Though the albums Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000) did not match the success of Dookie, they were still successful, with the first two reaching double platinum status, while the last achieved gold. Green Day's seventh album, a rock opera called American Idiot (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009 and achieved the band's best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially, in comparison to their previous albums, largely due to a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. Their twelfth studio album, Revolution Radio, was released in October 2016 and became their third to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band's thirteenth studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers, was released on February 7, 2020, and was their final album released by Reprise. On October 24, 2023, the band announced that their fourteenth studio album, 'Saviors', will come out January 19, 2024.
In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, their first year of eligibility. Members of the band have collaborated on the side projects Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Longshot and The Coverups. They have also worked on solo careers.
Green Day has sold roughly 90 million records worldwide, them one of the world's best-selling artists. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them with Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Amanda
Green Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I still walk around
This foggy round about
When I get back in town.
I was a different man
From five seconds ago
And you're a different woman,
That's for certain,
Is this some kind of love
That only hate would understand?
Amanda, I couldn't be your man.
Amanda don't you know
I wasn't strong enough
And in your wild mind
I wasn't smart enough.
I was a different kid
From fifteen years ago
And you're a different woman,
That's for certain,
I wanna know about.
Is this some kind of love
That only hate would understand?
Amanda, I couldn't be your man.
I'm not playin' with your mind
Unless you think I am.
'Cause you're crushing my heart
Like a battering ram.
Is this some kind of love
That only hate would understand?
Amanda, I couldn't be your man.
The song "Amanda" by Green Day is a poignant tale of a man trying to reconnect with a woman from his past. The song begins with the singer admitting that he still thinks about Amanda when he is in town. He is uncertain about whether to approach her or not since she has changed and he has no idea about her current life. The singer acknowledges that both he and Amanda have undergone drastic changes since they last met. This uncertainty and emotional distance between them is expressed with the metaphor of a foggy roundabout.
In the second verse, the singer openly admits to Amanda that he wasn't strong and smart enough for her wild mind when they were younger. He expresses a desire to know more about the woman Amanda has become today. The singer is still unsure if Amanda is the same as he remembered, and he doesn't want to play with her mind or get hurt in the process. The song ends with the question of whether what they have is love or something that only hate would understand.
Overall, "Amanda" is a deep and introspective dive into the complexities of love and lost memories. It is a song about the difficulty of reconnecting with someone from your past and wondering if it's even worth it. Green Day's raw and emotional lyrics serve as poignant self-reflection on the choices and decisions that we make in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Amanda don't you know
Addressing Amanda, the singer is inquiring whether she is aware
That I still walk around
The singer indicates that Amanda's influence is still present in their life
This foggy round about
The singer describes an unclear, disorienting situation
When I get back in town.
The artist suggests that this state occurs upon their return to a certain place
I was a different man
The artist implies a change in themselves
From five seconds ago
The singer uses a brief interval of time to emphasize the change in them
And you're a different woman,
The singer suggests that Amanda too has changed since they last interacted
That's for certain,
The artist is confident about this change
I don't know a thing about.
The artist admits a lack of knowledge or understanding of this change
Is this some kind of love
The artist questions their feelings towards Amanda
That only hate would understand?
The singer contrasts the possible love with a dramatic suggestion that only hate would comprehend it
Amanda, I couldn't be your man.
The artist concludes that they are incapable of being Amanda's partner
Amanda don't you know
The singer repeats their original question
I wasn't strong enough
The singer admits to their lack of emotional strength
And in your wild mind
The singer characterizes Amanda's thoughts or actions as erratic
I wasn't smart enough.
The artist admits to their lack of intelligence, possibly in adapting to Amanda's ways
I was a different kid
The artist again implies a change in themselves, using a childhood self to contrast their present state
From fifteen years ago
The singer uses a longer interval of time to emphasize their change
And you're a different woman,
The singer repeats their earlier observation
That's for certain,
The artist repeats their confident claim
I wanna know about.
The artist expresses a desire to learn about Amanda's changes
I'm not playin' with your mind
The artist reassures Amanda that they are not manipulating her
Unless you think I am.
The singer acknowledges the possibility that Amanda may interpret their actions differently
'Cause you're crushing my heart
The artist characterizes Amanda as causing them emotional pain
Like a battering ram.
The singer uses a metaphor to illustrate the intensity of these feelings
Is this some kind of love
The singer repeats their earlier question
That only hate would understand?
The singer again contrasts love with hate
Amanda, I couldn't be your man.
The artist repeats their conclusion about being unsuitable for Amanda
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, MIKE DIRNT, TRE COOL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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