Cob Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Basket Case. It's the definitive Green Day song in my opinion. Rocking riff, melodic/driving bass, perfect melody, perfect harmonies, tight/bombastic drums, great lyrics, driving energy...Basket Case will always be THE Green Day song. I don't care what anyone else says, crowds always react to Basket Case about 10x more than they do to the other songs people are mentioning; that alone speaks volumes about that song's power. Billie Joe has said it himself, Basket Case is their anthem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marrymebilliejoe Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Currently, Basketcase. That was Billie's spaz out song, but it just has the Green Day feel. If that makes sense... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mato Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Take Back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBoyNamedTrain Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Well, clearly Green Day doesn't actually have a 'signature' song since everyone seems to have a different opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorovich Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 It has changed through the years. First Basket Case (1994-1997), then Good Riddance (1997-2004), then American Idiot (2004-2012) along with Know Your Enemy (2009-2012) and I guess the next one will be Oh Love. If it was up to me it'd always be American Idiot. Or some other punk/rock shit like Lady Cobra from the new ones. I don't think it was ever Know Your Enemy. 21st Century Breakdown or 21 Guns were far more prominent live songs during that era. Overall I'd have to say Basket Case, though it's true that there are loads to choose from. I'd probably argue against AI actually; they haven't been playing it as much recently. And the only ballad I'd put up there is Good Riddance, since it's become a staple part of their show. I guess for me, the closest to a 'signiature' song would be: 1. Basket Case 2. Good Riddance 3. American Idiot 4. Welcome to Paradise 5. Oh Love (Not really, but I see it being a prominent addition to future shows) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasalacquaian Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Hmmmm I'd say that Basketcase is their signature song. Almost every fan knows it and it's just some really good green day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyDirnt Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I don't think it was ever Know Your Enemy. 21st Century Breakdown or 21 Guns were far more prominent live songs during that era. Oh, it's about what they perform more? I think it was about those songs everyone hears and ideantifies them Then: 1. Welcome to Paradise/Basket Case 2. American Idiot 3. 21 Guns 4. Good Riddance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stories and songs Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I really think their signature song is Longview more so than Basket Case. That may just be because I like Longview more than Basket Case though. Welcome to Paradise could definitely be a contender, too. I became a fan in '05. Even so, I don't think I'd say AI or BOBD is a signature song for the band more so than the three listed above. I think regardless of when you became a fan of Green Day, you know Longview, Basket Case, and Welcome to Paradise. Its funny, because Good Riddance is undoubtedly the most known Green Day song. That song is appealing to so many different listeners. It is inescapable - you've definitely heard it playing on a tv show, at a graduation, in a store. The thing is, I bet many casual listeners have NO idea that it is Green Day performing the song. I know long before I loved Green Day, when I was little I loved that song. And I hadn't the faintest idea who the artist was. I remember when I first got into Green Day, my mom bought me International Superhits and when we were listening to it she was like "Oh my god, they do THAT song? I LOVE that song!" Haha. So, in a way it is their signature song, because everyone knows it. But it isn't their signature song, because half the people who like it don't know it is a Green Day song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieces of Truth Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Or some other punk/rock shit like Lady Cobra from the new ones. What is this horrible, horrible thing you're talking about... Lady Cobra? Dos has obviously only 12 tracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanicAttack! Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Boulevard of Broken Dreams / Basket Case / Good Riddance Yup, I'd agree. One song for each of their career peaks, and then one from in between which was one of their biggest hits too, though it didn't follow an overall massive success at the time. It's definitely three songs signature of Green Day at different turning points, boiling all the 'eras' down to the two main game changers, and then adding a middle link as well. But if only two, then Basket Case and BoBD. It'll for sure be a generational gap dividing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanicAttack! Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 1. Basket Case 2. Good Riddance 3. American Idiot 4. Welcome to Paradise 5. Oh Love (Not really, but I see it being a prominent addition to future shows) Really? I actually thought it would get thrown off the setlist after this tour. I think there's four criteria to Green Day's setlist. 1. Is it a current/future single? - YES 2. Has it proven a classic hit? (BoBD, Basket Case, Brain Stew) - NO 3. Has it proven a fan favorite live? - NO 4. Is it a guilty pleasure/favorite of the band? - PROBABLY NOT So I think we have yet to see what trilogy songs will survive through the next tour. If future Tré singles do not hit, then it all comes down to what songs the fans react positively to, this tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorovich Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Really? I actually thought it would get thrown off the setlist after this tour. I think there's four criteria to Green Day's setlist. 1. Is it a current/future single? - YES 2. Has it proven a classic hit? (BoBD, Basket Case, Brain Stew) - NO 3. Has it proven a fan favorite live? - NO 4. Is it a guilty pleasure/favorite of the band? - PROBABLY NOT So I think we have yet to see what trilogy songs will survive through the next tour. If future Tré singles do not hit, then it all comes down to what songs the fans react positively to, this tour. Before I saw it live, I would totally agree with you. But I just think it's such a great live track; the guitar intro gets the crowd so riled up and chanting. I just wish they played it a little faster and with a little more energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacesauce Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Going by the original post, I think this is clearly generational like some have noted. Green Day's career is headed towards the end of its third decade so naturally the age range here is going to be larger. I think the most well known song is Good Riddance, though not everyone knows it's a Green Day song. It's kind of one of the great things about this song. It's been sung at every type of event, and has been covered by musicians from all genres. If most recognizable=signature, it's this hands down. No contest, nothing else is even close. If you have graduated, been to a graduation, watch TV or movies, or generally listen to the radio and have ears, you have heard this. Hell, it was on the Seinfeld finale--the third most viewed TV finale of all time. If "signature" is also defined by other factors such as capturing the bands overall sound or personality we could go a few different ways. I think you could make an argument for the Dookie singles or American Idiot or Boulevard. It really does come down to age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¡Zach! Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I think it would be Good Riddance. I don't think there was a movie in the late nineties that didn't feature that song. You can poll 100 people and I guarantee 95 of them would have heard Good Riddance at least once. The song is a lot like Beat It, in terms of how it is recognized. You can hear that song and automatically know it, as it became arguably their most popular hit. I know it was probably the first song I remember listening to by them and I still listen to it on occasion. A close second would probably be Boulevard of Broken Dreams or Wake Me Up When September ends, based solely on the popularity of those songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Panda Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 in my opinion...basket case,time of your life,american idiot,boulevard of broken dreams,wake me up,21 guns,oh love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilda_25 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Older fans: Basket Case or Longview, Good Riddance Newer fans: Wake Me Up When September Ends or American Idiot Even Newer fans: 21 Guns This!!! But I would add just one thing: Even newer newer fans (aka Twilight fans): The Forgotten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocaColaX Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I don't think it was ever Know Your Enemy. 21st Century Breakdown or 21 Guns were far more prominent live songs during that era. Overall I'd have to say Basket Case, though it's true that there are loads to choose from. I'd probably argue against AI actually; they haven't been playing it as much recently. And the only ballad I'd put up there is Good Riddance, since it's become a staple part of their show. I guess for me, the closest to a 'signiature' song would be: 1. Basket Case 2. Good Riddance 3. American Idiot 4. Welcome to Paradise 5. Oh Love (Not really, but I see it being a prominent addition to future shows) I didn't take the meaning of 'signature song' to mean what they play most on tour, I took it to mean which song is immediatey identifiable from the very start, as a Green Day song, whether you are a fan or not, and would still say the intro to American Idiot would have to be that, even although I would prefer BOBD myself, I'm not sure a lot of non-fans would recognise that from the start, although I can see the point made for Basket Case too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyDirnt Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 What is this horrible, horrible thing you're talking about... Lady Cobra? Dos has obviously only 12 tracks. Lady Cobra is epicly awesome 4evs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvrman Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I think the song that GD are most identified with, by most music fans, is American Idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Miguel Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 It has to be American Idiot - everyone knows the song, even if they do not know Green Day. Well that is certainly the case where i live. People think of Billie Joe as someone in a black shirt with a red tie and that is American Idiot. Whilst that is my favourite album, the song itself is probably in my bottom 3 of songs from that album. If the world worked like I think it should do the signature song would be Jesus of Suburbia, and everyone would know the lyrics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaïs. Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I'd say there's three, each for a different era in the band's history. For the Dookie era, "Basket Case"; for the Nimrod/Warning era, "Good Riddance"; for the American Idiot era, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unholy Sister of Grace Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Green Day's signature song would have to include the signature elements of each member, i.e. Billie's energetic and unique voice/lyrics and his guitar-playing, Mike's badass yet eloquent bass, and Tre's locked-in, versatile drumming. Granted GD is not the only band that has this killer combination, but it's the most relevant to this forum. Anyway, the song that does this for me is Basket Case. It touches on the neurological anomalies of everyday life, it even includes Billie's purposeful word-jumbling and it's just so them. The band's intention for making music is that it will sound good no matter the stage in their life. Basket Case performed today causes me to see them as a young snotty band again (whereas they are currently a slightly older snotty band ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Mechanical man What is this horrible, horrible thing you're talking about... Lady Cobra? Dos has obviously only 12 tracks. did you not pick up the cd, it clearly has 13 songs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthehallwaynow Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Mechanical man did you not pick up the cd, it clearly has 13 songs yes mechanical man is soo good very funky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieces of Truth Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Mechanical man did you not pick up the cd, it clearly has 13 songs jesus I was joking. I got the CD on the 8th november, to be exact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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