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SOTW Wake Me Up When September Ends


Overjoyyed

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Wake Me up When September Ends is the fourth single off the smash hit album American Idiot. The single was released on June of 2005 and did well on the Billboard top 100 charts reaching the 6th spot (but was #1 in the Canadian charts). The song could also be found on the live CDs/DVDs Bullet in a Bible and Awesome as Fuck. The cinematography of the accompanying music video directed by Samuel Bayer was quite astounding telling a story which was really poignant at the height of the Iraq war of a young couple in love who have to deal with the realities of enlisting in war.

Billie Joe Armstrong spoke about the meaning of the song in a 2005 interview in Star Tribune:

"I originally wrote it about my father who died actually 23 years ago today," the frontman of America's biggest rock band said before going onstage. "I always remember that because Johnny Ramone died the same day. I never sang about my father before. I kind of stayed away from it."

The song lyrics are clearly heartfelt and personal to Billie Joe but he also stated that the song in general is “about a sense of loss, a sense of innocence that's lost” which makes this song very meaningful to a lot of people even though they have not had the exact same loss of a father. Many peoples personal attributions to this song are about the tragedy of 9/11. Billie also dedicated a live performance of this song to Hurricane Katrina victims and survivors.

I always loved this song from the beginning but the lyrics only really meant something to me 3 years ago when my own father died of cancer. One of my best friends wrote me a heartfelt condolence letter that included the lyrics “Like my father comes to pass 19 years has gone so fast” (as I was 19 at the time) and gave it to me at the funeral. That was one of the most heart wrenching but most thoughtful things I have ever had to read. The lyrics “the innocent can never last” has also a very important meaning to me as I felt like I changed after my dad died; that this event was the end of my childhood/teenage-hood. “Wake me up when September Ends” lyrics said exactly what I felt at the time but could not put into words myself.

The lyrics:
Summer has come and passed.
The innocent can never last
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Like my father's come to pass, seven years has gone so fast.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Here comes the rain again,
Falling from the stars;
Drenched in my pain again,
Becoming who we are.

As my memory rests,
But never forgets what I lost.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Summer has come and passed.
The innocent can never last.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Ring out the bells again.
Like we did when spring began.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Here comes the rain again,
Falling from the stars;
Drenched in my pain again,
Becoming who we are.

As my memory rest,
But never forgets what I lost.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Summer has come and passed.
The innocent can never last.
Wake me up,
When September ends.

Like my father's come to pass.
Twenty years has gone so fast.
Wake me up,
When September ends.
Wake me up,
When September ends.
Wake me up,
When September ends....

In a recent Rolling Stone’s article (March 2013), Billie Joe referenced this performance of the song and said how difficult it was as it was his fathers 30th death anniversary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR4YtlR3TkE

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this song is probably one of my favorite even if it's been overplayed.
it's my second most gd played song on itunes :D

i'd like them to keep in on the setlist

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The rendition of it at Brixton was absolutely spellbinding. I've always liked it but I never saw it as a highlight of the live show, or even American Idiot, but I was absolutely speechless after the performance at Brixton. It's really made me appreciate the song a lot more, I don't know what it was about it.

Also, "30 years have gone so fast." *cry*

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One of my favorite Green Day songs. So much emotion and feeling put into the song, I just love it.

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This is such a beautiful song as well as an emotional roller coaster. It doesn't bring about great memories but even then I listen to it again and again. The emotions attached with this song are overwhelming.

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One of the best songs from Green Day, i love it so much, such a sad song, but very beautiful.

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Having lost my own father, I find this song much too hard to listen to very often. It just makes me so sad with its powerful words and message. This song, imo, really shows Billie's songwriting genius.

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such a beautiful song, just thinking about the intro gives me goosebumps.

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I haven't been posting much here the last few months (been super busy), but I feel like I need to say something about this song.

I always loved Wake Me Up When September Ends, ever since I first heard it years ago when I was just getting into Green Day. My dad had a lot to do with it, and over the years he always told me that Green Day was his favorite band that I listened to. His favorite song was WMUWSE. He sometimes played it even when I wasn't there.

Almost three months ago, just after his 50th birthday, my dad unexpectedly died. I was still in Spain, finishing my master's degree, when he was suddenly torn from my life. He's the only person I've ever lost, and it was really difficult losing someone so close to me, especially when I hadn't seen him in so long. Last month, once I had graduated and returned to the States, we finally had a memorial service for my dad, and during my speech I played this song.

Wake Me Up When September Ends has never had such personal meaning to me before, but now I will always think of Daddy whenever I hear it. It was his favorite song, and a song that now applies to his untimely passing. I miss him so much.

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I've always loved this song even if no personnal feelings are related to it.

But I've never understood what the sentence "wake me up when september ends" really means.

I mean is is something personnal to BJ? or is it a reference to the 9/11 beacause the clip is about the Iraq war?

Could anyone explain it to me please?

Cause I feel like I miss part of the song, and it is already so great that I don't want to miss any little part of it

Thank you. Hourra to GD

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Admittedly, this song was WAAAAY over played when the American Idiot hype started to calm down, but it is still a very emotional and powerful song concidering it was mainly written about Billie's father.

And to watch Billie sing it in 'Bullet in a Bible' and to see how much the song means to him, it's a beautiful heart-wrenching moment to see that slight moment of vulnerability he shows.

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I've always loved this song even if no personnal feelings are related to it.

But I've never understood what the sentence "wake me up when september ends" really means.

I mean is is something personnal to BJ? or is it a reference to the 9/11 beacause the clip is about the Iraq war?

Could anyone explain it to me please?

Cause I feel like I miss part of the song, and it is already so great that I don't want to miss any little part of it

Thank you. Hourra to GD

He dedicated it to his father who died in the month of September

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I'd not listened to When September Ends for quite some time, and then when they played it at Brixton it brought it back to me how powerful and emotional this song is, just amazing

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This has definitely got to be my favorite Green Day song... And it was the first I had ever heard

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This is one of the most beautiful Green Day songs for sure. The way Billie sings it is gorgeous every time! You can tell that he puts his whole heart and soul into that song and completely opens himself up for everyone who's listening or watching. It's a timeless song and will always be stunning and relevant.

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A very emotional song. musically and lyrically it's a masterpiece. I love it

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