American Idiot

This is saying that you don't want to be like some of the idiots in this country. You shouldn't give into the media and the politicians that think they run us. All these people have done (thanks to the influence of Bush) is run the country into the ground. So it's saying be an individual and a free thinker.

Contrary to popular belief, the song is not anti-American. Instead, it is criticizing the "subliminal mindfuck" that was the United States during Bush's Presidency, specifically in the wake of 9/11. Armstrong makes references to the unnecessary Iraq War ("Now everybody do the propaganda/ And sing along to the age of paranoia"). Essentially, Armstrong is saying that he does not want to follow the crowd that is believing everything that the government is telling them ("Don't wanna be American Idiot/ One nation controlled by the media/ Information age of hysteria/ Is calling out to Idiot America").

I feel that the song American Idiot is about what teenagers such as "The Jesus of Suburbia" have to live with and what they are taught is good and bad and that everyone now wants to be a movie star and that everyone wants to be famous but at the same time we are being desensitized.

To me this song is an introduction to Jesus' thoughts.. He feels how most of us feel as teenagers.. That our thoughts and ideas are fed to us by our parents and by the media and society. He wants to have a voice and stand up and be heard.. Because to conform would just make him another idiot..

Well to me, this song is about bush and how he started war and then he just turned out to be an American Idiot.

This song is about Billie's personal preference not to be made an idiot by Bush's brand of America. Whether falling for propaganda that Fox News used to sell Bush's political agenda or believing the man is a Christian hero doing God's will by starting wars. He feels (and puts it into a metaphor of Jesus of Suburbia) all the fear the administration has channeled is confusing one's individuality and smearing the American Dream.

This is something we all deal with. I think it means the world we live in is ruled by the media and many idiots are completely oblivious to the hysteria going on because of it.

American Idiot is about deviating from the customary "American Dream". Just because America as a whole thinks something's great doesn't mean each individual has to as well. Politicians don't know what's right for everyone.

This song is about being desensitized by the media. Billie Joe is saying that he doesn't want to be brainwashed by the media, seeing that other people have already fallen into the media's trap.

The song American Idiot is at it's core an attack on President Bush. "Don't Wanna Be an American Idiot / One nation controlled by the media / Information age of Hysteria/ Is calling out to Idiot American". The song is about those of us who are on the outside looking in going "Hey this isn't right." but we are ignored by the powers at be.

It's the prologue of the story. It is not anti American. The song is the setting of the story, and the main character, Jesus of Suburbia, his views on the American culture. He watches it decline as society becomes more and more revolved around the media.

I think the song's about confusion in America, whether it be politics, the news, tv, etc. being thrown at everyone, creating at crazy (hysterical) place to live in. It's about being stronger than what's being thrown at you and not following blindly.

I think this song is about finding individuality, and he doesn't understand the world at all. So he gets into drugs to make sense of whats going on because he doesn't understand why he is being condemned for everything that has happened in his life!!!

This song first off has nothing to do with "Jesus Christ" actually It's about a guy who calls himself Jesus of Suburbia. He's young, restless, and tired of living in his broken home while his mom dates various guys (or is married to a guy he doesn't like). He's pretty hooked on drugs and apathetic about life. He really hates his life.

But he doesn't blame himself for his problems, just the messed up world around him. As he explains in self-justification "But there's nothing wrong with me...this is how I'm supposed to be... in a land of make believe that don't believe in me..."
He sees hypocrisy all around him and doesn't see why he should be any different. Why should he rise above the low expectations set for him as a young adult in America? By doing drugs and stuff he's just living up to the image. Everyone's becoming like their parents: hypocrites "Born and raised by hypocrites" I guess he's also pissed off that they don't believe in people like him {punks} because of the way they are and they look down on them. He believes that he is normal but is confused by people looking down on him, therefore he questions whether he is the one who is wrong. But in the end he just wants to run away and leave everything behind because it's just too much. He has no home and no place to go but he leaves and it continues with boulevard of broken dreams.

Jesus of Suburbia is about a guy known as Jesus of Suburbia. He has ADD (hence ritalin) and smokes heaps of dope. His parents are divorced. He gets fed up and leaves his home and develops an alter ego called Saint Jimmy

I believe Jesus of Suburbia is about the new kid on the block who is trying to find his way in life. First of all, when he talks about the 7-11 where he was taught is like where his background originated. Then when they get to part 3; "I don't care" he talks about how he really doesn't give a crap about anyone's opinion. Lastly, on "Dearly Beloved" I believe he is talking to an old girlfriend who he wants to get back together with because he believes he has found his purpose in life.

This song is about a teen who beleives he is the jesus of his own boring ruined kingdom, suburbia. (his town) He has had many past girlfriends but the only one that has left a mark on his life was a girl called Whatersname (the girl at the opening of the video) He is on many drugs to "keep him insane" he has an alter ego St. Jimmy who is ruthless, violent and a bad ass. The different segments of the song explain his feelings at the time e.g Dearly Beloved signifies that he remembers all his past girlfriends and hopes that they were worth it, then in City of the Damned he has all bad thoughts about his town and really doesn't care what anyone thinks about him. He goes around in 7-11 throwing cheetos slurpees and funions then gets in a fight with a guy who was hitting on his current girlfriend. Then later he gets home to see the disgusted look on his mom's face. A great line from the video: "oh and what is that look?" "You look at me like im the loser." In the end he leaves home "kills" his alter ego and tries to forget everything. He forgets everything but Whatsername.

Without the obvious story line, "Jesus Of Suburbia" is a reflection of the rebel youths who are lost in a world of confusion. They feel like nobody likes them and that they aren't good enough. It's about raw apathy or at least the want for apathy, and in the end we just can't put up with it and we give up.

Arguably the real opening of the album American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia is the outline of a character who takes his shape from the alienation and disgust he feels towards his suburban home. Running through all of the standard foils of suburban depression ("soda pop and Ritalin", TV, cigarettes, pot, etc.) intermixed with religions allusions to show how JoS feels about his situation, the song angrily slows down into it's second part, "City of the Damned". JoS 's inner feelings and lessons are revealed, most importantly with "...the motto was just a lie / it says home is where your heart is but what a shame / cause everyone's heart doesn't beat the same", giving some kind of ideological backing for his feelings.

But, of course, JoS becomes so disillusioned with his home that he just stops caring about it, and goes on a tirade. Coming off of his anger, he then asks more rhetorical questions in "Dearly Beloved", going through the self-doubt and the doubt of those around him. Finally, JoS takes off in "Tales From Another Broken Home", finally leaving his crappy existence in suburbia for the hopes of something less phony, and a little more real.

This is Jesus of Suburbia's introduction. In the first movement (Jesus of Suburbia) he introduces himself. The typical teenager in the suburbs...conflicted. We don't know the name of the city exactly, but later in the album, we find out that the name of the city it suburbs is Jingletown. The second movement (City of the Damned) is JOS's rant about his city. He feels so restricted and neglected. He wants something new. The name of the third movement (I Don't Care) is exactly what it's about. JOS is done with it. He's put up with the limitations enough. In the fourth movement (Dearly Beloved) JOS is almost reflecting, but not quite. He's weighing out his options, thinking about himself and what is best. The fifth and final movement of the song (Tales of Another Broken Home) is when JOS leaves his home/city. He doesn't regret it. He feels that it's what is best for him.

When Green Day did a live version of this song Billie said, "This song isn't anti-government, it's anti-war." This song by itself is anti-war but when you put it into what the whole album is trying to communicate, it is about Jesus of Suburbia realizing what is wrong with his small town and how he thinks he needs to leave and go to the big city.

I really believe in two different meanings to this song... the political one and a story-line one.

The political one would be a cryout to the world, raging on how we're really just fucking everything up by fighting each other...Every time I've heard this song performed live, Billie yells "THIS SONG IS NOT ANTI-AMERICAN, ITS ANTI-WAR!!!" right before they begin the song.

I would also say that in the story line of American Idiot this song would be the party when Jimmy/Jesus leaves home to find a new perspective on life. This is the wild party scene he craved for. But does it ever really last?

This about how America is bringing "justice" to other countries. If you dont believe our american dreams, you are a terrorist and a threat.

"Holiday" is about the war in Iraq. Sort of about how all this chaos is happening around us. We can hear and see the destruction but no one is acknowledging it. So it's really about those of us who take exception to the hollow lies told by the Bush administration about denying how bleak the war really is. And how even though we won the fight, the war is a lost cause. The "Sieg Heil" part is a brilliantly written speech calling attention to the Administrations faults and how they sort of took a "you're either with us or against us" mindset. Overall it's about the war in Iraq.

Jesus of Suburbia is on his own now. He is free from everything. This is the party song...JOS lets go of everything and lives life as he pleases.

It`s about when you go out and party all night go home like at 6 a.m then wake up the next day late for work with a seriously bad hangover and you probably regret drinking all night long.

Stop dragging your ass dammit!! To me this song may be the hangover after the party scene of Holiday. Jimmy may find that running away was pointless, since nothing good can last and he has to go home shamed and alone...feeling like a total moron for leaving to begin with...??

I believe this song is just about feeling alone, and no one understands you.
n.b. This song was written in Billie Joe's son, Joey's, bedroom.

Jesus of Suburbia is hungover. He discovers that he is alone in the world and starts to question himself. Jesus is starting to feel as if there is no point in living. He is starting to lose his mind and describes himself as "walking down the line that divides me somewhere in my mind. On the boderline of the edge and where I walk alone." This is where he is on the line between him and St. Jimmy.

I find something completely differnent in this song. It speaks to everyone about the fact that at some point in our lives we all walk down a road that seems so broken that it seems that nothing will ever be right again. Broken dreams, we all have them.

This song is described as the "hangover" in the story/album. After the party life, JOS is on a low. He looks out for himself and loses the person he was.

This is a song about looking to the sky and wondering what is really out there is there a really a God. We are lost sometimes and we wait for someone to find us... a bigger bieng to save us. Plus this song was written on Easter so if you know that then it explains itself.

The song was written on Easter. I think that, among many other topics, it's partly about him questioning his own religion/beliefs that has been part of his daily life. It's gone much further than where we started with just the media that he was trying to avoid. He's confused and wondering who he, anyone, really is, and the journey becomes one of self-discovery. (after all, his car broke down at the end of Holiday and when you've been walking for a long time, the only thing you have to do is think)

This is when JOS starts to play tricks in his mind. This comes out of confusion, a lack of direction and purpose. A split personality...an alter ego...evolves.

This song is transitional with St. Jimmy, therefore they both must be connected in a way. I personally believe that this song describes J.O.S.'s fragile state of mind. It shows how he is slowly losing his sanity amd how he develops his alter ego: St. Jmmmy.

I think this song is about Jesus of Suburbia/ St. Jimmy questioning what he's doing and what will come next. Billie Joe described it as the song where Jesus of Suburbia/St. Jimmy is on the verge of losing his mind (in Storytellers).

There are two ways to look at this song. Some people view this song as if JOS just got fed up with everything and turned into some hardcore punk kid who does drugs and doesn't give a fuck. And some people view St. Jimmy as an entirely different character on the album. As if JOS made a friend on the streets.

St. Jimmy is king of the streets. He knows all, sees all and has spent most his life on the streets. He shows JOS the ropes of living on the streets and they kind of befriend each other.

After all his questioning about himself, JoS decides to take on an entirely new identity (St. Jimmy), and leaves his entire life that he had before behind him. This song is about who his new identity is.

It's about taking upon yourself a new identity to leave behind your past life.

St. Jimmy is not JoS's (Jesus of Suburbia) alter ego. Jimmy is a completely different character that shows JoS the darker side of life. 'St. Jimmy' is like an intro to the character of Jimmy, kind of like 'Jesus of Suburbia' is the intro to JoS. 'St.Jimmy' is an angry, violent song about that character. He teaches JoS about life on the streets after JoS runs away from home.
Also, if you look in the American Idiot 'inlay', flip to the page that has the lyrics for 'Rock and Roll Girlfriend'. The postcard says on the address line 'SAINT JIMMY' and is from 'Tunny'.

St. Jimmy (character) is Jesus of Suburbia's alter ego. This other personality is violent, aggressive, desensitized, and hateful.

i think ST Jimmy is about Jesus giving into his angry other side and letting it take him over and control his life.

Give Me Novacaine is basically a song saying that you don't want the pain of your life anymore. Billie Joe uses the example of a "toothache" saying that it hurts so much you just want the dentist to give you that shot of novacaine. You beg for someone to ease it with something that can make you numb and sleep; hence the word novacaine.

It's about getting high to numb the pain. You don't want to care any more about the world around you and sometimes you just feel like not feeling anything at all. So you self-medicate to escape the sensation of hopelessness.

JOS/St. Jimmy uses drugs to ease the pain of life. He's confused about everything, especially this new, split personality.

It's about taking drugs, whether prescription or illegal, to ease all of the pain inside, to numb yourself, to get away.
OR
About somebody who you love so fucking much that they make you feel better no matter what and you want them there that second, and they're not, and you beg them for a kiss goodnight and that everything'll be alright.

This song is pretty much all in all about St. JImmy shooting up and introducing JOS into a world of drugs and killing the pain. JOS not knowing whats right between whats wrong knows it will be a sweet sensation that he has never felt or even thought of imagining in his whole life. Believing Jimmy and thinking that all of his pain will go away if he takes drugs, JOS starts doing them with him on a daily basis and ends up not caring about anybody but himself and Jimmy until he meets Whatsername, upon this song breaks into She's A Rebel.

Billie Joe actually wrote this song about his ex girlfriend from the early 90's, Amanda. She was a rebellious feminist and left him to join the peace corps. She was the first girl to dump him; some people think of her as "the one that got away."

It's the introduction for Whatshername. Jesus/Jimmy meets her and falls for her. She's like him - a rebel that won't take any crap.

To make it simple, She's a Rebel is an introductory of Whatsername. It shows what her personality is before she realizes her mistakes and faults.

JOS/St. Jimmy meets this girl. We never know her name, because he has forgotten it. He refers to her as "Whatsername." He's completely taken by her. She's given him a reason to go on...a purpose. The cover art for the American Idiot album was designed after the line in this song "and she's holding onto my heart like a hand grenade."

This song is where whatshername is introduced into the story.

JoS falls head over heels for her, whatshername is a rebel, insecure, and fights for what she believes in (she's very similliar to Gloria in 21CBD I think)

The lyrics "and she's holding on my heart like a hand grenade" refers to the front of the album, Whatshername is controlling JoS, in a positive way

This is about St Jimmy meeting a new girl. One that he totally understands.

About Whatsername being a true rebel. She doesn't take crap from anyone and stands up for herself.

This is when JOS first meets whatshername and he is explaining why she sparked this love inside of him

JOS/St. Jimmy meets this girl. We never know her name, because he has forgotten it. He refers to her as "Whatsername." He's completely taken by her. She's given him a reason to go on...a purpose. The cover art for the American Idiot album was designed after the line in this song "and she's holding onto my heart like a hand grenade."

Jesus/Jimmy has met this girl, Whatshername. He sees that she is like him. He falls in love with her: "And she's holding on my heart like a hand grenade."

"She's a Rebel" is obviously about the character "Whatsername".
She's dangerous, on the edge, and pretty much crazy!, sort of like a female version of "St. Jimmy".

This song is about 'whatsername'. Basically the whole song is about her rebellious attitude. It's her fist pumping entrance to the album.

JOS is blown away by Whatsername. She's a Rebel, and She's holding on his heart like a hand grenade. He can feel the strings of his infatuation being pulled by her. It's an introduction to Whatsername's passion

"She's A Rebel" is about the United States of America. She is the USA. We appeared to the rest of the world as a loose cannon nation who has a complex where we make the rest of the world our bitch.

I think Extraordinary Girl is a 'falling out of love' song. It's like the half way mark between She's A Rebel (the falling in love song) and Letterbomb (the song about Whatsername leaving Jimmy).

Whatername seems a strong, rebellious girl on the outside but inside she's scared. As she looks to Jimmy for support she realises that he can't help her because he cant help himself - "Some days he feels like dying. She gets so sick of crying." So Whatsername is torn between her feelings for Jimmy and the fact that she's feels stuck in a bad place - "She's an extraordinary girl in an ordinary world. And she can't seem to get away."

At the end of the song - "Some days he feels like dying. Some days it's not worth trying. Now that they both are finding. She gets so sick of crying," - both Jimmy and Whatsername understand the apparent situation. They realise that Whatsername is suffering from having to deal with Jimmy and herself and hence, the falling out of love begins.

This is another song for Whatshername, what she's truly like and what she really feels. It tells how JoS/Jimmy sees her.

It's also a reflection of how we sometimes feel, alone, weak, and helpless. It shows how we hate ourselves and then how someone comes and makes us feel better.

"Extraordinary Girl" is about a how much sympathy the country got after 9/11. We have these moments of helplessness where we milk our pain to get the world to feel for us in order to get nations on our side.

This is another song where Jesus of Suburbia/St. Jimmy talks about his feelings for Whatsername. We now see Whatsername’s true self, with her insecurities.

Coming from a woman's point of view... I think for every person in this world there's that one person that makes you wake up and want to be a better person. Sadly, sometimes that person that you love, that's your everything, the one that is all of that for you, but as much as you want to be, you aren't that person for him. I think Whatsername realized that and this letter is her last attempt to save him from all that he's becoming and possibly death from his destructive lifestyle. The reason she's so hurtful in the letter is 1. because she is hurting. It's hard to know that know matter how much you love someone there's nothing you can do to help them. And 2. because she knows she has to be hurtful for him to realize.. to hit his rock bottom... But as mean as the letter is the chorus is a positive reminder that it's "never too late"...

The song Letterbomb is like a letter, well it is a letter, a letter from Whatsername to JOS telling him that he never was and never has been JOS and St. Jimmy was just a figment forged out of his father's rage and his mother's love. This lets him know that it's time to quit trying to be something that he's not and he decides to go home.

Letterbomb is litterally a "letter" to JOS. A break-up letter if you wanna be exact. She is realizing that he's no good and he is just like St. Jimmy and nobody likes him and wants to be around him.

"Letterbomb" is about the U.S. leaving its citizens in the dust and laughing at our pain and misery and saying we're not good enough for them. "What's in love is now in debt, on your birth certificate" is about how the nation inherited a horrible debt and dropped it on its future basically killing itself.

The song starts with Whatsername's taunt..."Nobody likes you, everyone left you. They're all out without you, having fun." Whatsername left a letter for JOS/St. Jimmy, breaking up with him. We don't know much about it, but there is reference to this gathering that both JOS/St. Jimmy and Whatsername are involved in called the Underbelly. They're the rebels of society, the ones that you would see behind the scenes of the graffiti. In the letter, Whatsername mentions that JOS/St. Jimmy has lost his passion for life. She hates the alter ego front he puts on and is frustrated with not knowing who he truly is. She leaves him.

its about his dad dying but also hurricane katrina hit at the end of august so september was really bad " wake me up when september ends"

I think that this song was written about billie's dad and how he sadly passed away when billie was just ten years old (september 1982) but this song could also have been written about losing someone very close to you like billie did with his dad. But also other people have been saying that this song was written about the 9/11 disaster.

Though this song obviously is about Billie losing his dad, it also fits into the Jesus of Suburbia story as well. In Letterbomb, Jesus' love, Whatshername left him. We do not know for sure, but Whatshername could have done this in September. Jesus was madly in love with her, so he does not want to be around when September comes, because that was possibly when Whatshername dumped him. I feel as though that all of the songs on this album have a personal meaning for Billie and a meaning for the story of Jesus, Jimmy, and Whatshername.

This is the song that people speculate that has nothing to do with the story. Billie Joe wrote this song for his father who passed away when he was 10. (September of 1982) People have tried to fit meaning relating to the story into this song, but this song is best left alone.

This song is about losing someone close to you and wanting to forget them but you never can. Even if it takes 7 years or 20 years.

I know that this song was said to be about a couple dealing with the war in Iraq and Billie Joe wrote it about his father. For me it's a little different from both of those...or a lot different, depends on how you look at it. I feel as if it's about getting older. It's something I've been dealing with accepting over the past few years, because I'm getting closer to graduating (which scares me). To me, it's the summer ending and realizing that you're getting older and there's not anything you can really do about it. you just have to go with it, and do what you can.

It's about JOS realizing running away may not have been the best idea and how he thinks he should go home. Realizing the streets don't make life any easier.

Aside from the storyline, this song was the first one written for the album that really started the whole "rock opera" idea, with the characters of JOS, Whatersername etc.

Mike started it, just messing around writing a short 30 second song, which later turned out to be Nobody Likes You, after being in the studio by himself.

East 12th street was written just after Billie Joe had come back from doing his community service for his 2003 DUI charge, hence the line "Jesus filling out paperwork now/At the facility on East 12th street". Mike showed him his song and Billie wanted to do one which turned out to be East 12th Street.

Tre then did one, Rock n Roll Girlfriend, about his recent divorce from his wife. "I got a rock n roll girlfriend, and another ex-wife."

In Homecoming, Jesus is telling Whatsername that she broke his heart.. He also glorifies St. Jimmy, calling him the spark in the night. Then he attacks Whatsername, saying, "Do you think what you need is a crutch?" He continues to glorify Jimmy saying that Jimmy knows that the whole underbelly has no power, they are just slacker rebels and he isn't ashamed to say it. Then Jesus kills off Jimmy, in both an attempt for attention, and to try and get Whatsername back. Though Saint Jimmy took over Jesus's mind and after killing Jimmy, there isn't much left.
This is confirmed in East 12th St. when they reference back to Jesus of Suburbia where he says, I don't care if you don't care. Now he calls does anyone care if nobody cares? This confirms he is desperate for attention, saddened by the fact that nobody cares about the fact that he killed his alter ego. Jesus is daydreaming at work about going back and having fun at the underbelly when he has a mental breakdown.
Then Jesus is back at home in Nobody likes you. He drinks too much coffee and is saddened that Whatsername isn't with him. He is reminded of the insults that Whatsername gave him when she broke up with him.
Then he recieves a taunting postcard from Tunny who is most likely an old friend from the underbelly in Rock and Roll Girlfriend. Though he signed part of it as Saint Jimmy to further taunt Jesus.
Lastly, in We're Coming Home Again, Jesus moves back to the suburbs. He envies all the members of the Underbelly. Before he leaves, he sends Whatsername a nasty letter where at one point he tells her to meet him in hell. Then he keeps saying "we're." Could it be that Jesus never really did kill Jimmy and he only wanted attention? Could it be Tunny and I'm wrong about Rock and Roll Girlfriend? Then at the end of the song, Whatsername's hurtful words echo. This means that he wants to go back to the city and be with the underbelly and Whatsername like how it was before Saint Jimmy came along.

This is the other five movement song of the album. The first movement (The Death of St. Jimmy) is where Jesus of Suburbia "kills" off his alter ego. He figures that St. Jimmy just isn't worth it anymore because of all the trouble that the alter ego has brought to him, ending with Whatsername, the only thing he had to live for, leaving him. In the second movement (East 12th St.) Jesus of Suburbia get mad again, now wanting to the leave the city he came to. There's another reference to the Underbelly. The third movement (Nobody Likes You) is when the taunts of Whatsername come back to haunt him. The fourth movement (Rock and Roll Girlfriend) is shown as a post card in the album inlay. It's from someone named "Tunny," a name that has never come up before. It's speculated that it was just a random person that Jesus of Suburbia met off the street. It shows JOS how rotten his life has become. The fifth and final movement of the song (We're Coming Home Again) is just that. JOS leaves the city that he came to for escape and returns to the city that he had run from.

I think that this is St. Jimmy all grown up and he has moved on with his life and he is remembering Whatsername. He is remembering her and what they had together. Now they have lost connection and he doesn't care. He regrets ever being with her and would never go back. "The regrets are useless in my mind." "I'll never turn back time. Forgetting you but not the time."

It's a reflection on Jesus' time with Whatshername and how he still loves her. He's trying to remember her and how to get hold of her. He says' the regrets are useless and to remember what you can even if it seems like it's been forever.

In a way this last part is true - if you always regret something then you forget the good times you had. If you hold on to the good parts and throw away the regret you held on to, then everything gets a little bit better, for everyone.

I think when you first hear of "whatsername" you're wondering why he calls her that. This song is an explanation of that. It's a reflective song showing how much he truly misses her and how hard he's trying to forget her because the memory is just too painful for him. He remembers her name and everything about her, but it's easier for him to pretend he doesn't remember. He talks about how when she left he "took a different path" which shows the effect that her leaving him had on him. In a way this song is sort of thanking her for "saving his life" because her leaving was his rock bottom point. It's almost like he's asking her if it's ok if he forgets her. He knows that regretting what happened is "useless" because everything happens for a reason (I'll never turn back time"). He wants to forget her, but not what she taught him (Forgetting you, but not the time")...

a song about a girl. i think she made billie's life full of drama but although they had good times she was more work than she was worth. so he would rather remember the great times they had than remember her as a person.

I think the song is about how the JOS/St. Jimmy figure is trying to forget about the incident with Whatsername. He remembers the good times he had with her but also can't get past the break up. He was also on drugs and having a very bad and confusing time when he met her, thus explaining why he forgot her name.

I think that this song is about when Jos was on the streets and he met Whatsername and they'd split up and he's slowly forgetting who she is but remembers the times they had together, and he just wants to see her once more to tell her how he feels about her and how he loves her so much and wants her back.

JoS realizes that Whatshername was right about everything she said about him when she broke up with him. Still in love with her, he wants to get ahold of her and tell her so in person, but he has no idea where she is. It's kinda a love story, because he knows that if they had just met today, she wouldn't have left him.

Whatsername is sort of the epilogue to the story. It's a reflection song; Jesus of Suburbia has learned to live a life of conformity. This song is about JOS wondering and thinking through the never ending questions of what happened to Whatsername. He has regrets. The memory of Whatsername lingers, but he can't remember her name. The conclusion is left to be determined to the audience.

I think it's about living life with no regrets, with any of your decisions (I'll never turn back time, forgetting you but not the time). It could also be about taking chances and making the best of life.