In a recent podcast, Billie Joe Armstrong took time out of his usual (and welcomed) bashing of President Trump to talk about the writing and first performance of Green Day’s iconic track ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’.

The 1997 hit featured on the band’s seminal album Nimrod and offered a huge tempo change for the band and LP. It became a smash hit, sold over 2 million copies and soon became a staple in their live shows. It remains dear to so many people’s hearts to this day.

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When speaking to Krissy Teegerstrom’s ‘Beyond + Back’ podcast he said “I had no intention of starting any kind of acoustic thing with Green Day, and I just wrote it, it was just sort of, like, from the heart to the four-track…”

“You make these decisions – well, you can stay in your comfort zone or you can try doing this song…just put it out there and see what happens. So, I remember the first time I ever sang it live. We were somewhere on the east coast, we’re on the Nimrod tour, and then I was like ‘Ok, I’m gonna sing this song. I’m gonna do it’.”

“I shotgunned two beers and then I went out and did it, and it worked. And people were really into it and singing along…It was like a breakthrough…as soon as you hit that breakthrough, instantly in your mind you start going ‘I can do this. What if I try playing it a little more country music? Or what if I tried using loops and stuff like that?’ Automatically it gives you confidence.”

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