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409 In Your Coffee Maker


pasalaska

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Seeing as it’s back-to-school time for many a Green Day fan, this week’s Song of the Week is the classroom-inspired 409 In Your Coffee Maker, originally released in 1990 on the Slappy EP, but better known these days as track 13 off 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991). A re-recorded but un-mixed version of the song was also released as a b-side to the Basket Case single in 1994.

The song’s title refers to the time that Billie supposedly put 409 (a cleaning agent) into his teacher’s coffee maker at school. The lyrics to the song reflect that act’s disregard for school, its teachers and its teachings, with Billie quite unabashedly likening his schooling experience to being in chains that keep him from his true interests. 409 In Your Coffee Maker features one of the band’s earlier material’s most distinctive riffs, as well as some great vocal harmonies from Mike during the chorus.

This amazingly high-quality video was recorded at Foreign Foods Day at Pinole Valley High School on May 10, 1990, right after the band changed their name to Green Day.

And this is the un-mixed version that was a b-side to the Basket Case single I mentioned earlier – Tre’s drumming makes it sound much more solid in my humble opinion.

Lyrics:

I sit in the state of a daydream

With all of your words flying over my head

Even more time gets wasted in a daze

It should seem obvious to you

Your screams & cries are never going to work

And all of your time gets wasted in my daze

And I'm looking back now at where I have gone wrong

And why I could not seem to get along

My interests are longing to break from these chains

These chains that control my futures aim...

Well, now…

I sit in the state of a daydream

With all of your words flying over my head

Even more time gets wasted in a daze

Maybe I'm just too damn lazy

Or maybe I was just brain washed to think that way

And all of your time gets wasted in my daze.

And I'm looking back now at where I have gone wrong

And why I could not seem to get along

My interests are longing to break from these chains

These chains that control my futures aim...

Well, now…

I'm looking… back now at… where I have… have gone wrong

And why I… could not seem… could not seem… to get along

And I'm looking back now at where I have gone wrong

And why I could not seem to get along

My interests are longing to break from these chains

These chains that control my futures aim...

Well, now…

*********************************************************************************************************

You can nominate songs for discussion as Song of the Week in the SotW Nominations and Archive thread, which contains links to each previous Song of the Week in its first post.

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Perfect to remind my professors how much I love them now that I have to go back to school after 2 weeks of doing nothing.

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I love this song. My fav from 1039/SOSH. The Dookie version sounds really good. Reminds me of all those boring classes, wish I was doing something better.

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Even better than Longview, not saying Longview isnt a great song, it is. But this is a classic not everyone remembers. Definately a great choice!!

Favorite line is:

"My interests are longing to break from these chains

These chains that control my futures aim..."

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Great song. There isn't much to say about it since it's a typical Green Day song from their first album, but Mike's vocals indeed sound awesome. Would love to hear that again live :)

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Perfect song for a totally boring back-to-school time! :thumbsup:

There's really not much to say about this song apart from the fact that I totally love it. The lyrics as well as the sound itself. Just awesome!

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Good song, but not great. The interlude bit is my favourite. That dookie version sounds awesome! I sometimes wish they'd re-record their first two albums cos the songs are so good, but the quality lets them down. they deserve better!

Anyway, the whole 409 episode is great and just part of why Green Day are so great!

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Wow, i've never heard the Dookie version before. Sounds amazing!

Is it just me or is that version half a step up?

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not a fan of this song

it's just blah

It's one of those songs that I forgot exists

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Wow, i've never heard the Dookie version before. Sounds amazing!

Is it just me or is that version half a step up?

I'm pretty sure it is. Its the first thing I noticed when I heard it :)

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This was the first song off of 1,039/SOSH, or better, the first "very old" Green Day song I ever listened too...I instantly though it was great :wub:

Even though I remember thinking that Billie's voice was so damn different and weird :lol:

Very funny, powerful and provocative song, that's a great answer to all day long boring lessons! And how much time I spent "in a stae of daydream", with words, too much senseless words, "flying over my head", from a teacher of from a parent complaining for your behaviour...and you're never paying attention, just thinking "When the hell will you shut up?!"

I love the "fragmented" part that ends up in an awesome and involving guitar solo!

The chorus is much better in the Dookie version to me ;)

Great week's choice!

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Seeing as it’s back-to-school time for many a Green Day fan, this week’s Song of the Week is the classroom-inspired 409 In Your Coffee Maker

The Green Day songs I'd toss in the "not my favorite" category are frequently found in the deep back catalog, and 409 is no exception. In part it's because of the recording quality (I'd love to hear this one re-recorded or at least remastered along with many others from that era) and Tre not being in the mix yet, but there's only so much that remastering can do to boost an uncomfortably narrow and repetitive chord progression and melody.

High points are definitely the harmonies that Billie Joe hits with Mike, and there are some sparkles of brilliance in the lyrics as well. In the same song that deals with what a geezer such as myself would say is "the rotten attitude of an immature, angsty burned-out, stoned-out, directionless high-schooler", there is an exceptionally mature and insightful recognition that what doesn't work for the protagonist doesn't work so well for the institution either: "all of your time gets wasted in my daze." Also important is that the complainer's seeming "directionless" bend is only skin-deep. There is direction, there is ambition, and he feels it's being squandered -- stifled -- when he's forced to endure another day of useless classroom drivel that's not getting him where he knows he wants to go.

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Homework tonight in math was on page 409..... i had to write "In your coffee maker" on the worksheet, and in the book.... like a baws

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Great song! It does kinda relate to me at work too.

My fav line is:

My interests are longing to break from these chains

These chains that control my futures aim...

Its also a song i remember everytime when i see the time as 4:09am/pm :P

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I have a '409 In Your Coffeemaker' sweather, i'm wearing it right now. :D

I love this song's lyrics! :)

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My story: I'm actually form Germany and when I came to Utah I helped one of my friends cooking...It was a total mass anyways...We had to clean the kitchen after that and she put out a bottle of 409 :D I totally freaked out...she didn't understand and then I asked her if she could put it in her coffee maker ...she was quite confused and my life was accomplished :D

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"I sit in the state of a daydream" <-- pretty much describes me at school..

Hell, that pretty much describes me right now! <in cupcake coma> :lazy: :lazy: :lazy:

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Thanks so much for posting the version from the Basket Case single, never heard that one before. Sounds really good! :) This song has grown on me, but it's not in the top 3 of my favorites from 1039/S.O.S.H.

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Here's a video of Green Day drunkenly trying and failing to play 409 in Your Coffee Maker. (1:22)

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Aww, I love that one. Not as much as Disappearing boy, Green Day, Going to Pasalacqua and Only of you, but it's still in my top 5 from 39/smooth. :lol:

Anyone knows if the Basket Case Bside is downloadable anywhere? I've been searching it for quite a bit of time now...

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This song is one of my favorites and I've experienced the feeling from both sides. It completely describes how I felt all through school. But now that I work at a school, I see these lyrics written all over the students faces and in their glazed-over eyes.

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