Dookie
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Dookie is the third studio album by American punk rock band Green Day. The album was released on February 1, 1994 through Reprise Records. It was the band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo and its major record label debut. Dookie became a worldwide commercial success, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and charting in seven countries. The album helped to propel Green Day into mainstream popularity.
Dookie produced five hit singles for the band: "Longview", "When I Come Around", "Basket Case", a re-recorded version of "Welcome to Paradise" and the radio-only single "She". As of 2010[update], Dookie is the band's best-selling album, with 16 million copies sold worldwide.[1] Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1995. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Dookie at 193 on the list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Background and recording
Following the underground success of the band's second studio album Kerplunk (1992), a number of major record labels became interested in Green Day.[2] Representatives of these labels attempted to entice the band to sign by inviting them for meals to discuss a deal, with one manager even inviting the group to Disneyland.[3] The band declined these advances until meeting producer and Reprise representative Rob Cavallo. They were impressed by his work with fellow Californian band The Muffs, and later remarked that Cavallo "was the only person we could really talk to and connect with".[3]
Eventually, the band left their independent record label Lookout! Records on friendly terms, and signed to Reprise. Signing to a major label caused many of the band's original fans from the independent music club 924 Gilman Street to regard Green Day as sell-outs.[4][5] The club has banned Green Day from entering since the major label signing.[3] Reflecting back on the period, lead vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong told Spin magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure [...] The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward."[6]
Cavallo was chosen as the main producer of the album, with Jerry Finn as the mixer. Green Day originally gave the first demo tape to Cavallo, and after listening to it during the car ride home he sensed that "[he] had stumbled on something big."[2] The band's recording session lasted three weeks and the album was remixed twice.[3] Armstrong claimed that the band wanted to create a dry sound, "similar to the Sex Pistols' album or first Black Sabbath albums."[7] The band felt the original mix to be unsatisfactory. Cavallo agreed, and it was remixed at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.[7] Armstrong later said of their studio experience, "Everything was already written, all we had to do was play it."[3][7]
Writing and composition
Much of the album's content was written by Armstrong, except "Emenius Sleepus" written by bassist Mike Dirnt, and the hidden track, "All by Myself", which was composed and written by drummer Tré Cool. The album touched upon various experiences of the band members and included subjects like anxiety and panic attacks, masturbation, sexual orientation, boredom, mass murder, divorce, hobos and ex-girlfriends.[3]
The single "Longview" had a signature bass line that bassist Dirnt wrote while under the influence of LSD.[8] He originally forgot much of it, but the remembered portions were included in the song. Armstrong stated that the song was mainly about boredom, masturbation, and smoking cannabis, as evident in some of the lyrics ("When masturbation's lost its fun/You're fucking lonely" (inaccurately quoted as "You're fucking breaking" in the liner notes)).
"Welcome to Paradise", the second single from Dookie, was originally on the band's second studio album, Kerplunk. The song was re-recorded with a less grainy sound for Dookie.[2] The song never had an official music video; however, a certain live performance of the song is often associated as a music video. The video is located on Green Day's official website.[9]
The hit single "Basket Case", which appeared on many singles charts worldwide,[10][11] was also inspired by Armstrong's personal experiences. The song deals with Armstrong's anxiety attacks and feelings of "going crazy" prior to being diagnosed with a panic disorder.[7] The music video was filmed in an abandoned mental institution.
The radio-only single, "She", was written by Armstrong about a former girlfriend who showed him a feminist poem with an identical title.[7] In return, Armstrong wrote the lyrics of "She" and showed them to her.[7] She later moved to Ecuador, prompting Armstrong to put "She" on the album. The same ex-girlfriend is the topic of the songs "Sassafras Roots" and "Chump".[7]
The final single, "When I Come Around", was again inspired by a woman, though this time being about Armstrong's wife, then former girlfriend, Adrienne. Following a dispute between the couple, Armstrong left Adrienne to spend some time alone.[2] The video featured the three band members walking around Berkeley and San Francisco at night, eventually ending up back at the original location. Future touring back up guitarist, Jason White, made a cameo in the video with his then-girlfriend.[3]
Another song, "Coming Clean", deals with Armstrong's coming to terms with his bisexuality when he was 16 and 17 years old.[12] In his interview with The Advocate magazine, he says that although he has never had a relationship with a man, his sexuality has been "something that comes up as a struggle in me".
Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song "In the End" about his mother and her husband. He is quoted saying: "That song is about my mother's husband, it's not really about a girl, or like anyone directly related to me in a relationship. In the End's about my mother."[13]
Armstrong also wrote the song "Having a Blast" when he was in Cleveland in 1992.[14]
Bassist Mike Dirnt stated in an interview that although he used a Gibson G3 bass at the time, he recorded Dookie with varied Fender Precision Basses.
Packaging and title
The name of the album is a reference to the band members often suffering from diarrhea, which they referred to as "liquid dookie", as a result of eating spoiled food whilst on tour. Initially the band were to name the album Liquid Dookie; however, this was deemed "too gross", and so they settled on the name Dookie.[3][7]
The cover art is an illustration by Richie Bucher, which depicts bombs being dropped on people and buildings. In the center, there is an explosion, with the band's name at the top. Armstrong has since explained the meaning of the artwork:
I wanted the art work to look really different. I wanted it to represent the East Bay and where we come from, because there's a lot of artists in the East Bay scene that are just as important as the music. So we talked to Richie Bucher. He did a 7-inch cover for this band called Raooul that I really liked. He's also been playing in bands in the East Bay for years. There's pieces of us buried on the album cover. There's one guy with his camera up in the air taking a picture with a beard. He took pictures of bands every weekend at Gilman's. The robed character that looks like the Mona Lisa is the woman on the cover of the first Black Sabbath album. Angus Young is in there somewhere too. The graffiti reading "Twisted Dog Sisters" refers to these two girls from Berkeley. I think the guy saying "The fritter, fat boy" was a reference to a local cop.[15]
The back cover on early prints of the CD featured a plush toy of Ernie from Sesame Street, which was airbrushed out of later prints for fear of litigation; however, Canadian prints still feature Ernie still intact on the back cover.[3] Some rumors suggest that it was removed because it led parents to think that Dookie was a child's lullaby album or that the creators of Sesame Street had sued Green Day.[2]
Release
Upon its release, Dookie charted in seven countries. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 in the United States,[4] and was a success in several other countries, peaking as high as number one in New Zealand;[16] the lowest peak in any country was in the United Kingdom at number 13.[11] While all the singles from the album charted in a few countries, the hit single "Basket Case" entered the top 10 in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Later in 1995, the album received a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, with "Longview" and "Basket Case" each being nominated for a Grammy.
Throughout the 1990s, Dookie continued to sell well, eventually receiving diamond certification[17] in 1999; by 2007, Dookie had sold over 15 million copies worldwide and remains the band's best-selling album.[18]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | (A−)[20] |
The New York Times | (favorable)[21] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album was critically received by all critics, with Allmusic describing Dookie as "a stellar piece of modern punk that many tried to emulate but nobody bettered".[19] In 1994, Time claimed Dookie as the third best album of the year, but the best rock album of 1994.[23] The New York Times, in early 1995, described the sound of Dookie as, "Punk turns into pop in fast, funny, catchy, high-powered songs about whining and channel-surfing; apathy has rarely sounded so passionate."[21] Rolling Stone described Green Day as "convincing mainly because they've got punk's snotty anti-values down cold: blame, self-pity, arrogant self-hatred, humor, narcissism, fun".[22]
The New York Times, while complimentary on the album's overall quality, noted that Dookie's pop sound only remotely resembled punk music.[24] The band did not respond initially to these comments, but later claimed that they were "just trying to be themselves" and that "it's our band, we can do whatever we want".[3] Dirnt claimed that the follow-up album, Insomniac, one of the band's hardest albums lyrically and musically, was the band releasing their anger at all the criticism from critics and former fans.[3]
Since its release, Dookie has been featured heavily in various "must have" lists compiled by the music media. Some of the more prominent of these lists to feature Dookie are shown below; this information is adapted from Acclaimed Music.[25]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kerrang! | United Kingdom | The Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[26] | 1998 | 33 |
Classic Rock & Metal Hammer | United Kingdom | The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s[27] | 2006 | N/A |
Robert Dimery | United States | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[28] | 2005 | N/A |
Rolling Stone | United States | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[29] | 2003 | 193 |
Rolling Stone | United States | Best Albums of 1994 (Readers Choice)[30] | 1994 | 1 |
Rolling Stone | United States | Best Albums of the 90s [31] | 2010 | 30 |
Spin | United States | 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005[32] | 2005 | 44 |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | United States | The Definitive 200[33] | 2005 | 50 |
Dookie tour
Immediately following the release of Dookie, the band embarked on an international tour, beginning in the United States, for which they used a bookmobile belonging to Tré Cool's father to travel between shows.[3] An audience of millions saw Green Day's performance at Woodstock '94 on Pay-per-view, helping the band attract more fans. This event was the location of the infamous[34] mud fight between the band and the crowd, which continued beyond the end of Green Day's set.[35] During the fight, Dirnt was mistaken for a fan by a security guard, who tackled him and then threw him against a monitor, causing him to injure his arm and break two of his teeth.[36]
The band also appeared at Lollapalooza and the Madison Square Garden charity event, where Armstrong performed the song "She" naked.[37] Having toured throughout the United States and Canada, the band played a few shows in Europe before beginning the recording sessions for the subsequent album, Insomniac. During the tour, Armstrong was quite homesick. His wife, Adrienne Armstrong, whom he had married shortly after the release of Dookie, was pregnant during most of the tour, and Armstrong was upset about being unable to help and care for her.[3]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Billie Joe Armstrong, except where noted; all music is composed by Green Day
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Burnout" | 2:07 |
2. | "Having a Blast" | 2:44 |
3. | "Chump" | 2:54 |
4. | "Longview" | 3:59 |
5. | "Welcome to Paradise" (re-recorded version) | 3:44 |
6. | "Pulling Teeth" | 2:31 |
7. | "Basket Case" | 3:01 |
8. | "She" | 2:14 |
9. | "Sassafras Roots" | 2:37 |
10. | "When I Come Around" | 2:58 |
11. | "Coming Clean" | 1:34 |
12. | "Emenius Sleepus" (lyrics written by Mike Dirnt) | 1:43 |
13. | "In the End" | 1:46 |
14. | "F.O.D." "All by Myself" (lyrics written by Tré Cool) | 5:46 |
Total length: | 39:38 |
Personnel
- Billie Joe Armstrong — lead vocals, guitar
- Mike Dirnt — bass, backing vocals
- Tré Cool — drums, guitar and lead vocals on "All by Myself"
Production
- Rob Cavallo; Green Day — producers, mixers
- Jerry Finn — mixer
- Neill King — engineer
- Casey McCrankin — engineer
- Richie Bucher — cover artist
- Ken Schles - photography
- Pat Hynes - booklet artwork
Chart positions
Album
Chart | Peak position | Certification | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[38] | 1 | 5× Platinum[39] | 350,000 |
Canadian Albums Chart[40] | 1 | Diamond[41] | 1,000,000 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 13 | ||
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 13 | ||
Finnish Albums Chart | 5[42] | Gold[43] | 35,205 |
New Zealand Albums Chart | 1 | ||
Polish Albums Chart | Gold[44] | 20,000[45] | |
Swedish Album Chart[46] | 3 | Gold[47] | 20,000[48] |
UK Albums Chart[11] | 13 | 3× Platinum[49] | 900,000[49] |
US Billboard 200[4] | 2 | Diamond[50] | 10,000,000[51] |
End of decade charts
Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard 200[52] | 33 |
Singles
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Mod [53] |
US Main [54] |
UK [11] |
CAN [55][56] |
SWE [46] |
NZ [16] |
FRA [57] | ||
1994 | "Longview" | 1 | 13 | 30 | — | — | — | — |
1994 | "Welcome to Paradise" | 7 | — | 20 | — | — | 21 | — |
1994 | "Basket Case" | 1 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 35 |
1995 | "When I Come Around" | 1 | 2 | 27 | 3 | 28 | 4 | — |
1995 | "She" | 5 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
References
- ^ "BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG WITH MICHAEL MAYER :: News :: Greenday.com". Green Day. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- ^ a b c d e "Ultimate Albums: Green Day's "Dookie"". 1994. VH1.
{{cite episode}}
: Missing or empty|series=
(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Green Day". Behind the Music. 2001. VH1.
- ^ a b c "Green Day Biography". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "What Happened Next..." Guitar Legends. Archived from the original on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ Smith, RJ (August 1999). "Top 90 Albums of the 90's". SPIN.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Billie Joe Armstrong Interview on VH1". VH1. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ Dirnt, Mike (1995). Rolling Stone Magazine.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ "Green Day Music Videos". Green Day. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Green Day single chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ a b c d "UK album chart archives". everyhit.com. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Interview with The Advocate magazine". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 2005-03-09. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
- ^ "Song Meanings". Green Day Authority. Retrieved 2009-06-18. [dead link]
- ^ "Billie Joe Armstrong official tweet on writing "Having a Blast"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ^ "Billie Joe Armstrong Interview on VH1 explaining cover art". VH1. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ a b "New Zealand album chart archives". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Diamond Certified Albums". RIAA. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Dookie Total Sales". My Lyrics Central. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ a b "Dookie Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2007-07-16. Cite error: The named reference "allmusic" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Robert Christgau: CG: Green Day
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (1995-01-05). "The Pop Life". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ a b Rolling Stone review
- ^ "The Best Music of 1994". Time. 1994-12-26. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Strauss, Neil (1995-02-05). "POP VIEW; Has Success Spoiled Green Day?". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ "List of Dookie Accolades". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
- ^ "Kerrang! - The Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Acclaimed Music - Classic Rock and Metal Hammer 200 List". AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ Dimery, Robert - 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; page 855
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2003-12-10. Retrieved 2007-07-16.(subscription required)
- ^ "Rocklist.net....Rolling Stone (USA) End of Year Lists". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "100 Best Albums of the Nineties: Green Day, 'Dookie'". Rolling Stone. 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- ^ "Spin Magazine - 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005". Archived from the original on 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "The Definitive 200". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
- ^ VH1's VH1 40 Freakiest Concert Moments: #40 Mudstock - 2006
- ^ "Wood Stock 1994 Mudfight description". Chiff. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "When I Come Around Facts". Song Facts. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Green Day Tour Notes". Geek Stink Breath. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Discography Green Day". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-02-07. [dead link]
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 60, No. 25, January 23, 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
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(help) - ^ "Gold Platinum Database: Green Day - Dookie". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
- ^ Suomen virallinen lista YLEX.YLE.fi
- ^ Kulta- ja platinalevyt IFPI.fi
- ^ "Bestseller charts and awards :: Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry". Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ "Pełny Tekst Regulaminu Przyznawania Wyróżnień". Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ a b "Swedish album chart archives". hitparad.se. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum 1987 - 1998 (In Swedish, Page 16)" (PDF). ifpi.se. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum (In Swedish)". ifpi.se. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ a b "BPI Awards Search". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ^ "Gold and Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ^ "Chart Watch". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Green Day Album & Song Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Green Day - Billboard Singles". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 60, No. 17, November 14, 1994". RPM. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Top Singles - Volume 61, No. 3, February 20, 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
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(help) - ^ "Green Day French single chart history". Retrieved 2007-07-16.