The Modern Age

A few months ago, 'Good Riddance' might have best described the mainstream opinion toward Berkeley, Calif., punkers Green Day. But with a breakup ballad of the same name and a rockabilly anthem on failing sobriety, the trio is once again drinking in radio's attention.

'Time Of Your Life (Good Riddance),' No. 2 on Modern Rock Tracks this issue, has been a climbing chart fixture for the last two months. Front man Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song about the end of a romance three years ago, shortly after recording 'Dookie,' the band's Reprise debut.
'I tried to look at it in a levelheaded way as a part of my life that happened and that it was time to move forward,' says Armstrong, now a married man with a young son.
Despite the subdued acoustic guitar strain and mature lyrics that have garnered the single play on modern AC stations, the song's title was changed to reflect the sourness of the split.
'The song was originally called 'Time Of Your Life,' but then we had a really nasty breakup. So I added 'Good Riddance.' '
'Hitchin' A Ride,' the first single from 'Nimrod,' which is No. 29 after 19 weeks on the chart, is also a confessional look into the personal life of Armstrong.
'It's about falling off the wagon, although I'm on the wagon right now. It's about trying to find that balance between being responsible and being a lunatic,' he says, adding that his dry spell can be attributed to fatherhood. '(My son) is the reason behind it. When you have a kid, you don't live for yourself anymore.'
The band also tried to find the balance between maintaining bad-boy bravado and exploring new musical territory while striking a chord with fans.
'Punk is my whole life, and we know how to do that well. But we're capable musically of doing more. We wrote about 40 songs, let them evolve, and picked the best from the batch.'

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