Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Single infobox
Name = Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)


Artist = Green Day
from Album = Nimrod
Released = October 14, 1997
Format = CD
Recorded = 1997
Genre = Acoustic rock
Length = 2:35
Label = Reprise
Producer = Rob Cavallo, Green Day
Chart position =
* #2 (US Modern Rock)
* #7 (US Mainstream Rock)
* #40 (New Zealand)
* #11 (UK, US Radio Airplay)
* #30 (Ireland)
* #2 (double A-side with "Redundant") (Australian Singles Chart)
* #44 (separate single version) (Australian Singles Chart) [http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Green+Day&cat=s]
Last single = "Hitchin' a Ride"
(1997)
This single = "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
(1997)
Next single = "Redundant"'
(1998)|

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", also called "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" or more commonly "Time of Your Life", is a popular song by the American pop punk band Green Day. Although written by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong just after the release of their 1994 hit album "Dookie", the song was not released until their third major-label album "Nimrod" in 1997 although a somewhat less polished version did appear as a B-side to the 1995 German import single for Brain Stew/Jaded. [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/556012 Track Listing for "Brain Stew" Single] ]

Track list

CD 1

#Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) - 2:28
#Suffocate - 2:47
#You Lied - 2:25

CD 2

#Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
#Desensitized
#Rotting

EU CD

#Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) (Clean Album Remix) - 2:28
#Desensitized (Non-LP Track) - 2:47
#Rotting (Non-LP Track) - 2:50

Writing and composition

In comparison to previous Green Day material, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" features more mellow, contemplative lyrics with acoustic music. Band member Billie Joe Armstrong went on to state that the release of this song was probably the "most punk" thing they could have done. [VH1 Top 100 Songs of the '90's: "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"] The song is more commonly promoted on the radio as "Time of Your Life", and it became a Billboard Rock chart-topper and an international hit, and was the only song from "Nimrod" that was a crossover success when released in single form. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&Ntt=Time+of+Your+Life&Ntk=Keyword&an=bbcom&nor=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=37 The Charting power of "Time of Your Life"] ]

The song began life as an entirely different version as a B-side to the "Insomniac" album. This alternate version featured strummed chords instead of the usual sound and lacked the orchestra strings found on the more well known version. This early version can be found on the "Brain Stew" single.

Billie Joe Armstrong in an interview in Guitar Legends magazine, May 2005:

On the album version, at the beginning, Billie Joe Armstrong makes a mistake (the 3rd and 4th strings of the open G/D chord are played instead of the 2nd and 3rd), tries again, repeats the mistake, and in anger swears in a barely audible voice. This "mistake" was recorded on purpose and included in the song to provide comic relief, as it is considered one of their more serious songs. A metronome can also be heard faintly in the background.

Appeal

Despite being a break-up song, it is frequently played at ceremonial social occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, funerals and graduations. It is a continual favorite to be played as the last song at a high school prom. The song reached a massive audience in one night, when it was used during the special two part "Clip Show" of the extremely popular show "Seinfeld" in 1998. The song played during a montage of clips from the show's history. It is also played at the US Air Force's Airman's Coin Ceremony in Basic Military Training.

Billie Joe plays an electric guitar version of the song as their traditional show-closer for live Green Day concerts, including their live performance on "Bullet in a Bible".

The song features on their greatest hits compilation "International Superhits!", as well as on the prom music compilation "Hey Are You Guys Going To Prom, Too?"Fact|date=January 2008

Music video

The music video was directed by Mark Kohr, and features Billie Joe Armstrong playing an acoustic guitar in a bedroom interjected with scenes depicting various people undergoing major physical changes in their lives. Band members Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool make cameo appearances in the video as a person getting gas (Dirnt), and an injured bike rider (Cool). Also when the video came out, both names of the songs were swapped and were known as "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)", this name was also used on the single cover.

In 1998 Green Day won their first MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video for "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and they were also nominated for Viewer's Choice. [ [http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1998/mtvvmas.htm Rock on the net MTV Video Music Award History] ]

The video can be found on their music video compilation DVD, "International Supervideos!".

In pop culture

*At The end of the 2007-2008 Barclays English Premiership Season,Skysports used it as a soundtrack to preview the whole season.
*In Season 4 of the television show "ER", PA Jeanie Boulet - played by actress Gloria Reuben, sang this song as a farewell to a young boy (Scott Anspaugh, son of Dr. Anspaugh) who had died in her care.
*The song was featured in the retirement ceremony held for hockey player Wendel Clark before the season opener between the hockey clubs the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens at the Air Canada Centre. The crowd proceeded to give Clark a 5 minute standing ovation as he walked out to the ice.
*When Tony Stewart fulfilled his life's dream by winning the Brickyard 400, the song played in the background.
*The song was played at the end of the Seinfeld episode The Clip Show, Part 2 which along with Part 1 was the second to last episode of the series.
*The song was played in Madison Square Garden after Wayne Gretzky played his final game. Pittsburgh Penguins won the game in overtime while Gretzky was on the bench. The crowd gave a long standing ovation for Gretzky while he strode around on the ice - Good Riddance repeatedly playing in the background.
*After Diana, Princess of Wales died, many TV stations played this song while showing clips of her throughout her life.
*The "best bits" of the British reality television programme Big Brother 2004 (UK) played on the finale night were set to the song.
*At the Boston Celtics' first home game at the TD Banknorth Garden on February 28, 2007 since former guard Dennis Johnson died six days previously, this song was played alongside the tribute video on the TitanTron for the late Celtics guard.
*At the final home game Mark Brunell played at ALLTEL Stadium, while a tribute video was playing on the scoreboard.
*In an episode of the CBS series How I Met Your Mother, when the cast was deciding what clichés not to include in their friends' wedding, one suggested to play clips of their time together with "Green Day's Time of Your Life" as background music.
* In a season 1 episode of "24", David Palmer's son Keith mentions, in passing, Green Day performing the song at a political rally from which he has just returned.
* The song features on the Jim Cronin memorial DVD.
* In Do Over the main character Joel passes the song off as his own original composition
* The song was played after Richard Hill's last game for Saracens F.C. in 2008 at MK Dons stadium.
*In the episode of "" entitled "Guitar Control", Harvey claims that it is illeagal to play this song over and over again on the guitar.
*Colin Murray covered the song during the 2007 Comic Relief does Fame Academy.
* In 2004, the swedish band Raymond och Maria performed this song at the last episode of the talk show Sen kväll med Luuk.
* The song was covered by the American Country Musician Glen Campbell and can be found on his August 2008 release "Meet Glen Campbell".

Chart positions

References