Matthew Jung MUSC205 Sarah England 14 November 2013 Paper 3 When prompted about a song that was important to me in high school, one song in particular comes to mind: “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. Almost anyone who has contemplated the length and depth of life can relate to this gentle song with its slow, almost yearning tone and deep lyrics. To me, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” is a timeless ballad that never fails to comfort me in times of change and confusion.
This song should be included in the “History of Popular Music, 1950-Present” course, not only because its deviation from normal punk rock pitomizes the struggle that Green Day faced in order to find its own sound, but also because Green Day has influenced a number of artists and epitomizes pop punk at the beginning of the 21st century. To me, Green Days music is pure nostalgia; every melody has latched on to a memory, bringing my awkward pre-teen years to the forefront of my recollection. Even now, I can vividly recall Google-ing as many words as I could remember from a catchy song I had heard on the radio of the school bus.
A simple search for an incoherent string of words led me to the song “When I Come Around” by Green Day, which I fell in love with from the very first chord. From there, I began to search aimlessly on YouTube for more of these great songs, eventually becoming quite an avid Green Day fan myself. Green Day is an American punk rock band that was made famous by guitarist and lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong, bassist and backup singer Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool. The band originated in California, where all three band members were raised.
Green Day was formed in 1987 and signed to Lookout! Records in 1988. Formerly known as Sweet Children, the band adopted the name Green Day due to their affection for marijuana. Green Days ebut studio album, 39/Smooth, was released on April 13th, 1990 through Lookout! Records; this is the only studio album with the original drummer, John Kiffmeyer. Although it maintained relative success in the underground punk rock scene, Green Day did not experience commercial success until the release of Kerplunk, their second studio album through Lookout! Records, on January 17th, 1992.
Kerplunk highlighted Billy Joe Armstrongs raw and witty lyrics, as well as the band’s seamless rhythm, catchy choruses, and memorable riffs. Many avid fans of Green Day characterize this album as “old Green Day’, due to the magnitude of mainstream opularity of later albums; some even go as far as to say that the classification of Green Day’s genre changed as their sound did, shifting from their punk rock roots and becoming a more mainstream pop punk rock band. Astoundingly, Kerplunk has gone on to be one of the best selling independently released albums of all time.
Due to their unexpected commercial success, selling 1 copies domestically and practical capacity with Lookout! Records. As a result, they signed with Reprise Records and released their third studio album, Dookie, in 1994. Luckily for Green Day, Dookie also became a commercial success with aid from extensive MTV airplay. The band went on to perform in many prestigious lineups such as Lollapalooza and Woodstock ’94. With Green Days growing reputation and popularity, Dookie was eventually promoted to diamond status.
The album even went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album as well as nine MTV Music Video Awards including Video of the Year. Because of the band’s widespread popularity, many questioned whether Green Days musical style truly represented “punk rock”. Among these accusations was the fact that Green Day was a supposedly punk rock band with a major record label, an ironic twist on the anarchy and independence that so many unk rock bands represent. Billy Joe Armstrong actually commented on the group’s status as a punk rock band by saying “… we’re this big band now. We’ve made a lot of money.
We’re not punk rock anymore… You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can’t take the punk rock out of us”. Although some avid punk rockers may argue that Green Day is not a true punk rock band, it is indisputable that Green Day created popular music that received high ratings. Green Day, along with several other bands such as The Offspring, Sublime, Rancid, and Blink-182, is widely redited for bringing the attention of mainstream popularity to punk rock in the United States, benefiting punk rock in the end regardless of technical musical classification. These bands characterized the pop punk of the mid to late 1990s.
Although pop punk music has waned throughout the years, but its culture is still ubiquitous in many venues from the Vans Warped Tour to the Bamboozle Festival. Kerplunk and Dookie were responsible for the financial success of Green Day; after taking a brief hiatus, the band recorded Nimrod, which deviated from its normal styles of music. As an album, it demonstrated how Green Day had matured, but not ompletely lost it Nimrod was composed of a variety of different songs influenced by ska, surf rock, and punk rock, as well as the acoustic ballad – “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”.
Thinking back, I cannot remember the music that I listened to before I began listening to Green Day; it was Green Day that sparked my general interest in music, engendering the passionate musician that I am today. I connect especially with the song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” off of the album Nimrod. This ballad begins with an acoustic guitar intro followed with vocals by Billy Joe Armstrong. He describes a common situation in life that almost everybody can relate to. “Another turning point; a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. The word choice used establishes a sense of connection between the artist and the audience, both of which have encountered the futility of fighting time and its direction; it is a timeless dilemma that we all face. “So make the best of this test and don’t ask Why? ” Billy Joe Armstrong proposes that the solution to the melancholy we face from leaving something or someone behind is to simply make the best of the situation that one is in without questioning it. He advises that one should cherish the moment as well as the good times one has had, and then move on to the next chapter of one’s life. It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time. I hope you had the time of your life. ” When Armstrong says “it”, he is referring to the question “why? ” previously stated. The chorus of the song is composed of the last two lines, which soon became the mantra of my being. He is essentially saying that instead of going through life repeatedly asking “why? “, one should Just take things as they come to fgure out “why? “. At the end of the chorus, Billy Joe Armstrong expresses his hope and ssurance that the audience will “have the time of their lives”, purely from their optimistic mindsets.
The song demonstrates the cycles of life and how they tend to repeat themselves, based on our perception and experiences. I believe that the main point Billy Joe Armstrong is trying to get across to his audience is that the mindset we have in life is often the only control we have over the magnitude our contentment; the fickle nature of life allows us to take the guesswork out of life, leaving mindless comfort. Whenever I had a doubt in life, whether it was about sports, girls, or college, I would Just listen o this song to remind myself about the uselessness of fghting what has already happened.
Through this song, I have come to realize that the quality of one’s life is merely the result of how one perceives the events and environment surrounding him or her; the richest man is not the one with the most possessions, but the one who cherishes life the most. I admit that this was a very difficult concept to grasp during my tender pre-teen years. However, as I grew and matured, the lyrics became more and more relatable, proving Just how timeless this song truly is.
