In 1995, Green Day was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Basket Case".
In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted "Basket Case" the Greatest Punk Song of All-Time.
The song can also be found on their 2001 greatest hits compilation International Superhits!. The music video can be found on their International Supervideos! DVD. A live version is also found on Bullet in a Bible, a live album of Green Day performing at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in 2005.
Basket Case
Greenday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About nothing and everything all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause it's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
A ya-ya-ya
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?
In "Basket Case," Green Day's lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong sings about mental health and the anxiety that comes along with it. The singer is a self-proclaimed "melodramatic fool" who feels like he is losing his mind and can't keep up with everything that's happening around him. This mental torment is also evidenced in the lyrics "sometimes my mind plays tricks on me."
The confusion and unease are also reflected in the singer's interaction with others. He confides in a shrink to try and make sense of his dreams and emotions, while he also seeks comfort from a prostitute. Even though he is tormented and fearful, he tries to convince himself to "hold on" and maintain control.
Overall, "Basket Case," is a reflection of the insecurities and anxieties people feel when they are unable to come to terms with the world around them. It's a powerful message that resonates with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you have the time to listen to me whine
Can you spare some time to hear me complain?
About nothing and everything all at once
My worries are numerous and varied, but also insignificant.
I am one of those
I belong to a specific group.
Melodramatic fools
We're people who exaggerate our emotions.
Neurotic to the bone
I have severe anxiety that permeates my entire being.
No doubt about it
There's no question that I am who I am.
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Occasionally, I make myself feel uneasy and frightened.
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
My thoughts can deceive me and create false realities.
It all keeps adding up
My problems are piling up.
I think I'm cracking up
I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Am I just paranoid?
Could my fears be unfounded and irrational?
Or am I just stoned
Maybe I'm feeling this way because I'm under the influence of drugs.
I went to a shrink
I visited a therapist.
To analyze my dreams
To interpret the meaning behind my subconscious thoughts.
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
According to my therapist, my psychological issues are related to my sexual frustrations.
I went to a whore
I paid for sex with a prostitute.
He said my life's a bore
The prostitute commented that my existence is unexciting.
So quit my whining cause it's bringing her down
Stop my complaining, as it's negatively affecting the prostitute.
Grasping to control
Trying desperately to maintain power over my life.
So I better hold on
I need to remain strong and not give into my emotions.
A ya-ya-ya
An expression of frustration or anxiety.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, FRANK E., III WRIGHT, FRANK EDWIN WRIGHT III, MICHAEL PRITCHARD, MIKE DIRNT, MIKE RYAN PRITCHARD, TRE COOL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MC_MO
Lyrics
Do you have the time to listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause it's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
A ya-ya-ya
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned
@GreenDay
20 years and it all went by in a flash ⚡The American Idiot 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is out now 💣💥 Go give it a listen or grab a copy https://greenday.lnk.to/americanidiot20thdeluxe
@MelanieGonzalez-uy8fj
Say hello please, I’m the 1st comment
@jhonnderdelgado3478
❤❤
@Fnaf4lifer444
Thanks for everything guys
@ehhwhynot3475
Hi guys u are the greatest band of all time
@笹かまぼこ-i4i
ok
@mrbenfrancis
Dookie got selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".
@TheJPSouza
Definitely well-deserved!!!!! So happy for them!!! 🎸🎼🎵🎶
@june9914
Tbf a lotta stuff goes in the library of congress; there’s a lotta stuff worth preserving, good and bad. That definitely is good though
@mightydorchux
Well, it shows you how serious congress is--it's not