Longview

"Longview"
Single by Green Day
from the album Dookie
Released	June 6, 1994
Format	CD
Recorded	1993
Genre	Punk rock
Length	3:59
Label	WEA International, Reprise
Writer(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong / Green Day
Producer	Rob Cavallo and Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Longview" (1994) "Welcome to Paradise" (1994)

"Longview" is the first major-label single released by punk band Green Day, from their hit 1994 album, Dookie. The song was the band's first single to top the Modern Rock chart in the U.S. The music video for this song received intense airplay on MTV, which is largely credited for breaking Green Day into mainstream popularity.^{[citation needed]} The lyrics describe intense boredom and are about a day spent sitting around the house, doing absolutely nothing of importance, masturbating until it is no longer fun, having no job, and no life. The song captured the attention of many youth at the time with its overt allusions to masturbation. Bassist Mike Dirnt has stated that the famous bass line intro to this song was written one night while he was tripping on acid,^[1] and what remains on the album is what he and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong could recall in the morning.^[2]

In 1995, Green Day received four Grammy Award nominations, including Best Hard Rock Performance for "Longview". They won Best Alternative Music Performance for Dookie.^[3]

This song can also be found on their 2001 greatest hits collection International Superhits and a live performance can be found on the Bullet in a Bible DVD.

Track listing

Initial pressing

1. "Longview" – 3:59
2. "Welcome to Paradise" (live)
3. "One of My Lies" (live)

• (Live tracks recorded March 11, 1994 at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida)

German pressing

1. "Longview" – 3:59
2. "Going to Pasalacqua" (live) – 4:12
3. "F.O.D. (Fuck Off and Die)" (live) – 2:44
4. "Christie Road" (live) – 3:49

UK pressing

1. "Longview" – 3:59
2. "On the Wagon" – 2:48

Pocket Sleeve

1. "Longview" - 3:39
2. "On The Wagon" - 2:48
3. "F.O.D. (Fuck Off and Die)" (live) - 2:44

• (Live tracks recorded March 11, 1994 at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida)

7" Vinyl Box Set

1. "Longview"
2. "Welcome To Paradise"
3. "Coming Clean"
4. "Chump" (Live from Stockholm, Sweden)

Concept

"It's about boredom, and smoking dope." - Billie Joe Armstrong^[4]

"I guess it was just living in the suburbs in a sort of shit town where you can't even pull in a good radio station. I was living in Rodeo, California, about 20 minutes outside of Oakland. There was nothing to do there, and it was a real boring place." - Billie Joe Armstrong in an interview in Guitar Legends magazine, May 2005.

"When Billie gave me a shuffle beat for Longview, I was frying on acid so hard. I was laying up against the wall with my bass lying on my lap. It just came to me. I said, "Bill, check this out. Isn't this the wackiest thing you've ever heard?" Later, it took me a long time to be able to play it, but it made sense when I was on Drugs." - Mike Dirnt in Rolling Stone magazine, 1995.

It is said that the name of the song came about after the band took a trip to Longview, Washington where they first played this song.^{[citation needed]}

Live Performances

Longview has been played at nearly every Green Day concert since its release. At every show on the 21st Century Breakdown World Tour they have picked someone from the crowd to sing the song.

Other versions

• A live version found on the Foot in Mouth EP, Live Tracks EP, and "Basket Case" single. (recorded March 11, 1994 at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida).
• A slightly different version on International Superhits! (no fade from "Chump")
• Another live version found on Bullet in a Bible.
• Singer/comedienne Lea DeLaria recorded a jazz version on her 2005 album Double Standards.

Music video

The video takes place in a dimly-lit basement unit of a house in Berkeley, California that the band used to live in. The band members say that the look was intentionally grungy. In the video, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong is shown sitting on a couch watching television, before going insane and tearing up the couch later in the video. A few moments before filming started, the news of Kurt Cobain's death broke and Armstrong learned of it while sitting there watching TV.^[5]

This was Green Day's first music video and was directed by Mark Kohr. Cinematography was by Adam Beckman. The video was edited by Bob Sarles. The "Longview" music video was produced by Robert Caruso of Commotion Pictures for Warner Bros. Records. The video was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards in 1994: Best Group Video, Best Alternative Video, and Best New Artist.^[6]

References