10 Things You Never Knew About Green Day

10. They wrote a GoGos Song

As far back as punk goes, there has always been a particular distaste towards authority. No matter how tuneful some of the songs from bands like the Ramones were, every single track blaring out of their amplifiers was in direct opposition to the manufactured crap that had taken the music world by storm. Then again, Green Day were one of the first acts that proved that pop and punk could fit nicely together.

Though not known as a ghostwriter too often, Billie Joe Armstrong was actually a contributor to the comeback album from the '80s girl group the GoGos, where he donated his chops to the song Unforgiven. While it sounds weird to have a punk act on a group known for bubblegum, the actual construction of the GoGos was not too far removed from the underground, seeing how they got their start in punk rock squats just like Armstrong.

Finding a kindred spirit in Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Coffey, the chorus of this song has Armstrong's fingerprints all over it, from the descending chord progression to the straight ahead rhythm it has. As it turns out, Billie ended up thinking enough of the tune to also add backing vocals and a little bit of guitar into the final mix. So next time you try to pass off the GoGos as music that your mum would love to listen to, take a closer listen and see the pop punk wonderchild at work behind the madness.