Basket Case (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Basket Case" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Green Day | ||
| from the album Dookie | ||
| Released | 1994/1995 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | 1993 | |
| Genre | Punk Rock | |
| Length | 3:03 | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Producer(s) | Green Day Jerry Finn |
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| Chart positions | ||
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| Green Day singles chronology | ||
| "Welcome to Paradise" (1994) |
"Basket Case" (1994) |
"She" (1995) |
"Basket Case" is a song by Green Day from their 1994 hit album Dookie. After the single was released in January 1995, the song ended up being a huge hit. The song was written by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about his struggle with anxiety; before he was diagnosed with a panic disorder, he thought he was going crazy. The music video, featuring the band members in a mental institution, received heavy airplay on MTV. This song and its music video helped propel Dookie to become a major success among most mainstream rock listeners. Dookie went on to become a multi-platinum album featuring this song as well as hit singles "Longview", "When I Come Around", "Welcome to Paradise" and "She".
In 1995, Green Day was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Basket Case".
In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted 'Basket Case' the Greatest Punk Song of All Time. This result was contraversial, as many people don't consider Green Day to be a punk band.
This song can also be found on their 2001 greatest hits compilation International Superhits!. The music video can be found on their International Supervideos! DVD. A live version is also found on Bullet in a Bible, a live album of Green Day performing at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in 2005.
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[edit] Music Video
This was the third music video by Green Day, and it was directed by Mark Kohr. The video was shot in an actual mental institution, at the request of the band members. The mental institution had since been abandoned, but most of the structure remained in a broken-down state. The band members found deep scratches in the walls and dental molds scattered around. The music video was actually shot in black and white and the color was added in later, contributing to the surreal effect of the video. The video was nominated for multiple MTV Video Music Awards in 1995: Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Hard Rock Video, Best Alternative Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice Award.[1] The music video also had a mash-up on MTV with Nelly's Country Grammar called "Country Basket".
[edit] Trivia
- The verse for this song is nearly the same chord progression as Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel,lacking only the penultimate IV chord of Canon and raised one half-step. It can also be noted that on the album version, voices can be heard at the very end of the song, whilst the concluding music is being played. Very faint screams can be heard in 2:35, and at 2:39, careful listeners can detect seemingly muted screams. The screams then move in and out till the final chords of the song.
[edit] Covers and other references
- The song was covered by The Moog Cookbook, Avril Lavigne, Dilana, Elysium, Freefaller and the Japanese punk rock band Nicotine. The Offspring also covered the first 39 seconds of the song, seemingly for fun or to make fun of. Another clever cover was by the Stanford Harmonies collegiate a capella group, who played the song entirely on pitch pipes- the only instrument used in a capella. Puffy AmiYumi also covered the song as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their new album Splurge. Nana Kitade has also covered the song on her album, I scream
- Later on, Weird Al Yankovic used the song with others alternative songs in the polka medley "Alternative Polka".
- Dale Oliver from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling made a ripoff of this song for Phi Delta Slam.
[edit] In popular culture
- At the "Edit Gametypes" menu on the multiplayer of Halo: Combat Evolved, there is a line from "Basket Case".
- The music video has been "reviewed" on Beavis and Butthead.
[edit] Track listing
- "Basket Case"
- "Longview" (live)
- "Burnout" (live)
- "2000 Light Years Away" (live)
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 1995 | Official Norwegian Singles Chart | No. 2 |
| 1994 | Official Sweden Singles Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 5 |
| 1994 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 9 |
| 1995 | Official Irish Singles Chart | No. 11 |
| 1994 | Top 40 Mainstream (US) | No. 16 |
| 1995 | Official German Singles Chart | No. 18 |
[edit] Sample
- "Basket Case" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Basket Case" by Green Day.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
