Basket Case (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Basket Case" | ||
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| Single by Green Day | ||
| from the album Dookie | ||
| Released | 1994/1995 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3:03 | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Producer(s) | Green Day Jerry Finn |
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| Chart positions | ||
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| Green Day singles chronology | ||
| "Welcome to Paradise" (1994) |
"Basket Case" (1994) |
"When I Come Around" (1995) |
"Basket Case" is a song by Green Day from their 1994 hit album Dookie. After the single was released in January 1995, the song ended up being a huge hit. The song was written by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about his struggle with anxiety; before he was diagnosed with a panic disorder, he thought he was going crazy. The music video, featuring the band members in a mental institution, received heavy airplay on MTV. This song and its music video helped propel Dookie to become a major success among most mainstream rock listeners. Dookie went on to become a multi-platinum album featuring this song as well as hit singles "Longview", "When I Come Around", "Welcome to Paradise" and "She".
In 1995, Green Day was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Basket Case".
This 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.
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[edit] Music Video
This was the second music video by Green Day, and it was directed by Mark Kohr. The video was shot in an actual mental institution, at the request of the band members. The mental institution had since been abandoned, but most of the structure remained in a broken-down state. The band members found deep scratches in the walls and dental molds scattered around. The music video was actually shot in black and white and the color was added in later, contributing to the surreal effect of the video. The video was nominated for multiple MTV Video Music Awards in 1995: Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Hard Rock Video, Best Alternative Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice Award.[1] The music video also had a mash-up on MTV with Nelly's Country Grammar called "Country Basket".
[edit] Trivia
- The verse for this song is nearly the same chord progression as Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel,lacking only the penultimate IV chord of Canon and raised one half-step. It can also be noted that on the album version, voices can be heard at the very end of the song, whilst the concluding music is being played. Very faint screams can be heard in 2:35, and at 2:39, careful listeners can detect seemingly muted screams. The screams then move in and out till the final chords of the song.
- The music video for Basket Case has several references to the 1975 Milos Forman film, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" starring Jack Nicholson. In order of appearance, they are:
- The red-haired nurse in the video parts her hair in the middle, forming two puffs on each side of her head, resembling Nurse Ratched, a character in the film.
- The red-haired nurse also delivers the medication in a small paper cup, much like Nurse Ratched in the film.
- Two patients of the ward in the music video are watching a television set that isn't turned on, possibly alluding to the scene in the film where McMurphy wanted to watch the world series, but Nurse Ratched wouldn't turn on the television.
- Mike Dirnt throws something large at a window, causing it to shatter. In the film, Chief Bromden lifts a massive sink out of the floor and throws it through a window to make his escape after they lobotomized McMurphy, who had failed to lift the sink earlier in the film.
[edit] Covers and Other References
- The song was covered by Avril Lavigne, Dilana, Elysium and by Freefaller. The Offspring also covered the first 39 seconds of the song, seemingly for fun or to make fun of. Another clever cover was by the Stanford Harmonies collegiate a capella group, who played the song entirely on pitch pipes- the only instrument used in a capella. Puffy AmiYumi, who claim that Basket Case is their favorite Green Day song, also covered the song as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their new album Splurge.
- Later on, Weird Al Yankovic used the song with others alternative songs in the polka medley "Alternative Polka".
- Dale Oliver from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling made a ripoff of this song for Phi Delta Slam.
- At the "Edit Gametypes" menu on the multiplayer of Halo: Combat Evolved, there is a line from "Basket Case".
[edit] Track listing
- Basket Case
- Longview (live)
- Burnout (live)
- 2000 Light Years Away (live)
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 1995 | Official Norwegian Singles Chart | No. 2 |
| 1994 | Official Sweden Singles Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 5 |
| 1994 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 9 |
| 1995 | Official Irish Singles Chart | No. 11 |
| 1994 | Top 40 Mainstream (US) | No. 16 |
| 1995 | Official German Singles Chart | No. 18 |
[edit] Sample
- "Basket Case" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Basket Case" by Green Day.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
