Holiday (Green Day song)

"Holiday"
Single by Green Day
from the album American Idiot
Released March 14, 2005 (2005-03-14)
Format
Recorded March 26, 2004
Genre
Length 3:52
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Certification Platinum (RIAA)
Green Day singles chronology
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
(2004)		 "Holiday"
(2005)		 "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
(2005)
Audio sample
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"Holiday" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the third single from the group's seventh studio album American Idiot. The song is in the key of F minor. Though the song is a prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday" was released as a single later on, in the spring of 2005. The song achieved considerable popularity across the world and performed moderately well on the charts. In the US, it reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. It debuted at number eleven in the UK and at number twenty-one in Canada. The song has been featured in the 2006 comedy film, Accepted. The Vancouver Canucks of the NHL once used it as their goal song. The song also appeared in an episode of CSI: NY.

Background

One of two explicitly political songs on the album (the other being fellow single "American Idiot"),[2] "Holiday" took two months to finish writing, as Armstrong continually felt his lyrics were not good enough. Aided by the encouragement of Cavallo, he completed the song.[3] "Holiday" was inspired by the music of Bob Dylan.[4] Armstrong wanted to write something stronger than "American Idiot", with harsh language to illustrate his points. The song takes aim at American conservatism. Armstrong felt that Republican politicians were "strategic" in alienating one group of people—for example, the gay community—in order to buy the votes of another.[5] He later characterized the song as an outspoken "fuck you" to then-President George W. Bush.[6] Armstrong for the first time imagined how he would perform the songs he was writing, and envisioned an audience responding to his lyric "Can I get another Amen?"[7] The song's bridge, which Armstrong hoped to be as "twisted as possible," was designed as a "politician's worst nightmare."[4]

The chorus's refrain—"This is our lives on holiday"—was intended to reflect the average American’s apathy on the issues of the day.[8] Armstrong characterized the song as "not anti-American, it’s anti-war."[9]

Live performances

In live performances, video screens would display footage of helicopters dropping bombs.[9] In New Jersey, at the Revolution Radio Tour, the live performance was with "Pulverize the Eiffel Towers" changed by "Pulverize the Donald Trump Towers".[9]

Personnel

Music video

The first half of the video takes place in a car (a 1968 Mercury Monterey convertible), where Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are partying around in Las Vegas. In the second half they are cavorting in a bar where each of the band members portrays several different characters. Billie Joe Armstrong plays the mentioned Representative of California, two fighting clients, a punk rocker and a nerd. Tré Cool plays a drunken priest, an arrested patron, and a female prostitute. Mike Dirnt plays the barman, another punk, and a policeman. There are also scenes featuring seemingly worn-down can-can dancers. At the end of the video, the car smokes to a halt in the field that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" begins in. Like the video for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", this video was directed by Samuel Bayer.

The band arrived at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in the same car, this time "pimped out" by James Washburn, a friend of the band.

Track listing

CD 1
No. Title Length
1. "Holiday"   3:53
2. "Holiday" (live) 4:07
3. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (live) 4:24
CD 2
No. Title Length
1. "Holiday"   3:53
2. "Minority" (live) 6:01

7" picture disc

Side A
No. Title Length
1. "Holiday"   3:53
Side B
No. Title Length
1. "Minority" (live) 6:01

Vinyl Boxset

Side A
No. Title Length
1. "Holiday"   3:53
2. "Wake Me Up When September Ends"   4:45
Side B
No. Title Length
1. "Letterbomb"   4:06
2. "Governator" (non-LP track) 2:32

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2005–06) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 24
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 45
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 21
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[12] 81
Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 14
Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 50
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 13
Japan (Oricon Top 100) 38
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 13
Norway (VG-lista)[17] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 44
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 11
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 19
US Billboard Pop 100[21] 18
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[22] 1
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[23] 1
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[24] 5
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 13

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[26] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by
"Be Yourself" by Audioslave		 Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks number-one single
May 7–21, 2005 		Succeeded by
"The Hand that Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails
Preceded by
"Happy?" by Mudvayne		 Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single
June 4–18, 2005 		Succeeded by
"Remedy" by Seether

Cover versions

"Holiday"
Single by Scuba Dice
Released March 13, 2006 (2006-03-13)
Format
Recorded 2006
Genre
Length 3:44
Label Independent
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Scuba Dice singles chronology
"Holiday"
(2006)		 "Made"
(2006)

The song was first covered by the Irish pop punk band Scuba Dice in 2006 and charted at number 8 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 2 on the download chart that week, and went on to be the forty-second best-selling single of 2008 by a Irish artist.[27]

Hayseed Dixie also performed a bluegrass cover of the song on the band's album A Hot Piece of Grass.

The song "Dr. Who on Holiday", from the mash-up album American Edit, combines "Holiday", The KLF single "Doctorin' the Tardis", and the original theme from the television show Doctor Who, while the intro juxtaposes George W. Bush with the Daleks, a race of monsters from the aforementioned British television series.

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ Pauker, Lance (22 January 2014). "49 Phenomenally Angsty Pop-Punk Songs From The 2000s You Forgot Existed". Thought Catalog. The Thought & Expression Co. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
    2. ↑ Ian Winwood (May 9, 2012). "The Secrets Behind The Songs: "American Idiot"". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1414). ISSN 0262-6624.
    3. ↑ Steve Baltin (January 1, 2005). "Green Day". AMP. pp. 62–66.
    4. 1 2 Victoria Durham (March 1, 2005). "Green Day: Let The Good Times Roll". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (70): 50–55. ISSN 1465-0185.
    5. ↑ "International Superhits". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1061): 52–53. June 18, 2005. ISSN 0262-6624.
    6. ↑ Tom Sinclair (February 11, 2005). "Sitting on Top of the World". Entertainment Weekly: 25–31.
    7. ↑ Winwood 2010, p. 50.
    8. ↑ John Colapinto (November 17, 2005). "Green Day: Working Class Heroes". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC (987): 50–56. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
    9. 1 2 3 Matt Hendrickson (February 24, 2005). "Green Day and the Palace of Wisdom". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC (968). ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
    10. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Green Day – Holiday". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
    11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Green Day – Holiday" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
    12. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200615 into search.
    13. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Tracklisten.
    14. ↑ "Musicline.de – Green Day Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
    15. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Holiday". Irish Singles Chart.
    16. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Green Day – Holiday". Top 40 Singles.
    17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". VG-lista.
    18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Singles Top 100.
    19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Green Day – Holiday". Swiss Singles Chart.
    20. ↑ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Green Day.
    21. ↑ Green Day at AllMusic
    22. ↑ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Green Day.
    23. ↑ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Green Day.
    24. ↑ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Green Day.
    25. ↑ "Green Day – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Green Day.
    26. ↑ "American single certifications – Green Day – Holiday". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
    27. ↑ "About RTÉ: RTÉ's You're A Star Storms The Charts". Rte.ie. 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2012-01-11.

    Sources

    External links

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