives. Whether it’s the first record you bought with your own money, the chord you first learnt to play on guitar, the song that soundtracked your first kiss, the album that got you those awkward and painful pubescent years or the one that set off light bulbs in your brain and inspired you to take a big leap of faith into the unknown – music is often the catalyst for change in our lives and can even help shape who we become.
In this series, Music Feeds asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share with us stories about the effect music has had on their lives.
Here are their love letters to records that forever changed their lives.
Dom, Eat Your Heart Out: Green Day – American Idiot
My dearest American Idiot,
It is incomprehensible how much I owe to you. You have changed my life in ways you cannot imagine. I still feel the chills when I play you back, as though it’s once again the first time I’ve ever listened to you.
I remember first hearing the song ‘American Idiot’ while playing Madden 2004 on my PlayStation 2 – I was hooked immediately, and though I did not purchase the CD myself, I had a friend burn a copy for me. I listened to you every day – on the way to school and on the way home. You were my greatest escape.
I was 13 and had been playing guitar for a couple of months but had no real passion for the instrument or interest in a life as a musician. However, I soon learnt how to play that album back to front and bought the entire Green Day discography. The spark had ignited something in me I had never felt before and seeing the band perform live for the first time only solidified my love for the music. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be the performer everyone’s eyes were on and I knew I was going to start a band of my own.
You opened my eyes to a world of music, people and a culture that I had previously never known. I felt like I was finally a part of something and to this day I still feel the same. You have all my gratitude and I will be forever in your debt.
Thank you American Idiot.
Love always,
Dom.
Eat Your Heart Out
Eat Your Heart Out’s new EP ‘Mind Games’ is out now. Listen here.
