Posted February 8, 20205 yr Green Day's Top 20 biggest hits revealed 07 February 2020 | By Rob Copsey The princes of punk-rock return with new album Father of All Motherf**kers – we count down their best sellers. In the list of things that never go out of style, add Green Day. Believe it or not, the California punk-rock band have now been racking up hits with their fiery brand of punk-rock for 26 years in the UK. In such time, they've landed 22 tracks in the Official Singles Chart Top 40 and eight Top 10 albums – including two Number 3s, most recently with 2016's Revolution Radio. Oh, and there's the small matter of their own musical, which continues to tour the UK a decade after its debut. To celebrate the release of new album Father Of All Motherf**kers, we're looking back at their big ones - singles and albums. Who said punk-rock was dead? Let's start with a closer look at their Top 5 singles... 6. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Released: December 2004 Official Chart peak: Number 5 The second single from their hugely successful American Idiot album, Boulevard... has become one of the band's signature songs. Penned by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, the song was written in New York and is about, he says, "feeling alone but trying to take power from that". It's their biggest selling song in America (where it's reportedly sold over 2 million), but it places fifth in the UK with chart sales of 425,000, including 23.4 million streams. 4. Wake Me Up When September Ends Released: June 2005 Official Chart peak: Number 8 Another cut from their American Idiot album, Wake Me Up... was written by Armstrong about the death of his father, and not long after its release, became symbolic for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. It's one of Green Day's five Top 10 singles in the UK, peaking at Number 8, and its chart sales to date stand at 678,000, including 36.5 million streams. 3. Basket Case Released: August 1994, re-released January 1995 Official Chart Peak: Number 7 Green Day's fourth biggest seller was the moment they well and truly cracked the UK. Basket Case's sharp, ear-snagging lyrics about ones descent into madness can be recited by any punk-rock-raver worth their salt ("Do you have the time/ To listen to me whine/ About nothing and everything all at once?" is surely one of the best opening lines of a punk song ever?). So sure were they of its hit potential that it had two cycles on the Official Singles Chart; once in 1994 where it peaked at 55, and again six months later in 1995 where it reached a much healthier Number 7. To date, its chart sales stand at 761,000, including a massive 52 million streams - their most-streamed song in the UK. 2. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) Released: January 1998 Official Chart peak: Number 11 Featuring on the band's 1997 album Nimrod (through written by Armstrong several years earlier), Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) is far from the band's biggest chart hit, peaking at Number 11 in the UK, but is perhaps one of their most enduring. From high school proms to TV show finales... Good Riddance has and will continue to soundtrack life's poignant moments, and only narrowly misses out being the band's biggest song in the UK - 817,000 chart sales, including 39 million streams. 1. American Idiot Released: September 2004 Official Chart peak: Number 3 It's the song that put Green Day back in the centre of the global stage. The lead single and title track from their hit album, American Idiot is Green Day at their most politically explicit, contending that mass media has orchestrated paranoia and idiocy among the general public. Kings of predicting the future. It was controversial, but it worked - the song was a hit across the world, including the UK, where it landed at Number 3. It's also their biggest single in the UK, with 827,000 chart sales, including 51.5 million streams. Green Day's Official Top 20 biggest songs on the Official UK Chart POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR 1 AMERICAN IDIOT GREEN DAY 3 2004 827k [51.5m streams] 2 GOOD RIDDANCE (TIME OF YOUR LIFE) GREEN DAY 11 1998 817k [39m streams] 3 BASKET CASE GREEN DAY 7 1994 761k [52m streams] 4 WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS GREEN DAY 8 2005 678k [36.5m streams] 5 HOLIDAY GREEN DAY 11 2005 6 BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS GREEN DAY 5 2005 425k [23.4m streams] 7 21 GUNS GREEN DAY 36 2009 8 WHEN I COME AROUND GREEN DAY 27 1995 9 JESUS OF SUBURBIA GREEN DAY 17 2005 10 KNOW YOUR ENEMY GREEN DAY 21 2009 11 BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS ORIGINAL CAST FT GREEN DAY N/A 2010 12 MINORITY GREEN DAY 18 2000 13 WELCOME TO PARADISE GREEN DAY 20 1994 14 LONGVIEW GREEN DAY 30 1995 15 THE SAINTS ARE COMING U2 & GREEN DAY 2 2006 16 BANG BANG GREEN DAY 84 2006 17 WARNING GREEN DAY 27 2000 18 BRAIN STEW GREEN DAY 28 1996 19 STILL BREATHING GREEN DAY N/A 2016 20 HITCHIN' A RIDE GREEN DAY 25 1997 ©2020 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved. And as for Green Day's biggest selling albums... It won't shock you that the band's biggest selling album is 2004's American Idiot, shifting 2.3 million units in the UK. Debuting at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart, such was its prolonged success that it returned to the top spot 14 weeks later, and to date has spent 125 weeks in the Top 100. Click here to view the album's full, week-by-week UK chart run. What is surprising though is that Green Day have a second million-selling album. 1994's Dookie, which includes the singles Basket Case, Welcome To Paradise and When I Come Around, has shifted 1.01 million chart s ales despite only peaking at Number 13 on the Official Chart. Rounding off the Top 3 is their 2001 retrospective International Superhits. Released three years before American Idiot, the collection peaked at Number 15 and has sold over 888,000 chart sales in the UK. Meanwhile, 2009's 21st Century Breakdown (484,000) and 2005's Bullet In A Bible (433,00) complete the Top 5. Green Day's Official Top 10 biggest albums in the UK POS TITLE PEAK YEAR 1 AMERICAN IDIOT 1 2004 2.3m 2 DOOKIE 13 1994 1.01m 3 INTERNATIONAL SUPERHITS 15 2001 888k 4 21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN 1 2009 484k 5 BULLET IN A BIBLE 6 2005 433k 6 NIMROD 11 1997 7 INSOMNIAC 8 1995 8 WARNING 4 2000 9 UNO 2 2012 10 KERPLUNK N/A ©2020 Official Charts Company . All rights reserved.
February 8, 20205 yr Author 'Holiday' is too high on the list, I'm guessing the sales of 'Boulevard...' could be included in its tally given both songs appear on the same track on the album.
February 9, 20205 yr 'Good Riddance' and 'Basket Case' are two of the most defining tracks of the 90s, love them both so much. 'Holiday' would complete my Green Day Top 3, so I'm happy to see my Top 3 in the Top 5. They're one of these bands where you forget just how many memorable songs they've had!
February 9, 20205 yr crazy high sales for the American Idiot album, never realised it did > 2 million (at 2.3 million right now)
February 9, 20205 yr I’m surprised Boulevard Of Broken Dreams is only 6th. I know it was a low sales period but that song hung around for ages.
February 9, 20205 yr 'Holiday' is too high on the list, I'm guessing the sales of 'Boulevard...' could be included in its tally given both songs appear on the same track on the album. Holiday is my fave song from them.
February 9, 20205 yr I'm presuming streams of 'Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' (this is one track on the album) are counting towards 'Holiday's total only, this must be responsible for it being higher (I don't think the two were available as separate songs until the GH was released).
February 9, 20205 yr 16 BANG BANG GREEN DAY 84 2006 This should be 2016 not 2006 The top 10 is probably my personal top 10 Green Day songs tbh, mixed up a bit of course. Definitely shocked at Holiday being above BOBD. I love that half the top 10 are from the same album :lol: I'm surprised that Still Breathing is #20 also - that was my own highlight from their 2016 album for sure so I'm glad others like it too.
February 9, 20205 yr I'm presuming streams of 'Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' (this is one track on the album) are counting towards 'Holiday's total only, this must be responsible for it being higher (I don't think the two were available as separate songs until the GH was released).Yes, it looks like whoever compiled this list at the OCC has decided to add streams of the 'Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' track to 'Holiday' for the purpose of compiling this list. 'Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' was awarded a Silver certification in August 2018 while 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' went Gold in November 2019 (having gone Silver in July 2013). 'Holiday' itself has yet to be awarded a certification. Everything down to 'When I Come Around', at number 8 (other than 'Holiday'), has been certified at least Silver. Edited February 9, 20205 yr by Robbie
February 9, 20205 yr Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) is by far their best song - it also features on this fab montage! :heart: :wub: liarrDZqG0E Edited February 9, 20205 yr by Seinfeld
February 11, 20205 yr 'Holiday' is SUCH a tune! They have so many great songs actually, I need to have a rediscovery sesh.
February 11, 20205 yr Surprised 'Know Your Enemy' isn't on there. Thought that was played more than '21 Guns' in 2009. It is, it's at #10! I think I remember hearing '21 Guns' more at the time though - and it's a much better song so I'm glad it's higher. That's the last Green Day single that I really care about (the singles from their new album are pretty bad, and I didn't really care to listen to many of the ones from the 4 albums before that). Lots of great songs on this list from when they were actually still good though.
February 11, 20205 yr It is, it's at #10! I think I remember hearing '21 Guns' more at the time though - and it's a much better song so I'm glad it's higher. That's the last Green Day single that I really care about (the singles from their new album are pretty bad, and I didn't really care to listen to many of the ones from the 4 albums before that). Lots of great songs on this list from when they were actually still good though. Oops, blame tiredness for that, Bre. Yeah 21 Guns was the last song also I really cared about from Green Day.
February 11, 20205 yr I also enjoyed all the American Idiot singles (and a few of the ATs) but couldn't care less for their material afterwards (although 21 Guns was decent) and haven't listened to any of their new songs from this Father Of All album.
February 12, 20205 yr They have so many amazing songs. I have the American Idiot album on vinyl which shows how iconic it is for me. Time Of Your Life is probably one of the best ballads of our generation too!
February 13, 20205 yr American Idiot is a good album but I didn't realise it had sold over 2 million. Last I remember it was on 1.4 million.
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