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SotW: X-Kid


Cob

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"X-Kid" is the fifth song from Green Day's eleventh studio album ¡Tré!. Like a majority of Green Day's releases, Billie Joe Armstrong is credited as the author of the song's lyrics while the entire band is credited as having composed the music, though in this particular case Green Day is Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool, and Jason White. The song is the first and only single from ¡Tré!; it peaked at 23 and 35 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts and the US Billboard Alternative Charts, respectively. For all you Canadian GDCers (HA!), "X-Kid" peaked at 18 on the Canada: Active Rock music chart. The song also has a relatively simple music video composed of a single still-camera shot that films an old Cassette tape play (and then rewind) the song.

“X-Kid” has been described by a few of us here on GDC as a very emotional and powerful song, and rightfully so: the song was inspired by the tragic suicide of one of the band’s friends. To make the circumstances behind the song’s origins even more heartbreaking, this unfortunate event occurred on the final day of the 21st Century Breakdown World Tour. Every member of the band, particularly Billie Joe, was devastated by the news. Here and there, the song seems to make specific references to this friend and his life, and there seems to be a focus on the motivations behind his suicide. Billie also seems to be comparing himself heavily with this fallen friend and mentioning the connections they had to each other; it’s very likely that Billie sees a lot of himself in this person.


The song isn't just about these circumstances though; the meaning goes beyond the terrible event that inspired its writing. Billie has stated in several interviews that the song is about “failing to grow up,” a phenomenon that he believes has affected him and the bands group of friends. After all, what happens to punks when they age? Do they really “grow-up” or do they just “get old”? Are they adults or just grown children? The song poses this question and the title—“ex kid”—alludes to this existential theme.

Personally, “X-Kid” means a lot to me. At this point in my life—that dreaded first year out of High School—I’m feeling that pressure that comes with growing up. Without venting too much, I've been feeling the burden of diving head first into the adult world while also knowing that I’m still an immature kid. All around me I’m seeing kids working 9-5, kids losing their heads in drinks and drugs, and kids having kids. Because of these reasons, the song’s themes have connected and resonated with me perfectly.


As for why I wanted to write this OP, I wanted to write it not just because of the connections mentioned above but also because this song absolutely blows me away. The first time I heard it on GDA from that ¡Cuatro! clip I couldn't believe what I was hearing. From the moment I heard that crisp E chord ring out for the first time I knew I was listening to something incredible. I was at a loss for words. And this feeling only increased as the vocal tracks built up with “I fell in love/but it didn't catch your fall.” I had chills so great that my face went numb. And then Tré came in with those massive drums that alternate note counts in the second verse, and then Billie Joe’s massively moving solo, and on top of all that, hugely personal lyrics that get amplified even more by those excellent harmonies throughout. It just kept getting better and better. To me this song is the epitome of how utterly awesome the Trilogy is. When I hear this song, I hear the best band in the world. Green Day has done it again.

Lyrics:


Hey, little kid
Did you wake up late one day?
And you're not so young
but you're still dumb
And you're numb to your old glory
Now it's gone.

I fell in love
but it didn't catch your fall
Then I crashed into a wall
Then I fell to pieces on the floor
Now you're sick to death


Bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over
Hey X-Kid, bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over and out
over and out again

I once was old enough to know better
then I was too young to care
but who cares, I probably would
but Hollywood is dead and gone


You fell in love
but then you just fell apart.
Like a kick in the head
You're an X-Kid and you
never even got started again

Bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over
Hey X-Kid, bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over and out
over and out…


And you were searching your soul
And you got lost and out of control
You went over the edge of joking
Died of a broken heart

Hey, little kid
Did you wake up late one day?
and you're not so young
but you're still dumb
You're an X-Kid and you never even got started again


Bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over
Hey X-Kid, bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over
And hey X-Kid, bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over
And hey X-Kid, bombs away
Here goes nothing, the shouting's over and out
over and out
over and over and out

Live performance from one of the Illinois shows:

Green Day Community PSA: If you're interested in hosting upcoming Song of the Week threads and writing the OP like I did here, don't hesitate! Head over to this thread ( http://www.greendaycommunity.org/topic/92648-song-of-the-week-calendar-ha-ha-youre-dead-entries-due-april-21st/ ) to read the rules of submission and submit an application. It's a simple process and it's great because YOU'RE getting the chance to make a recognized contribution to this awesome community. Do it now!

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I love this song, one of my favorites from the trilogy, i can´t stop hear it :happy:

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Its a great song and it seems it means a lot to the band, especially Mike as he got a tattoo and is always making X kid references on Instagram.

I am so much into the melody of the song, I find myself humming it almost everyday when I wake up.

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It's a lovely piece of music; really fresh and youthful sounding, which I guess is part of the point.

Excellent OP, by the way :)

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The OP is truly wonderful, describes it so well. You did an awesome job, Cob!

X-Kid might really be my favourite triology song, probably even one of my all time favourite Green Day songs. As described in the OP, the song has caught my attention from the very first second when I watched the iCuatro! clip. It gave me chills, made me feel super comfortable and simply felt extremely special to me. That feeling only amplified after having heard the full track later. The lyrics are so personal and it's pretty easy to relate to them. I also love how you can literally hear how much the song means to the band and I guess Mike getting a tattoo saying "X-Kid" now does only confirm that. I wish there actually were words with which I could describe how listening to that song makes me feel, but I tried and I just can't find any. All I can say is that I absolutely love it.

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X-Kid had big hit potential but I didn't hear it on the radio once :( Still, one of the best songs on the trilogy. The "I fell in love, but I didn't catch your fall" line gets me everytime.

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Great OP!

I do love this song, but it's one I don't like to listen to very often because it usually brings me down. Call it selfish if you want but I relate these lyrics to myself quite a lot. In my head I used to be so much smarter, so much more ambitious and generally far more positive and motivated for life. Now there are times I feel so much more unsocial, unambitious and generally see myself as a lesser person than the guy I was a few years ago. This song reminds me of that.

Nonetheless, it's a very well constructed song and it's probably only now I've appreciated it. (closing all other tabs, putting on my good headphones and listening to it eyes closed)

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This is the best SotW entry that I have ever read. Billie's friend was Brando, he is seen in VH1's Behind the Music: Green Day, or one of those tv documentaries. He was friends with the band since they grew up together in Rodeo.

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I always assumed X-Kid meant children from generation X

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well I didn't know all that was behind this song... aaanyway this is possibly the best song on ¡Tré!, eitger this or Missing You. Glad it is this week Sotw

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Excellent post. You hit the nail right on the head.

Great choice for SOTW, as well. It's quite the powerhouse of a song.

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This is my favorite song off of the trilogy. Every time I listen, it gives me chills. Probably because I also relate to the song. When I finished high school, I felt the pressure of growing up too. And now that I've started working (and looking for jobs), that pressure has returned. I venture to the "grown-ups" world, but I really want is to go back in time, when life was simples, without worries... eh, but that's impossible so I try to move forward but this feeling is always with me.

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I always assumed X-Kid meant children from generation X

Billie has said that's why they spelled it "X-Kid" too. It sort of references that period of time too, the "slackers" that inherited America.

Brilliant opening post, Cob! :) (Is it Jacob by the way?) I really wanted to write the OP for this song but I got caught up in work, and ended up completely forgetting to check the deadline. :( Anyway, I don't think I could've done a better job, but I wanted to share my X-Kid story all the same, so here it is.

It is Jacob :happy: Your story is so tragic and eye-opening, you have my condolences. This reminds me of a person in my community who passed away a little more than a year ago. He was the same type of character (apparently, I didn't know him that well) and he was killed in a one car accident that deeply, deeply scared my class and the members of our community.

To everyone complimenting the OP I thank you for enjoying it!

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X-Kid had big hit potential but I didn't hear it on the radio once :( Still, one of the best songs on the trilogy. The "I fell in love, but I didn't catch your fall" line gets me everytime.

I heard it on the radio yesterday.

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Great write-up Cob!! Awesome job :D

(and awesome song!!)

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I never ,in my entire life, had a favorite song. Not even a favorite Green Day song. The second I heard it, I did fall in love with it (I may have also shed a few tears). When I heard it live in Rhode Island, I literally got completely lost in the song and forgot about everything around me. Truly my favorite song.

Your OP was perfect. :thumbsup:

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Great OP Cob! I think it's one of the best ones so far. It put X-Kid in a new light for me. I didn't use to think much of the song before, except that it was a good melody, but after listening to it today it's been stuck in my head the whole day

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My favorite song off the trilogy, and it means a lot to me as well. I relate a lot the lyrics and story of the song.

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This song means the world to me right now as my best friend went to the hospital because of depression about the same time I really started to listen to the lyrics. I know it's about a friend who committed suicide and my friend didn't but there's still so much in this song it's amazing. Like:

You're no so young

But you're still dumb - She just turned 18 but she never wanted to grow up

I fell in love -With her

But it didn't catch your fall

Then I crashed to a wall

Then I fell to pieces on the floor - This was literary how I felt

I once was old enough

To know better, but then I was too young to care - I could see there was something wrong before she went to the hospital but I didn't do anything about it

So many emotions. God I love this song

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The song is good, but it's not a live song, and the stuff you wrote is just meh, just another dramatic teenager

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