Longview (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Longview" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Green Day | ||
| from the album Dookie | ||
| Released | 1994 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | 1993 | |
| Genre | Pop-punk | |
| Length | 3:59 | |
| Label | Wea International/ Reprise Records | |
| Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |
| Chart positions | ||
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N/A |
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| Green Day singles chronology | ||
| "Longview" (1994) |
"Welcome to Paradise" (1994) |
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"Longview" is the first major-label single released by pop-punk band Green Day, from their hit 1994 album, Dookie. The music video for this song received intense airplay on MTV, which is largely credited for breaking Green Day into mainstream popularity. 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, no life, and doing drugs. 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 high, and what remains on the album is what he and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong could recall in the morning. With the verses featuring the signature walking bassline and tribal tom-tom drumbeat culminating into the melodic yet destructive chorus, the song echoes the '60s classic, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by The Animals.
In 1995, Green Day was nominated for Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for "Longview".
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.
Contents |
[edit] Song idea
"It's about boredom, masturbation and smoking dope." - Billie Joe Armstrong [1]
"I guess it was just living in the suburbs in a sort of shit down 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 flying 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 a song came about after the band took a trip to Longview, Washington where they first played this song. - according to Jim Baltutis, their press agent for the concert.
[edit] Other Versions
- A live version found on the Foot in Mouth EP.
- A slighty different version on International Superhits!
- Another live version found on Bullet in a Bible.
- Another live version found on the "Basket Case" single.
[edit] Music video
The video takes place in a dimly-lit basement of a broken-down house in Oakland, California that the band used to live in. The cost of the video is reported to be US$300. The video infamously contains a scene where lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong violently rips up their couch. The band members say that the look was intentionally grungy and un-aestheticized, including low-budget filming and visible pimples and apples. This was Green Day's first music video and was directed by Mark Kohr. The music video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in 1994: Best Group Video, Best New Artist. [2]
[edit] Trivia
- On the original versions of Dookie, the song is titled as "Long View", possibly a mistake, like the titling of "Stuck With Me."
- Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine covered this as a Tropical Caribbean style song on his 2004 album "I'd Like a Virgin".
- The music video has been critiqued on a popular MTV show of the time, Beavis and Butthead.
- After filming Longview, Billie Joe sat on the couch and watched TV to find that Kurt Cobain was found dead.
[edit] Track listing
- "Longview (Album Version)"
- "Welcome to Paradise (Live)"
- "One of My Lies (Live)"
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 1994 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 14 |
| 1994 | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 30 |
[edit] Sample
- "Longview" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample of "Longview" by Green Day.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
