Vulture has been doing this “Superlatives” series on and off for a while now, where they ask artists about their favorites and least favorites among their own music and mostly get very expected results. But their most recent one from last week caused quite a stir when Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong stated that he felt that “Jesus of Suburbia” is the best Green Day song.
“It’s so epic,” Armstrong said. “I mean, I’m tooting my own horn, but I think it encompasses so much about my life and friendship and family, and it’s flamboyant and big and bombastic. It’s one of those moments where I was feeling like I wanted to take a big risk. It’s so fun to play live, seeing how the entire crowd sings along. It’s just one of those songs.”
Regardless of what your opinions on Green Day are, it seems a bit ridiculous to consider the fourth-most relevant American Idiot track as the band’s best. The internet has made arguments for nearly every pre-American Idiot single and several deep cuts in the days since, and they’re pretty much all better choices than what the legendary pop-punker chose.
Kerplunk gets the nod for his favorite album, while “Welcome to Paradise,” “Longview,” “Basket Case,” and “She” (which may actually be Green Day’s best song) all get mentioned as favorite memories in one format or another.
