Green Day’s hit originally written for 5 Seconds of Summer

In 2016, the Green Day released the album Revolution Radioconsidered a return to the classic sound after the trilogy of albums One!, Of the!and Three!from 2012. One of the biggest hits of the work is the track “Still Breathing”whose authorship is signed by the trio and two members of The Struts (Adam Slack and Luke Spiller), in addition to Richard Parkhouse, George Tizzard and Joshua Wilkinson.

When asked to comment on several of the band’s hits, Billie Joe Armstrong revealed to People important information about “Still Breathing”. According to Green Day’s frontman, the song was originally being composed as a “commission” to the Australian pop rock group 5 Seconds of Summer.

Confessing a little selfishness, the vocalist and guitarist of the American trio stated:

There’s a band called 5 Seconds of Summer who wanted me to do a song for them. Suddenly I was writing the lyrics, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no f*cking way I’m giving this song to these guys.’ There’s this whole thing where it’s the last moment of someone’s life – it’s so intense. It’s a song about being a survivor.”

Since its release as the second single from Revolution Radio“Still Breathing” became a staple of Green Day’s concert setlists. The track also reached number one in Canada and on three U.S. charts: Alternative Airplay, Rock Airplay, and Mainstream Rock, all from Billboard.

Adam Slack and Luke Spiller, respectively guitarist and vocalist of The Struts, are credited on the song. This is due to similarities with “Could Have Been Me”a 2013 single by the British band, also featured on the album Everybody Wants(2014).

Green Day’s hits

In the matter of PeopleBillie Joe reflected on other Green Day hits. Regarding “Basket Case”from the album Dookie (1994), he said:

That song was written about panic attacks, but it was a way of being self-deprecating, and it was a way of dealing with it. I wasn’t really sure about that song – I didn’t think it would become a single, so when it came out and became so big, I was really surprised. It turns out that song has been in our set for 30 years.”

Armstrong also discussed “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”a ballad that is part of the album Nimrod (1997). The musician commented that the track was inspired by a high school girlfriend who left the United States.

She moved to Ecuador and I was really sad about that, so I wrote this song for her. It’s a simple love song on an acoustic guitar, and it ended up being played at graduations and bar mitzvahs, it’s at funerals and weddings. It’s crazy that it’s become this.”

There was still space left to reflect on some songs American Idiot (2004), one of the trio’s most famous albums. One of them was “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”:

It’s just about loneliness. Whenever I’m writing songs for a record, I feel isolated. At the time, I went to New York by myself. I was staying in an apartment, I was there for a little over two months – and I was just trying to focus on writing, without any distractions. There can be all this chaos going on around you, but in the end you can feel quite alone in the world.”

Billie Joe further demystified music “Holiday”which many believe to be a song encouraging the Afghan War after the September 11 attacks. The frontman explained that it is exactly the opposite:

I think there was a false narrative that was created to go to war after 9/11. It was like we were looking back at the Vietnam of our generation. I wrote this about how scary it was to watch the news, to watch as the tanks were rolling in to search and destroy. It was the first time I really felt a big divide in our country. This song is anti-war.”

Green Day’s latest album is Saviors (2024). The band began the tour to promote the album at the end of May. Their last visit to Brazil was in 2022, with a single show, at Rock in Rio. Before that, the trio’s last tour through the country was in 2017, right around the time of Revolution Radio.

Collaborated: André Luiz Fernandes.