Redundant (song)

"Redundant"
Single by Green Day
from the album Nimrod
Released May 26, 1998
Format CD single, vinyl
Recorded 1997
Genre Pop punk, alternative rock
Length 3:17
Label Reprise
Writer(s) Billie Joe Armstrong / Green Day
Producer(s) Rob Cavallo, Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
(1997)
"Redundant"
(1998)
"Nice Guys Finish Last"
(1999)

"Redundant" is a song by American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the third single from their fifth album, Nimrod. The song failed to match the impressive chart positions of its predecessors, despite an ambitious music video.

It is one of few Green Day songs in which vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong uses an effects pedal.

Meaning

Before the Nimrod sessions, Billie Joe Armstrong's marriage had been deteriorating, with the singer arguing with his wife Adrienne Armstrong constantly. Influenced by this conflict, Armstrong reflected on the relationship from two standpoints; the first being his passion for his wife, the second being the repetitious pattern that the relationship had fallen into. The phrase "I love you" had lost its effectiveness and seemed to be said merely out of routine.

Track listing

Promotional
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant"   3:16
2. "Redundant (Richard Dodd Medium Wide Mix)"   3:20
CD 1
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant" (Richard Dodd Medium Wide Mix) 3:16
2. "The Grouch" (live) 3:23
3. "Paper Lanterns" (live) 4:56
CD 2
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant" (Richard Dodd Medium Wide Mix) 3:16
2. "Reject" (live) 2:05
3. "She" (live) 2:26
AUS CD
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant" (Richard Dodd Medium Wide Mix) 3:16
2. "The Grouch" (live) 3:23
3. "Paper Lanterns" (live) 4:56
4. "Reject" (live) 2:05
5. "She" (live) 2:26
Redundant/Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) AUS CD
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant" (album version) 3:16
2. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (album version) 2:34

7-inch

Side A
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant" (Richard Dodd Medium Wide Mix) 3:16
Side B
No. Title Length
2. "The Grouch" (live) 3:23

Vinyl Box Set

Side A
No. Title Length
1. "Redundant"   3:16
2. "Nice Guys Finish Last"   2:49
Side B
No. Title Length
3. "Prosthetic Head"   3:38
4. "Nice Guys Finish Last" (live) 2:58

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1998 Australian Singles Chart 2 A
1998 US Modern Rock Tracks 16[1]
1998 UK Singles Chart 27
1998 Australian Singles Chart 50 B
1998 Canadian RPM Alternative 30 20

Music video

The music video for "Redundant", directed by Mark Kohr,[2] is an homage to Zbigniew Rybczyński's short film Tango. It features the three band members performing the song in the middle of a home. The camera angle remains static for the whole duration of the video.

In the background, several people repeat various mundane tasks for the duration of the video:

The activity peaks near the middle of the video and declines near the end. Tré and Mike leave, but Billie Joe takes the newspaper before the woman can reach it, causing her to scream, and in some aspect, breaking the "routine".

References

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