X-Kid

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"X-Kid"
Single by Green Day
from the album ¡Tre!
Released February 12, 2013 (2013-02-12)
Format Promo CD, digital download
Recorded February 14 (14-02)–June 26, 2012 (2012-06-26) at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, California
Genre Pop punk, alternative rock
Length 3:41
Label Reprise, Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Billie Joe Armstrong / Green Day
Producer(s) Rob Cavallo and Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Stray Heart"
(2012)		 "X-Kid"
(2013)		 "Xmas Time of the Year"
(2015)

"X-Kid" is a song by American punk rock band Green Day. The song was recorded by the band for their eleventh studio album, ¡Tre!. It was released as a single February 12, 2013.

Background and release[edit]

"X-Kid" was released as a single on February 12, 2013. On December 19, 2012, a video was released to Green Day's official YouTube channel showing "X-Kid" playing on a cassette tape.[1]

Theme and composition[edit]

According to The A.V. Club, "X-Kid" has "a rousing intro degenerates into a hybrid of two songs from the band’s 1992 album Kerplunk, “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” and “One Of My Lies.”"[2]

Song meaning[edit]

“X-Kid” from ¡Tré! deals with the suicide of a close friend of the band’s. “I don’t really want to get into it,” Armstrong says. “It’s too heavy.”[3]

This song was written in response to the 2009 suicide of a close friend that Armstrong grew up with in Rodeo, CA. However, the song is as much about the entire "Generation X" (those born from roughly 1960-1980) as it is about this one specific tragedy. Billie Joe has repeatedly identified himself as an "Ex-Kid" in recent interviews. The narrator is able to relate to his late friend, in that they were both "Ex/X-kids." But, he was able to push through the struggles that came with growing older, while his friend was not. His friend, unfortunately, found an escape in suicide, thus the line "Here goes nothing, the shouting's over." The narrator sees facets of himself in his late friend. He feels as if, sadly, there wasn't much that could have been done to help his friend, though he wishes someone could have found a way to help him before it was too late.[4]

Critical reception[edit]

Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly named "X-Kid" as the best song on ¡Tre!, above "Brutal Love" and "Missing You".[5]

Chart positions[edit]

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canada Active Rock (America's Music Charts)[6] 18
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[7] 48
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] 35
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9] 23

References[edit]

  1. ^ YouTube (2012-12-19). "Green Day - "X-Kid" - Album: ¡TRE!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-02-03. 
  2. ^ Tré Review. "Tré Review". the A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 March 2013. 
  3. ^ "Interview: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on '¡Uno!,' '¡Dos!' and '¡Tre!' - Page 2". Guitar World. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-13. 
  4. ^ "X-Kid by Green Day - Lyrics, song meaning and info". Greendayauthority.com. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2013-02-13. 
  5. ^ Ray Rahman (2013-01-09). "Tre! - review - Green Day Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03. 
  6. ^ "Canada: Active Rock". America's Music Charts. March 26, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013. 
  7. ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Green Day. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  8. ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Green Day. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  9. ^ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Green Day. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
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