Green Day - Basket Case

September 26, 2012 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Green Day is another band that Miss Moirae got me into, they also have never appeared on this blog yet, surprisingly and I know for a fact that they will pop up again at some point, MARK MY WORDS. Green Day are a three-piece band consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. They have been going since 1987 but didn't release their first album until 1990. Since then they have released a number of albums and singles but have never ever topped the UK Singles chart, but have come pretty close a number of times. They also have their own musical as well, where has this band got left to go? Clearly to the top of the UK Singles Chart, but how long will it take them?

"Basket Case" is one of these songs that never goes away and gets stuck in my head way too easily. It's a very good song to get those pesky annoying songs out of your head, although you will probably be stuck with this song for the rest of the day, which is fine by me. It was written by Billie Joe Armstrong and it's about his battles with anxiety, he thought he was going crazy however he was later diagnosed with panic disorder. Writing songs about it was the only way he could control it, and I know this sounds sinister but that is usually how great songs come about and this is definitely one of many of Green Day's signature songs and we, as fans, have a lot to thank these guys for as well as this song.

This music video always freaks me out whenever I watch it. It is a performance piece with a narrative intricately added in, which makes this music video very different as it's usually the other way around. It was filmed in an actual mental home due to the request of the band, which makes this video top notch! The institution is called Agnews Developmental Center in California.

I like how everything is constructed, you can clearly see the performance and you are worried that is all you'll going to get, but you see more as it progresses, and I like the ominous atmosphere, it's quite freakish but interesting.

Overall the song is a classic that is already embedded in history and I guarantee I will hear this song at least once a year, definitely for the rest of my life. It's music video still scares and worries me today, but the way it's been filmed and thought through makes it different and to be able to stand out from the crowd is something that is difficult to do, and even in today's market this music video stands out.