“Do you still think about your father when you sing this?” asked Howard Stern, and Billie Joe Armstrong replied: “I think about him every day.” Then the Green Day frontman gave one of his most personal performances on “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Billie’s father died when he was just 10, and the title came from a conversation young Billie had with his mother while grieving. He held on to that quote for years before turning it into a timeless song.
For a band known for hard-hitting, frenetic punk rock, Green Day can sure deliver a heartbreaking ballad. You can definitely tell it’s not easy for Billie to sing it live, but the vulnerability he brings to the performance makes it a touching moment. We have to give it up for the band, as they always know how to deliver that perfect mix of melody and raw power that makes the songs hit like a truck. The Music Man has to say Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool have got to be one of the great rhythm sections in rock ‘n’ roll.
When The Howard Stern Show uploaded Green Day’s cut of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” to YouTube, it hit 11.2 million views. This made it one of the most-viewed clips in the history of the show. Viewers added comments such as “You could see the seriousness in the whole band’s faces, knowing this is a hard song for Billie to sing, which just shows how much they stick together and support each other through thick and thin” and “It’s touching that he’s still singing this for his father, 20 years later.”
Billie’s live vocal delivery on his ballads always hits different. One of the greatest melodic moments that Green Day ever delivered was their rendition of “Last Night on Earth” with none other than Billie Eilish. The punk rockers teamed up with the pop star for a performance of the song at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles. This was a great choice for Eilish to guest on, as with the sweet, romantic vibes, it’s absolutely perfect for her style. The two Billies are certainly an iconic duo!
Green Day issued “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on June 13, 2005, as the fourth single from their 2004 studio album American Idiot. Billie Joe Armstrong is the sole credited songwriter. Although Billie wrote it about the death of his father in September 1982, critics have at times also interpreted the lyrics as a reference to the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers. This was accentuated by Samuel Bayer’s official music video, which shows a couple being separated as the boyfriend leaves to serve in the Iraq War. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was a major hit, going Platinum in the US and double Platinum in the UK. The Music Man readers may recall that it has become a firm fan favorite. It is also one of only five Green Day songs to have surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.