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.
Misery
Green Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She had a compound fracture in the "trunk"
It started when she ran away
Thumbs out on the interstate
She hitched a ride to misery
Mr. Whirly had a catastrophic incident
He fell into the city by the bay
He liquidated his estate
Panhandling misery
And we're gonna get high-igh-igh
When he's low, low, low
The fire burns from better days
And she screams, "Why, oh, why?"
I said, "I don't know"
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery
Well, Vinny was a hustler out of Amsterdam
He ran the drug cartel in Tinseltown
They found him in a Cadillac
Bludgeoned with a baseball bat
In the name of misery
Then Gina hit the road to New York City
Mysteriously the night Vinnie croaked
She stopped in Vegas to elope
With Virginia and the dope
And kissed the bride eternally
And they're gonna get high-igh-igh
When they're low, low, low
The fire burns from better days
And she screamed, "Why, oh, why?"
I said, "I don't know"
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery
Well, hell hounds on your trail now once again, boy
It's groping on your leg until it sleeps
The emptiness will fill your soul with sorrow
'Cause it's not what you make, it's what you leave
And we're gonna get high-igh-igh
When we're low, low, low
The fire burns from better days
And she screams, "Why, oh, why?"
I said, "I don't know"
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Of misery
The first verse of Green Day's song "Misery" paints a haunting image of a young woman, Virginia, who is a "lot lizard," which is a term used to describe a prostitute that operates out of truck stops, rest areas, and highway motels. The line "compound fracture in the trunk" is a physical representation of the emotional and physical pain she's carrying. Virginia is fleeing something or someone, and is hitchhiking her way through life. When she arrives at her destination, it turns out to be a place called Misery, which is likely a metaphor for her life and the experiences she's had. The second verse introduces Mr. Whirly, who has fallen on hard times and is panhandling on the Heights. The lyrics imply that he was once wealthy but lost everything in a catastrophic event that happened in a city by the bay. While the circumstances surrounding Mr. Whirly's fall from grace are unclear, it is clear that he is seeking a way out of the misery he has found himself in.
The third verse introduces more characters to the story - Vinnie, a drug dealer from Amsterdam who is "bludgeoned with a baseball bat in the name of misery," and Gina, who is on the run after Vinnie's death. The verses are connected by the repeating chorus, which is sung by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, who contemplates the cycle of highs and lows that all of the characters in the song are experiencing. The song's bridge uses a metaphor of a hellhound on one's trail, which represents the overpowering and relentless nature of one's struggles. The final chorus shifts to a collective "we're gonna get high" instead of a singular "he's gonna get high," which implies that everyone in the song is in this cycle of misery and is striving for a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
Virginia was a "lot lizard" from F.L.A.
Virginia was a prostitute who worked at truck stops.
She had a compound fracture in the "trunk"
She had a severe injury to her lower body.
It started when she ran away
Her troubles began when she left her home.
Thumbs out on the interstate
She was hitchhiking on the highway.
She hitched a ride to misery
The ride she got took her to a life of suffering.
"Mr. Whirly" had a catastrophic incident
Mr. Whirly experienced a disastrous event.
He fell into a city by the bay
He ended up in San Francisco after his fall.
He liquidated his estate
He sold all his property and possessions.
Now he sleeps upon the Height
He is homeless and sleeps on the streets.
Panhandling misery
He begs for money while living a miserable life.
He's gonna get high high high
He will use drugs to escape his pain.
When he's low low low
He will use drugs when he feels sad and hopeless.
The fire burns from better days
He remembers the good old days when he had a better life.
And she screams why oh why
Virginia cried out in anguish.
I said I don't know
The singer is at a loss for an answer.
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
The painful memories of the past.
Of misery
The suffering they are experiencing now.
Vinnie was a hustler out of Amsterdam
Vinnie was a criminal from the Netherlands.
He ran the drug cartel in "Tinseltown"
He controlled the drug trade in Hollywood.
They found him in a Cadillac
He was discovered dead in his car.
Bludgeoned with a baseball bat in the name
He was killed for reasons related to drug business.
Of misery
His killing is another example of the violence and suffering.
Gina hit the road to new york city
Gina left town and headed to New York.
Mysteriously the night Vinnie croaked
The same night Vinnie was killed under strange circumstances.
She stopped in Vegas to elope
She went to Las Vegas to get married.
With Virgina and the dope
Virginia and drugs were also part of the trip.
And kissed the bride eternally
Gina saw her marriage to drugs as permanent and lasting.
They're gonna get high high high
The couple plans to use drugs extensively.
When they're low low low
They will use drugs to cope with sadness and depression.
Hell hounds on your trail now once again, boy
One's troubles and worries are attacking them relentlessly.
Its groping on your leg until it sleeps
The sadness and pain will take a toll on the person's wellbeing.
The emptiness will fill your soul with sorrow
The person will feel a profound sense of sadness and loss.
Because its not what you make, its what you leave
What one accomplishes in life is less important than the impact they make on others.
And we're gonna get high high high
The singer is drawn to using drugs to escape their pain.
When we're low low low
The singer will use drugs during moments of depression.
The fire burns from better days
The singer recalls a time when things were better.
And she screams why oh why
The singer laments their current situation.
I said I don't know
The singer doesn't know what to do.
The catastrophic hymns from yesterday
Memories of difficult times from the past.
Of misery
The pain and suffering of the present.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, Mike Dirnt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Doja Cat
on Bang Bang
Why