10 Rock Songs With Weird Instruments

10. Misery - Green Day

As the 2000's started, Green Day were already shaking up their sound with their new release Warning. Rather than the two minute pop-punk anthems, these songs borrowed a lot from folk rock with acoustic guitars, which made the music feel incredibly organic. Midway through the record, "Misery" came on sounding like something out of a twisted carnival.

Opening the track is a Farfisa organ played by Mike Dirnt, which provides a sound that feels like being transported into a silent cartoon. Given the subject matter of various teamsters living dangerous lives, the organ plays a key part in getting the listener in the mood for the demented journey that lies ahead.

That's not where the weirdness stops though. Looking to find even more off-the-wall sounds for the interlude, the band hired a mariachi ensemble to come into the studio to provide a more exotic flair to the track. After weeks of studio time, the song had gone from a plain acoustic ballad to a sonic ride through the seedier sides of American life. Given the final product, "Misery" is certainly an oddity in Green Day's catalog whose sound has aged like fine wine.