Holiday (Green Day song)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
"Holiday" | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
|||||||||||
Single by Green Day | |||||||||||
from the album American Idiot | |||||||||||
Released | March 14, 2005United Kingdom) May 7, 2005 (United States) |
(||||||||||
Format | Digital download, CD single, vinyl | ||||||||||
Recorded | March 26, 2004 | ||||||||||
Genre | Punk rock, pop punk[1] | ||||||||||
Length | 3:52 | ||||||||||
Label | Reprise/Warner Bros | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | Billie Joe Armstrong / Green Day | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo, Green Day | ||||||||||
Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | ||||||||||
Green Day singles chronology | |||||||||||
|
"Holiday" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the third single from the group's seventh studio album American Idiot. The song is in the key of F minor. Though the song is a prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday" was released as a single later on, in the spring of 2005. The song achieved considerable popularity across the world and performed moderately well on the charts. In the U.S., it reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. It debuted at number eleven in the UK and at number twenty-one in Canada. The song has been featured in the 2006 comedy film, Accepted. The Vancouver Canucks of the NHL once used it as their goal song.
Contents
Background[edit]
One of two explicitly political songs on the album (the other being fellow single "American Idiot"),[2] "Holiday" took two months to finish writing, as Armstrong continually felt his lyrics were not good enough. Aided by the encouragement of Cavallo, he completed the song.[3] "Holiday" was inspired by the music of Bob Dylan.[4] Armstrong wanted to write something stronger than "American Idiot", with harsh language to illustrate his points. The song takes aim at American conservatism. Armstrong felt that Republican politicians were "strategic" in alienating one group of people—for example, the gay community—in order to buy the votes of another.[5] He later characterized the song as an outspoken "fuck you" to then-President George W. Bush.[6] Armstrong for the first time imagined how he would perform the songs he was writing, and envisioned an audience responding to his lyric "Can I get another Amen?"[7] The song's bridge, which Armstrong hoped to be as "twisted as possible," was designed as a "politician's worst nightmare."[4]
The chorus's refrain—"This is our lives on holiday"—was intended to reflect the average American’s ambivalence on the issues of the day.[8] Armstrong characterized the song as "not anti-American, it’s anti-war."[9]
Live performances[edit]
In live performances, video screens would display footage of helicopters dropping bombs.[9]
Personnel[edit]
- Billie Joe Armstrong – Lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
- Mike Dirnt – Bass, backing vocals
- Tre Cool – Drums, backing vocals
Music video[edit]
The first half of the video takes place in a car (a 1968 Mercury Monterey convertible), where Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are partying around the town. In the second half they are cavorting in a bar where each of the band members portrays several different characters. Billie Joe Armstrong plays the mentioned Representative of California, two fighting clients, a punk rocker and a nerd. Tré Cool plays a drunken priest, an arrested patron, and a female prostitute. Mike Dirnt plays the barman, another punk, and a policeman. There are also scenes featuring seemingly worn-down can-can dancers. At the end of the video, the car smokes to a halt in the field that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" begins in. Like the video for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", this video was directed by Samuel Bayer.
The band arrived at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in the same car, this time "pimped out" by James Washburn, a friend of the band.
Track listing[edit]
CD 1 | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Holiday" | 3:53 |
2. | "Holiday" (live) | 4:07 |
3. | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (live) | 4:24 |
CD 2 | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Holiday" | 3:53 |
2. | "Minority" (live) | 6:01 |
7" picture disc
Side A | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Holiday" | 3:53 |
Side B | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Minority" (live) | 6:01 |
Vinyl Boxset
Side A | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Holiday" | 3:53 |
2. | "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | 4:45 |
Side B | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Letterbomb" | 4:06 |
2. | "Governator" (non-LP track) | 2:32 |
- Live tracks recorded September 21, 2004 at Irving Plaza, New York
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Certifications[edit]
|
Preceded by "Be Yourself" by Audioslave |
Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks number-one single May 7-21, 2005 |
Succeeded by "The Hand that Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails |
Preceded by "Happy?" by Mudvayne |
Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single June 4–18, 2005 |
Succeeded by "Remedy" by Seether |
Cover versions[edit]
"Holiday" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Scuba Dice | ||||
Released | March 13, 2006 | |||
Format | Digital download | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | Punk rock | |||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Independent | |||
Writer(s) | Billie Joe Armstrong | |||
Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |||
Scuba Dice singles chronology | ||||
|
The song was first covered by the Irish pop punk band Scuba Dice in 2006 and charted at No. 8 on the Irish charts, No. 2 on the download chart that week, and went on to be 42nd best selling single of 2008 for an Irish artist.[27]
Hayseed Dixie also performed a bluegrass cover of the song on the band's album A Hot Piece of Grass.
The song "Dr. Who on Holiday", from the mash-up album American Edit, combines "Holiday", The KLF single "Doctorin' the Tardis", and the original theme from the television show Doctor Who, while the intro juxtaposes George W. Bush with the Daleks, a race of monsters from the aforementioned British television series.
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Pauker, Lance (22 January 2014). "49 Phenomenally Angsty Pop-Punk Songs From The 2000s You Forgot Existed". Thought Catalog. The Thought & Expression Co. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ Ian Winwood (May 9, 2012). "The Secrets Behind The Songs: "American Idiot"". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1414). ISSN 0262-6624.
- ^ Steve Baltin (January 1, 2005). "Green Day". AMP. pp. 62–66.
- ^ a b Victoria Durham (March 1, 2005). "Green Day: Let The Good Times Roll". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (70): 50–55. ISSN 1465-0185.
- ^ "International Superhits". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1061): 52–53. June 18, 2005. ISSN 0262-6624.
- ^ Tom Sinclair (February 11, 2005). "Sitting on Top of the World". Entertainment Weekly: 25–31.
- ^ Winwood 2010, p. 50.
- ^ John Colapinto (November 17, 2005). "Green Day: Working Class Heroes". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC (987): 50–56. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Matt Hendrickson (February 24, 2005). "Green Day and the Palace of Wisdom". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC (968). ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Australian-charts.com – Green Day – Holiday". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Green Day – Holiday" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200615 into search.
- ^ "Danishcharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Tracklisten.
- ^ "Musicline.de – Green Day Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Holiday". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – Green Day – Holiday". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". VG-lista.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Green Day.
- ^ Green Day at AllMusic
- ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Green Day.
- ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Green Day.
- ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Green Day.
- ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Green Day.
- ^ "American single certifications – Green Day – Holiday". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ^ "About RTÉ: RTÉ's You're A Star Storms The Charts". Rte.ie. 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
Sources[edit]
- Winwood, Ian (September 23, 2010). ""It Was a Great Time for Us!"". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1330): 48–52. ISSN 0262-6624.
External links[edit]
- 2005 singles
- Anti-war songs
- Billboard Alternative Songs number-one singles
- Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one singles
- Green Day songs
- Songs written by Billie Joe Armstrong
- Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer
- American Idiot
- Song recordings produced by Rob Cavallo
- Political songs
- Protest songs
- LGBT-related songs
- Works about George W. Bush