10 Things You Never Knew About Green Day
2. Good Riddance Was Written For Dookie
Dookie has remained a bit of a mixed blessing for Green Day. Even though it's is the record that arguably made them global stars, the intense backlash from their indie fanbase and the outright vitriol they got from their punk brethren made them looks like pariahs of the genre. Despite being a solid bunch of tracks, the one classic Armstrong had up his sleeve had to take some time to grow before finally making its way onto a record.
With all of the critics from the punk community already breathing down his neck, Armstrong was also going through a breakup with a girl he had met while in the Bay Area. Rather than write an angry "F*ck-You" track, the send-off to his former partner turned into Good Riddance. Though Armstrong did really like the song, he never really envisioned it as a Green Day track until Rob Cavallo took notice.
Not really fitting with the general aesthetic of Dookie, the band sat on the track until their experimental album Nimrod, where it found its home alongside a gentle string accompaniment. Although Green Day was waning in the public eye at the time, this has become one of the most memorable tracks of the '90s, having been the soundtrack to many a graduation in its time. While this might seem like the furthest thing from punk rock, this was a sign that above all else, Green Day was a damn good band with loads of potential to be something huge.