Song of the Week Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

[Holly loves Green Day]

I love this song.

It always seem to give me goosebumps

And I is learning it on th guitar :wink:

[Princess Consuela]

God, I don't know where to start. It's one of those songs that are so beautiful, meaningful and emotional that I can hardly find words to describe what they mean to me. It's funny how the more important song is to me, the more difficult I find it to talk about it.

'It's something unpredictable

but in the end is right'

Those lines come to my head every time I am in a situation that I didn't want to and didn't expect to happen, but in the end it is all for the best. And when I listen to this song, they make me more positive, like no matter what happens, it'll be fine

[Li Sa]

The greatest "slow" Green Day song

[Katarina.]

My favorite Green Day song (besides Waiting)

It's something unpredictable, but it the end it's right.. Wake me up when September ends I hope you had the time of your life <3

[Abbey.]

i have to laugh cause this was the song used for my wedding video "recap"...i didnt even choose it...its just what was usec circa 1998. i dont even know where that old vhs is anymore!

[Bastard of 1967]

It's helped me through a few rough points in my life. The lyrics are so deep and thoughtful.

^^ That. The lyric that grabs me the most is "so make the best of this test and don't ask why/It's not a question but a lesson learned in time." It works on both a "micro" and "macro" scale....on the small scale, it gives you strength or courage to slog through whatever pile of sh*t you happen to be dealing with at the moment -- sort of a musical lifeline to help pull you past it. On the macro scale, I think it invites you to ask about the meaning of life itself -- the big "why are we here?" question -- and then answers it with an open-ended "just wait, you'll find out!!"

A lot of people use this as their wedding song. Do you think it really fits as a wedding song?

Not really -- at its core Billie intended it as a half-complimentary, half-angry "kiss off" to someone who he'd been in a relationship with, that has now ended. What comes *after* that relationship, that is, what's next in the future, is left unsaid and is therefore uncertain -- so perhaps the looking ahead part (as opposed to looking back at the now-dead relationship) is the only thing that I'd see relevant to a wedding. I don't think it fits those occasions well. It's much better used as emotional leverage for helping you get through a rough patch.

[Ally]

I didn't used to really like this song, but since hearling it live its really grown on me, my dad likes to sing it all the time though

It's something unpredictable, but it the end it's right.. Wake me up when September ends I hope you had the time of your life <3

ahhh i always do that. and my dad keeps going "You're not at a green day show now you know"

[Sharmellow]

That's how I feel, too. It certainly wasn't the longest song at the show, but it just felt as though it lasted forever, it was just such a bittersweet moment, and I'm glad it was that way, and I was able to absorb the song.

Exactly. It's the only song from whole nice that I can still remember so well, even though the concert was months.

I don't think there's a better song to end the show.

[Sharmellow]

ya same here it was like i was thinking back to what an awesome concert it was and how i didnt want it to end abd how somehow i heard billies voice over everyone else's who was singing over him. love this song <3333333

I know how you feel. It did seems as if everyone in the building was singing along with him, yet while on top of everyone's voice, you can still hear Billie's so clearly.

[J'net]

^^ That. The lyric that grabs me the most is "so make the best of this test and don't ask why/It's not a question but a lesson learned in time." It works on both a "micro" and "macro" scale....on the small scale, it gives you strength or courage to slog through whatever pile of sh*t you happen to be dealing with at the moment -- sort of a musical lifeline to help pull you past it. On the macro scale, I think it invites you to ask about the meaning of life itself -- the big "why are we here?" question -- and then answers it with an open-ended "just wait, you'll find out!!"

Not really -- at its core Billie intended it as a half-complimentary, half-angry "kiss off" to someone who he'd been in a relationship with that has now ended. What comes *after* that relationship, that is, what's next in the future, is left unsaid and is therefore uncertain -- so perhaps the looking ahead part (as opposed to looking back at the now-dead relationship) is the only thing that I'd see relevant to a wedding. I don't think it fits those occasions well. It's much better used as emotional leverage for helping you get through a rough patch.

Very well put (both comments above ). It's nice to see you back in SotW! I've missed your discussion.

[Bastard of 1967]

Very well put (both comments above ). It's nice to see you back in SotW! I've missed your discussion.

Thanks! I was in Atlanta for a week for some work-related IT training, and I barely got out before the blizzard hit....then it was time for the holidays. It's good to be back (and back home!) Hope you had a great New Years!

[LetItBeHappy]

i hate to admit it, but I FINKIN LOVE THIS SONG so simple and so powerful at the same time You can totally see Billie singing to you "I hope you had the time of your life" when you listen to Nimrod. And it's like "yes, your album rocks "

[Bastard of 1967]

I remember when he played this song at the Green Day concert back in July. It was as if timed slowed down a notch while he sang it with such a beautiful voice, full of emotion and almost a sadness.

Did you see the recent Munich performance (MTV World Stage)? IMO it's one of the best live performances of Good Riddance that I've ever seen, it shows you how unbelievably far Billie Joe has come as a musician. Vocals are pitch perfect even after 90 minutes of performing, and it's just incredible what he can do with an acoustic guitar now.

I'd have given my left nut to have been able to see this live!!

[Comedy & Tragedy]

Really great song. An absolute Green Day classic.

When it's live, it's just beautiful and it really makes you cherish the moment and let it stay in your mind forever.

[sharon mitchell]

I used this song as a contrast to a classical poem as part of my uni course; the lecturer was very impressed with the literary devices that Billie uses in this song, a combination of alliteration and internal rhymes which are far more sophisticated the deeper you analyse the lyrics as poetry. I explained the irony of this being thought of as a love song, when Billie always intended it as just the opposite.

I got 94% for that essay. Thanks Billie.

[green-day1972]

I really love this but not my favorite !

A Green Day's classic !!

[rinu]

I really love this but not my favorite !

A Green Day's classic !!

My thoughts

[Isabel]

I cried so much during this song at the last show I was at

[Salmonator.]

Gah, this song brings so much memories.

At my 8th grade graduation, they wanted the orchestra to play this song during the ceremony, and it truly made it so much better for me.

Even my parents admit they love this song, and they hate Green Day.

[Juliette]

I love this song in itself, but the fact that it's the closing song for most of their concerts just adds so much depth to it, in my opinion.

Hearing this song is always a special moment, because of what it reminds me of, and it's sad but in a good kind of way.

I can very vividly remember looking to my left to see the side/back of Billie Joe when he was out on the catwalk performing this - I remember being almost relieved that he wasn't right in front of me, because then I got a quiet moment to myself to just stand there reflecting, with tears streaming down my face, haha. Don't know why but I think I'd have a problem with crying right in front of him. Probably would be freaking out too much.

And I'd already started crying during Last Night on Earth, so... <3

I cried during the whole acoustic encore and I was right in front of him. He caught my eye a couple times and I felt like a right idiot but he just smiled and looked slightly amused by the whole thing haha

[Black Wolf]

One of the best GD songs..

[catarina.]

At a concert, it’s always bittersweet to hear Good Riddance beginning, because it signals the end of the show. However, Billie does such a beautiful job performing it and making it seem fresh every time that it’s also an incredibly special experience. After all the emotion of the 2 1/2 to 3 hours that precede it, many people burst into tears during this song.

yup, that's me XD

i absolutely ove this song. it describes all the great moments in my life and to me is kind of a song that when you're sad you listen to it and stop to think and you realise that you need to be happy and live everything the best you can and enjoy every single second of it.

and the second video is epic, i love drunk billie joe XD

[Sara.]

words can't describe how much I love this song. it brings back so much memories <3

[Clayish]

I don't care for this song.

I have heard it way too much.

[Mrs. Nobody]

Oh man this song. It's just beautiful. (i'm not good at describing songs)

Hopefully I'll be more awake to hear it at Wembley. When I heard this live, I was half dying, and didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked