Green Day - Factoids, Extras & Eggs

Green Day Guide
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
1. 1,000 Hours EP (tracks 15-18) was recorded in 1988 while the band was still named "Sweet Children," and released in early 1989 on vinyl only, with several different colors of vinyl available in limited quantities. Upon its release, it was also available with a pink cover. Shortly after it was recorded, the band changed their name to Green Day, despite the objections of Lookout Records' owner Lawrence "Larry" Livermore.
2. Slappy EP (tracks 11-14) is the third EP by Green Day, and was released on Lookout! Records in the summer of 1990 on seven-inch vinyl. Upon its release, several different colors of vinyl were available in limited quantities. Billie Joe Armstrong cites this record as the one on which Green Day begins to find their sound. The dog on the cover of Slappy was known as Mickey. "Slappy" was a nickname given to him by Mike Dirnt's friend Jason Relva.
3. Why Do You Want Him? was written by Armstrong when he was fourteen. The song was about his dislike for his stepfather.
4. The title "409 In Your Coffemaker" is taken from a prank Billie Joe pulled on his teacher. It was later re-recorded during the Dookie sessions. Although it didn't make the album, it can still be heard on the Basket Case CD single released in the United Kingdom.
5. Initially 39/Smooth (tracks 1-10) released as the debut album by Green Day in 1990 on Lookout! Records on vinyl (including limited quantities of clear green vinyl) and cassette. On the side of the album cover it says "JAMES PUT DOWN THAT SKINHEAD!" 39/Smooth was the 22nd record produced by Lookout Records. Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy drew the artwork on album. The inner sleeve of the album shows handwitten lyrics by Billie Joe, and letters by drummer Al Sobrante and Lookout! owner Larry Livermore to I.R.S. Records, rejecting an offer to sign to the label and declaring their loyalty to Lookout! Records.
6. I Want to be Alone (track 19) is from the compilation, The Big One, that featured bands from the East Bay and Los Angeles.
7. 1,000 Hours EP, Slappy EP & 39/Smooth, remained in print until August of 2005, when Green Day removed their catalog from Lookout! Records, reportedly due to unpaid royalties, and thus currently out of print.
Kerplunk!
1. The second full-length album includes Green Day's earlier Sweet Children EP, recorded in 1990 by Skene! Records.
2. 2000 Light Years Away was written by Billie Joe after the first time he kissed his girlfriend, and future wife, Adrienne.
3. Billie Joe Armstrong said, “(Welcome to Paradise) is about West Oakland, living in a warehouse with a lot of people, a bunch of artists and musicians, punks and whatever just lived all up and down, bums and junkies and thugs and gang members and stuff that just lived in that area. It's no place you want to walk around at night, but it's a neat warehouse where you can play basketball and stuff.” Later re-recorded for the album Dookie. The two versions of the songs are nearly identical, with the exception of the Dookie version being a little slower paced than the Kerplunk! version, using notably better recording technology and being fourteen seconds longer.
4. The inspiration for the song, Christie Road, is located in Hercules, California in the Franklin Canyon area, off Highway 4, near frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's hometown of Rodeo, California. It is a popular place for local teenagers to get drunk and high, and for railfans to photograph passing trains. Billie Joe and his friends used to hang out along Christie Road.
5. Dominated Love Slave’s lyrics and music were written by the recently added drummer, Trè Cool. Trè Cool also sang the song. The music is a parody of Blue Grass music. Throughout the song there are several stereotypical redneck related sounds in the background, such as "Yee-Ha!" and a mumbling of "pick-up truck". The lyrics are all about having kinky bondage sex with whipping, spanking, and staples. A similar song, "Like a Rat Does Cheese", was also written by Trè Cool. It is also a parody of bluegrass music, but is written about the pleasure of fellatio rather than kinky sex. This song cannot be found on any single or album and does not receive airplay because of its offensive content. In fact, one line of the lyrics goes "Nibble on my dick like a rat does cheese" and another tells a girl to "suck his dick until her lips fall off." The song has only known to have been performed once, Tre sang and played guitar during a radio interview on the Washington DC alternative rock radio station "DC 101". The song is not on any of their albums, EPs, singles, or any other official recordings, but can be found at Green Day Authority.
6. 80 is a reference to Billie Joe Armstrong’s wife (Adrienne’s) nickname, "Adie," which sounds similar to 80.
7. Who Wrote Holden Caulfield? is about the character Holden Caulfield from the book The Catcher in the Rye. Billie Joe Armstrong was assigned to read the book in high school, but he didn't. Later in his life he read it, and wrote this song about Holden because he felt that he related to him.
8. Sweet Children EP (tracks 13-16) is a collection of some of Green Day's earliest songs that they were still playing live at the time. It was recorded in 1990, in Minneapolis, Minnesota while the band was on a brief break from their summer tour, and released on seven-inch vinyl. Due to a typo on Green Day's website, many believe that this record was released in 1987, a year before Green Day had even formed. What makes it believable is the rough sound and poor mixing of the recordings. The EP was released on Minneapolis-based indie label Skene! Records. These were the last recordings drummer John Kiffmeyer would appear on. Shortly after the end of the tour, he left the band to attend college. There are four different pressings (some limited quantities included two different variations of red vinyl), and has been out of print since the EP was included on the CD issue of Kerplunk in 1992. Because of this, it has since become a valuable and sought-after item among collectors and Green Day fans alike." The cover had a picture of Mike Dirnt's leg during a concert.
Dookie
1. The third album was retitled after the original title, "Liquid Dookie," was deemed too obscene for mainstream audiences. As their major label debut and becaming a sensation, caused considerable controversy in the punk community, with many critics claiming the band had sold out.
2. Pulling Teeth: The song is about how Mike, a member of the band, and Anastasia, his ex-wife, got into a pillow fight and Mike accidentally broke both of his arms. Billie and Mike are reputed to have laughed the entire way to the hospital. The song title was taken from the Metallica song, (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth, because of the similarity to Anastasia's name.
3. Basket Case: Billie Joe Armstrong was troubled about his constant anxiety (which he thought might be mental illness) and so decided to write a song about it. He later found out that he had a panic disorder. The verse for this song is the same progression as Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel only raised one step.
4. She: The inspiration for the song was that of a poem given to Billie Joe Armstrong by an ex-girlfriend. The girl and Armstrong were involved in a relationship that neither believed themselves or the other to be committed seriously to. This girl in particular, whose name is unknown, suffered large emotional trouble, with issues such as low self-esteem and a feeling have to be subordinate to someone else's paradigm that was imposed upon her in order to be successful in life. Armstrong wrote this song based on a poem expressing his insecurities given to him by the girl.
5. When I Come Around: It is said that Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song after having a fight with his wife Adrienne and needed to spend some time alone.
6. The hidden track All By Myself is written (and sung) by Tré Cool.
Insomniac
1. On their fourth album, the band considered the album names 'Tight Wad Hill' and 'Jesus Christ Supermarket'.
2. The collage on the album cover art contains an image (the dentist) that was originally used in a collage featured in the inside cover art of Dead Kennedys' album Plastic Surgery Disasters. It was created by Winston Smith and is called "God Told Me to Skin You Alive". Winston knew Tre from Green Day's time at Lookout! Records and told Tre that if he ever needed album artwork that he should call him. On the front cover of Insomniac there are subliminal images of a naked woman, 3 fairies, a skull, and several other ghostly faces in the flames. Including the hidden skull, there are three skulls on the entire album cover and back; one for each member of Green Day.
3. Armatage Shanks: The title itself has nothing to do with the song and is actually named after a type of toilet.
4. Stuck with Me: The song was not originally titled Stuck With Me. Rather, another song that was originally going to be on Insomniac was titled Stuck With Me. However, due to a studio mix-up, this song was titled Stuck With Me. The band felt this name was appropriate, and renamed the original song Do Da Da.
5. Geek Stink Breath: The lyrics were inspired by Armstrong's own experiences, as well as the people around him that he saw lose control of their lives because of their addictions. "Geek" is slang for "methamphetamines."
6. 86: The title refers to the legendary Berkeley club 924 Gilman which Green Day was kicked out of due to the management's belief that they sold out upon the release of Dookie.
7. Stuart & the Ave: The title of the song refers to the corner of Stuart Street and Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, the location where the band originated.
8. Tight Wad Hill: Tight Wad Hill is a hill in Crockett, CA where drug users would hang out and watch the John Swett High School football games for free. The hill was where the Green Day members went during their childhood/teenage years to get high on drugs with other kids.
Nimrod
1. The fifth album achieved critical respect and positive reaction from the hardcore fanbase.
2. Nice Guys Finish Last: Billie Joe played football; he was #8 at John Swett High School.
3. Hitchin’ a Ride: The chorus lyrics — "Troubled times, you know I cannot lie/I'm off the wagon and I'm hitchin' a ride" reflect Billie Joe's struggles with alcoholism in the early years of Green Day, something he is now rid of.
4. Redundant: Before the Nimrod sessions, Billie Joe Armstrong's marriage had become troubled, with the singer arguing with his wife Adrienne Armstrong constantly. Influenced by this conflict, Armstrong reflected on the relationship from two standpoints; the first being his passion for his wife, the second being the pattern the relationship fell into.
5. Platypus (I Hate You): The song lyrics are not found in the nimrod booklet because of its violent content and the line where Billie Joe says mostly profanity (Dick head, fuck face, cocksmoking, motherfucking, asshole, dirty twat, waste of semen, I hope you die). The inspiration for the song was a critic who had liked Green Day's work on Kerplunk but strongly criticized the band after Dookie. Billie Joe wrote the song for Insomniac but to show his maturity he did not release it until nimrod. Just before the album nimrod was released the critic who Billie Joe had wished death on in the song did in fact die.
6. Reject: The song is based on a letter to Billie Joe from some child's mother who was offended with the Insomniac album. Billie Joe replied by saying he writes for himself, and not eight-year-old boys or offended mothers (not in those exact words).
7. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life): The song reached a massive audience in one night, when it was used during the special two hour finale of the show Seinfeld. The song played in the second half during a montage of clips from the show's history. Afterwards, the final episode aired. Ironically, this song is frequently played at weddings, anniversaries and graduation ceremonies, despite being a break-up song conveying the opposite message than is presumably intended at such events. Billie Joe Armstrong actually wrote this song in response to band's original fans turning their backs on them when they were picked up by a major record company. On the album version, at the beginning, Billie Joe Armstrong made a mistake, tried again and made the same mistake and in anger says fuck. This is often copied by accident on renditions of this song.