The COVID-19 lockdowns were bleak for us all. But Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong brought some light to the situation when he unexpectedly teamed up with Susanna Hoffs, vocalist for The Bangles, for a genre-crossing virtual duet of one of the girl band’s greatest hits, “Manic Monday”.
Billie and Susanna’s collab went viral back in 2020, and it’s still keeping pop/rock fans stunned today, amassing more than 3.3 million views. Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the viral clip below – we reckon it’s one of the best things to come out of that time when the world was plunged into misery.
Of course, with stay-at-home orders in place across the globe, Billie and Susanna couldn’t duet in the usual fashion. But that didn’t stop them from turning The Bangles’ 1985 single into a modern banger—the pair recording their individual parts in their own home studios (complete with video footage!) and smashing it together into a fully realized rendition that, to some fans, beats the original.
Green Day frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, is the ultimate match for this song, making it sound like an original written by his own band; his melodic, punk/pop-driven vocals add fresh energy to the age-old hit, and his tones are a dream to sink into.
Billie serves his side of the song sitting on a sofa – a rare glimpse into the musician when he’s not selling out stadiums with his own hit-making band. Meanwhile, Susanna Hoffs, aged 63 in this vid, jumps around her living room like she’s still in the ‘80s, her unbelievable energy absolutely enviable as she slays her Rickenbacker bass lines. Hilariously, punk vocalist Billie Joe fails to match her energy, singing whilst appearing almost bored – the ultimate contrast, considering the erratic, drug-fueled clichés of the punk rock scene.
Fans of both Green Day and The Bangles were left absolutely astounded by this melding of two worlds, and their timing couldn’t have been better. With COVID leaving most of us on the cusp of depression, one fan summed up the good vibes this video emanates, writing in the YouTube comments section to the tune of 1,900+ likes, “Just hearing Billie’s voice makes me feel happy.”
But for others, it wasn’t the music which had them utterly wowed. One look at the comments section shows a fanbase united in one thought: that these two musicians haven’t aged a day since their 80s/90s golden era. As one fan wrote, “Looks more like a ‘who hasn’t aged’ competition,” another backed up the feeling, commenting, “Wait, I thought Billie is the only one who never ages but Susanna Hoffs is 60+ freakin’ years old!”
Craving another lockdown performance from Billie Joe Armstrong? Check out his epic cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” – featuring his sons – in the video above!