Green Day refused to censor their new album

Green Day decided not to rework their new album 21st Century Breakdown at the request of Wal-Mart. Earlier this week US chain store refused to sell new record because it contained offensive language.

«They want artists to censor their records in order to be carried in there. We just said «No». We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something», said Green Day frontman Bille Joe Armstrong.

Even without Wal-Mart, 21st Century Breakdown managed to reach the number one spot in USA charts, knocking Bob Dylan’s Together Through Life off the top spot. Moreover, it became one of only four albums in the 21st century to reach the first place after just two days on sale (the first three albums to become so successful were Metallica’s Death Magnetica and two Eminem’s albums – Encore and greatest hits compilation Curtain Call – The Hits).

21st Century Breakdown is a concept album telling the story of a young couple called Christian and Gloria. Green Day said that new record would be influenced by such bands as The Creation, The Who, The Beatles, Cheap Trick and The Jam. The band’s last studio album American Idiot was released in 2004. In 2007 they recorded disk Stop Drop And Roll!!! under the name Foxboro Hot Tubs.