Wake Me Up When September Ends

And more than 20 years later, it would become the emotional foundation for one of Green Day's most powerful songs.

And we'll get to that when we talk about Wake Me Up When September Ends.

But for now, young Billy Joe found comfort in music.

He became fascinated with punk rock, especially the freedom and rebellious energy of the Bay Area scene.

Now this is where the story becomes especially personal.

Earlier we talked about Billy Joe losing his father when he was 10 years old.

His father died in September 1982, and that childhood loss became the inspiration for Wake Me Up When September Ends.

It's one of Rain Day's most emotionally powerful songs.

Songs I hope to never hear again because I heard them so much.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams and When September Ends.

I got so sick of it.

I loved it when it dropped.

I knew American Idiot because I was in a football video game.

I knew Wake Me Up When September Ends because again, just like popular songs.

But when I listened to the album all the way through, I was like, this seems like a cohesive thing.

This is interesting and kind of different from what I'm used to with just like radio songs and song about love, song about love, song about love, song about drinking, song about love.

There's an Orange behind a mic, a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb.

Pedals, there's a Boss DS-1, Dan Electro Daddio Overdrive, TS-9 Tube Screamer.

another tube screamer with some unknown gray pedal next to it guitars jesus of suburbia intro red gibson es-135 semi-hollow solo during i don't care gibson les paul sunburst model unknown there's a white slash cream fender esquire boulevard a broken dream soul is a gibson les paul sunburst boulevard verse rhythm guitar that says floyd 56 les paul jr almost certainly with a stock p90 and then parentheses not sure if this is billy recording the tremolo part or just the rhythm chords and then more of the sunburst les paul more 335 more of the les paul jr yeah wake me up when september ends chorus gibson les paul sunburst This guy seems to think that most of the album is the Les Paul Jr., which is a 56 Gibson Jr., probably stock pickup, meaning a P90.

And that is the image that I associate with Green Day of that era is like Billy Joe with the P90 Les Paul Jr.

1982 was gone so fast.

Wake me up when this podcast ends.

I think we might be getting harassed The number of podcasts piles up fast Wake me up when this podcast ends Here comes old Dave again Running down the aisles He's got another theme again I wonder what it is this time Movies about bands and crap The Oneidas and Spinal Tap Wake me up when this podcast ends Here comes the gang again Parting from the store Drenched in Mountain Dew again I guess that this is who we are Turn the dial up past ten.

A hard day's night will be our end.

Wake me up when this podcast ends.

Women scream.

Grown men flee.

I'm your host, Dave.