Billie Joe's Song Writing

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

Billie Joe is known very well for his writing and the main songwriter of Green Day.

He has written amazing hits like Good Riddance, and Basket Case.

This thread is for all you lyric junkies who already know the lyrics to all their songs or are wondering what a songs is about.

Some of the songs we know how they came to be, but have you ever wondered if he has written a song about the same thing, just in a different way?

For example: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and Letterbomb are both about a break up, but in different ways. Do you think he wrote about the same girl?

Compare songs and ask if he wrote about the same thing in a different way, maybe we can all come up with an answer

Oh and if you dont have any comparisons, you can simply talk about his writing, or Mike's, or Tre's... haha

[Heather.]

Well, the whastername girl (Amanda), he has said was Good Riddance... so yes, those are all the same inspiration... but I think the songs communicate different emotions, however nuanced.

[classof12]

I think Welcome to Paradise talks about the place JOS used to live

[greendaytodeathandback]

Have ye all seen that podcast with Billie on a theatre channel?

They call him a poet in it and ask him where he got his talent. You can just hear the "Fuck, how do I answer this" In his voice when he starts talking. There are a lot of y'knows

[Heather.]

Have ye all seen that podcast with Billie on a theatre channel?

They call him a poet in it and ask him where he got his talent. You can just hear the "Fuck, how do I answer this" In his voice when he starts talking. There are a lot of y'knows

Are you talking about the CUNY thing with Michael Mayer?

[desertrose]

at 49:30 he begins talking about his songwriting and asked about writing the song "Why Do You Want Him", a song NOT about his mother according to Billie Joe, and the interviewer referring to him as being a child prodigy. Along with his and Mike's songwriting.

[Heather.]

Do you guys think he actually WAS a child prodigy? I've heard mixed things about his early piano/guitar skills... so that's hard to say. I don't think he was. Really talented and promising for a kid, but not a PRODIGY. That's like a Mozart baby to me.

[LudeBoy]

Do you guys think he actually WAS a child prodigy? I've heard mixed things about his early piano/guitar skills... so that's hard to say. I don't think he was. Really talented and promising for a kid, but not a PRODIGY. That's like a Mozart baby to me.

He's a Prodigy.

[greendaytodeathandback]

Are you talking about the CUNY thing with Michael Mayer?

I think so... It was called Theatre Talk

[DoodleBob]

Do you guys think he actually WAS a child prodigy? I've heard mixed things about his early piano/guitar skills... so that's hard to say. I don't think he was. Really talented and promising for a kid, but not a PRODIGY. That's like a Mozart baby to me.

I agree. I think of him as a prodigy now, but a child prodigy? I don't think so. Like, he was a cute little talented child singing Look For Love, but I wouldn't go as far as saying he was a prodigy. I know a lot of the time it's just jokes and stuff, but yeah, I don't think child prodigy would be the right word.

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

hm i dont think i would call him prodigy. I mean we all have heard "Look for Love" but he didnt even write that one, and he was 5... We all have also heard "Why Do You Want Him", which isnt bad, but you can tell its on of those a-b-a-b-c song stuctures that many bands start out with.. I think learning the guitar and piano (and harmonica) just came over time, sure he met Mike at 10 but even then he was still discovering punk rock, which was the work of his brothers introducing it to him. Billie Joe is more than amazing but never was a prodigy, he is very good at what he does though, no doubt about it

[pasalaska]

He's a Prodigy.

oh please. He's amazingly talented, gifted, and genre-leading songwriter, but he certainly wasn't a child prodigy.

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

Not a prodigy, I agree. But he is very talented and an amazing songwriter. Also do you think Having A Blast and F.O.D. are talking about the same girl or maybe even those songs and She or Pulling Teeth? It would make sense for it all to be on the same album.

[melissawebster]

I've been thinking most of the new songs they've introduced at the "surprise" shows recently seem to be about the same girl, regret & forbidden or lost love as a throwback to something from the past with the 90s songs, both musically and with the lyrics. "Stray Heart" "Oh Love" "Amanda" and "Carpe Diem" all seem to carry the same theme, or at least they remind me of some kind of story, like maybe Billie Joe is trying to purge the past from his system and finally move on.

As far as the prodigy thing goes, Billie Joe Armstrong wasn't and isn't a prodigy. Definitely the stand out in a gifted family, and I imagine he probably would have tested super high on I.Q. just judging from his lyrics, and no doubt incredibly talented, but a musical prodigy would have been off the charts at a really early age. My son was a piano child prodigy. He sat down at a piano for the first time at age seven and just started playing it perfectly. Unfortunately, it was that god awful Celine Dion song from the movie Titanic, but he just played like he'd been doing it forever. After one lesson, his first piano teacher said she couldn't teach him because he was too advanced. He started composing at age eight, was studying music at the local university at age eleven.

As far as I know, BJA didn't start writing music until he was fifteen and went through the normal progression of learning instruments and music that most kids go through. Though I'm sure he displayed an obvious natural talent and heart for it and took it more seriously than most kids in the same way other talented kids take baseball or ballet more seriously than most who do it. And he was definitely very driven about it.

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

I've been thinking most of the new songs they've introduced at the "surprise" shows recently seem to be about the same girl, regret & forbidden or lost love as a throwback to something from the past with the 90s songs, both musically and with the lyrics. "Stray Heart" "Oh Love" "Amanda" and "Carpe Diem" all seem to carry the same theme, or at least they remind me of some kind of story, like maybe Billie Joe is trying to purge the past from his system and finally move on.

As far as the prodigy thing goes, Billie Joe Armstrong wasn't and isn't a prodigy. Definitely the stand out in a gifted family, and I imagine he probably would have tested super high on I.Q. just judging from his lyrics, and no doubt incredibly talented, but a musical prodigy would have been off the charts at a really early age. My son was a piano child prodigy. He sat down at a piano for the first time at age seven and just started playing it perfectly. Unfortunately, it was that god awful Celine Dion song from the movie Titanic, but he just played like he'd been doing it forever. After one lesson, his first piano teacher said she couldn't teach him because he was too advanced. He started composing at age eight, was studying music at the local university at age eleven.

As far as I know, BJA didn't start writing music until he was fifteen and went through the normal progression of learning instruments and music that most kids go through. Though I'm sure he displayed an obvious natural talent and heart for it and took it more seriously than most kids in the same way other talented kids take baseball or ballet more seriously than most who do it. And he was definitely very driven about it.

hmm nice!! I dont know the lyrics the GD's new songs from their surprise shows (waiting for the album instead) but that would make sense that he would try to move on from the past with how much he writes about it.. but yet again its a great way to write music, to be able to pull a analogous experience from writing. Again I agree that BJA wasnt a prodigy but I do believe he wrote "Why Do You Want Him" at like 10 or 11, very fast after his fathers death..

thats fascinating about your son!! I wish I had that talent..

But I agree with a lot there

[melissawebster]

Wish I had that kind of talent too, but I'm a total klutz with instruments and just started getting into music less than two years ago. No idea where it came from. The best we can figure is his grandfather on his Dad's side, because he was a professional saxophone player who played in a band his entire adult life.

When I did my research, I read BJA wrote his first song "Why Do You Want Him" at age 15 in anger about his stepfather when his mother started dating, because he and his siblings really disliked the guy. Can someone confirm that? Did I get it wrong?

Yeah, pulling from the past is a major source of inspiration for anybody I guess. I mean, you can't really go deep until you've experienced emotional roller coasters. As a writer, I'm drawn to the lyrics in Green Day's music more than anything, and it was those lyrics that made me such a huge fan and inspired three scripts out of me. But yeah, when you break it down to its most basic level, Billie Joe Armstrong is a poet.

[Schlappy]

I do believe he wrote "Why Do You Want Him" at like 10 or 11, very fast after his fathers death..

he was 14. not like it matters, just my own personal victory.

This is why i miss Billies little Twitter tidbits of info! He gave us all origins for a lot of his songs

I imagine he probably would have tested super high on I.Q. just judging from his lyrics

i dont know why but this highly intrigues me... i wonder how he would score on an IQ test. At first i was like umm he failed out of school so probably average. but then again is thoughfullness comparable to IQ? sorry off topic but y'know

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

you are right, it was 15, my mistake.

I mean if you look at majority of his songs, they're from past experiences and some just like each other.. but obviously you can still write about an idea you have that you have no knowledge of and still make it successful

i dont know why but this highly intrigues me... i wonder how he would score on an IQ test. At first i was like umm he failed out of school so probably average. but then again is thoughfullness comparable to IQ? sorry off topic but y'know

i think he would do great actually, just by how much logic is in that brain of his.. lol

[melissawebster]

Yeah, me too. I love hearing the stories behind the songs. Is there a reason he stopped tweeting? I mean, did something specific happen or has he just been too busy and distracted with this new album to do anything on Twitter?

Hmmm... or maybe he just finally got a life

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

i think its the new album... maybe hes trying to hold back from tweeting because he doesn twan tto give too much away? o_O

[Schlappy]

haha i asume the latter. either that or he doesnt think he's diong anything intresting enough to tweet about. he usually tweets the most when he's up to no good something

little does he realize that we're all still waiting with baited breath with no lives in sight heh. he should tweet what he has for breakfast everyday just to keep us entertained

i think he would do great actually, just by how much logic is in that brain of his.. lol

maybe... but IQ tests usually test problem solving and stuff like that. i know hes smart, just not book smart like that

[VisionsofGreenDay115]

lol sure!! sounds good!! I would like it i guess... at least we would get a laugh...

has his writting of the new stuff been good?

[Schlappy]

has his writting of the new stuff been good?

just to let you know im a total lyric junkie... i'm obsessed with deep and thoughful lyrics. In my opinion American Idiot the album overall had the best lyrics.

Of course its sometimes hard to even hear what the lyrics are in the new songs are because they arent great recordings and well... billie mumbles a lot. But so far i think Carpe Diem is beautifully written. the other songs i just cant tell... have too wait and see i guess

[melissawebster]

you are right, it was 15, my mistake.

I mean if you look at majority of his songs, they're from past experiences and some just like each other.. but obviously you can still write about an idea you have that you have no knowledge of and still make it successful

i think he would do great actually, just by how much logic is in that brain of his.. lol

You're right. I've written about a lot of things I had no personal experience with whatsoever. It's more like extensive research and an idea of something in my head. So, I can see where he probably does the same. Though there is definitely an evolution in their music, and it's more personal than not.

I think he'd score really high on an I.Q. test. His lyrics display a high I.Q. and an astute awareness of the world around him. I mean, he and the other guys in Green Day produced Warning, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown years before everyone else in this country woke up to what was happening. And a lot of extremely smart people, even geniuses, fail out of school or drop out. I think I read somewhere once that Einstein was a horrible student, and Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, though he could have easily aced the entire process. From what I've read, BJA and Mike Dirnt were mostly just bored and uninterested in school. They just didn't care. A lot of extremely smart people who do badly in school also are found to have learning disabilities that a structured environment makes even worse. It wouldn't surprise me to find out he had ADHD or something similar. That wasn't easily diagnosed when we were kids. Again, back to my son, he scored a few points below genius on I.Q. tests, but his grades dropped significantly when he didn't take his medicine for ADHD. He outgrew it by the time he was an adult, but he had to learn study skills and work harder than he should have considering his I.Q. Music is really what saved him self-esteem wise and kept him motivated.

Well music, and knowing I'd kick his ass if he didn't take his education seriously.

[melissawebster]

just to let you know im a total lyric junkie... i'm obsessed with deep and thoughful lyrics. In my opinion American Idiot the album overall had the best lyrics.

Of course its sometimes hard to even hear what the lyrics are in the new songs are because they arent great recordings and well... billie mumbles a lot. But so far i think Carpe Diem is beautifully written. the other songs i just cant tell... have too wait and see i guess

I'm a lyric junkie too!!! But it was 21st Century Breakdown that sucked me into Green Day. Specifically, it was "East Jesus Nowhere." I was writing a script with it playing in the background when the part about "Oh bless me Lord for I have sinned..." came on and I just stopped typing and started listening to it. That was the first time I really listened to the lyrics and I was completely hooked, spent the rest of the afternoon reading the lyrics in the booklet while it played. And then I went through the American Idiot cd, and then I decided I was going backwards through their music and reading it all and went back to the store and got Dookie and Nimrod. Didn't get to the other cd's from the 90s until I started writing the script on it, and still haven't heard Kerplunk, but every single new Green Day song I hear is like being a kid on Halloween.

Bwahaha! Yeah, Billie Joe does mumble a lot. Some of the lyrics of the new songs are really hard to understand, but the amazing people on GDC were able to piece together enough of it to give us the gist of where they're going with it, and it is incredible. "Stray Heart" is my favorite, but I really like "Oh love." I mean, he makes an orgasm sound like a spiritual experience.