Basket Case (song)

Template:About Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox song "Basket Case" is a song by the American rock band Green Day, released on August 1, 1994, by Reprise Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, Dookie (1994). The song spent five weeks at the top of the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart and garnered a Grammy Award nomination in the category for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.<ref name="Strauss, Neil 1995">Strauss, Neil. "'94 Grammy Nominations: Not Just the Familiar". The New York Times. January 6, 1995.</ref> Its music video was directed by Mark Kohr and filmed in an abandoned mental institution in California. In 2001, the song appeared on their greatest hits album International Superhits!. In 2021, "Basket Case" was ranked number 150 in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".<ref name="rollingstone">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Origin and recording

Green Day vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said "Basket Case" is about his struggle with anxiety; before he was diagnosed with a panic disorder years afterward, he thought he was going crazy. Armstrong commented that at the time, "The only way I could know what the hell was going on was to write a song about it."<ref>"Green Day: Dookie". Ultimate Albums [documentary series]. VH1, 2002.</ref>

"Basket Case" was one of the songs producer Rob Cavallo heard when he received Green Day's demo tape. Originally, the song was written as a love ballad, but he scrapped the original lyrics in favor of the new lyrics that we know of today.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He ended up signing the band to Reprise Records in mid-1993.<ref>Spitz, p. 83-86</ref> Green Day and Cavallo recorded the version of "Basket Case" released on the trio's major label debut Dookie between September and October 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.<ref name="SOS">Buskin, Richard. "Green Day: Basket Case" Template:Webarchive. Sound On Sound. February 2011. Retrieved on February 3, 2013.</ref>

In April 2021, Armstrong revealed in his book Welcome to My Panic that he wrote the song whilst on speed and that it was written in Glasgow, Scotland.<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

Composition and lyrics

Template:Listen "Basket Case" is a punk rock<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="buskin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="fricke">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and pop-punk song,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> performed in the key of E-flat major.<ref name="SOS"/> Fred Thomas of AllMusic described the track as a "neurotic punk rock cardio workout".<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The introductory verse features only Armstrong and his guitar. Towards the end of the first chorus, the rest of the band joins in, with Tré Cool adding fast tom fills and explosive transitions and Mike Dirnt adding a bass line that is reminiscent of the vocal melody. The song's chord progression closely mirrors that of Pachelbel's Canon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Dookieat20">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In the song's second verse, the lyrics reference soliciting a male prostitute. Armstrong explained: "I wanted to challenge myself and whoever the listener might be. It's also looking at the world and saying, 'It's not as black and white as you think. This isn't your grandfather's prostitute – or maybe it was.'"<ref name="Dookieat20" />

Release and reception

"Basket Case" was the second single released from Dookie, following "Longview". It peaked at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, a position it maintained for five weeks.<ref name="SOS" /> In 1995, the song garnered a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group category.<ref name="Strauss, Neil 1995"/>

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "Something of an instant classic [...] it is certainly one of the most alternative Top 10 smash since Radiohead's 'Creep'. As to where it goes next it is hard to tell but it could potentially open the door for a flood of the post-Nirvana young American rock bands who are currently making waves on the other side of the Atlantic."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Andrew Mueller from Melody Maker commented, "Green Day themselves are an enthusiastically rockin' kind of act who've learnt a neat trick or two from The Buzzcocks and The Ramones and are the sort of band I'm regrettably likely to think are the future of rock'n'roll if I've drunk enough to stun an ox."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Music Week gave the song three out of five, describing it as "the Generation X-flag-wavers' splenetic slice of Bay Area punk".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> John Mulvey from NME wrote, "Long-time heroes of the US skatepunk scene. Green Day are These Animal Men without the crap Brit-mod trappings and with slightly better songs. Bouncy, a bit fraggly and a bit annoying, but there are worse things in the world. Like 'Speed King', for starters."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Upon the re-release, another NME editor, Andy Richardson, praised it as "an irresistible punk snort, a ripping three-minute blast or the ultimate good mood record to play before you go out, depending which way you look at it."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Paul Evans from Rolling Stone declared it as a "rave-up", noting that Green Day's lyrics "score graffiti hits".<ref>Evans, Paul (December 29, 1994-January 12, 1995). "The year in recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 698/699.</ref> Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits gave it a top score of five out of five and named it Best New Single. He wrote, "Their last single 'Welcome to Paradise' grazed the top 20 here but this is the one to make your mum hammer on your bedroom door 'cos it sounds like you're smashing up your wardrobe. And the funny thing is — you will be 'cos it's quite the most fantastic bedroom-trashing anthem in too long a while."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Charles Aaron from Spin ranked "Basket Case" number 19 in his list of the "Top 20 Singles of the Year" in December 1994.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Troy J. Augusto from Variety described it as "psycho-rave".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Basket Case" was directed by Mark Kohr.<ref>Marks, Craig. "An American Family". Spin. December 1995.</ref> It was filmed in an actual mental institution called Agnews Developmental Center in Santa Clara County, California, at the request of the band members. The mental institution had been abandoned, but most of the structure remained in a broken-down state. The band members found old patient files, deep scratches in the walls and dental molds scattered around.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The video frequently references the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Brazil. The video was originally filmed in monochrome with the colors "painstakingly" added afterward, which yields what Kerrang! describes as an "over-saturated, surreal look".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The video was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1995: Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, Best Alternative Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice Award. The video did not win in any of the categories it was nominated for.<ref>MTV Video Music Awards | 1995 Template:Webarchive. MTV. Retrieved on February 4, 2013.</ref>

Impact and legacy

In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted "Basket Case" the Greatest Punk Song of All Time.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> In 2009, it was named the 33rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, Kerrang! ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Green Day songs,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while it was ranked number 150 in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" that same year.<ref name="rollingstone"/> In 2022, American Songwriter ranked "Basket Case" number two on their list of the 10 greatest Green Day songs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2024, Forbes magazine ranked it number 36 in their list of "The 50 Best Songs of the 1990s". Hugh McIntyre noted that the song "somehow managed to blend the ferocity and fury of punk with top 40-ready hooks, making the angsty tune an unlikely, and rollicking, hit".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In popular culture

"Weird Al" Yankovic featured "Basket Case" in his 1996 polka medley "The Alternative Polka" from Bad Hair Day.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In August 2017, the English band Bastille released a version of the song for the Peter Serafinowicz series The Tick,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but the song was never used in the show.

The song has also been covered and released as a promotional single by Avril Lavigne, who performed the song during her first headlining tour, the Try to Shut Me Up Tour, as seen on her live album Avril Lavigne: My World.<ref name="sfgatesullivan">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2024, it was added to Fortnite in Fortnite Festival as a jam track alongside "Welcome to Paradise" and "When I Come Around".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The song was featured in the video game BMX XXX. It is also featured in the dance rhythm game Just Dance 2025 Edition.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Song was also featured in the absurdist black comedy thriller film Bugonia <ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Track listings

• Initial pressing

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "On the Wagon"  – 2:48
3. "Tired of Waiting for You" – 2:30
4. "409 in Your Coffeemaker" [Unmixed]  – 2:49

• Alternate pressing/Limited edition pressing

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "Longview" (live) – 3:30
3. "Burnout" (live) – 2:03
4. "2,000 Light Years Away" (live) – 2:49

Note: Live tracks recorded March 11, 1994, at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida. These tracks are also available on the live EP Live Tracks Template:Col-2

• Japanese version

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "She" – 2:14
3. "Emenius Sleepus" – 1:43

• 7-inch vinyl singles box set

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
3. "Having a Blast" – 2:44
4. "When I Come Around" (Live from Stockholm, Sweden) — 2:49

Credits and personnel

Green Day

• Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, guitar
• Mike Dirnt – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Tré Cool – drums

Production

• Rob Cavallo – producer
• Green Day – producers

Charts

Weekly charts

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1994–1995 weekly chart performance for "Basket Case"

Chart (1994–1995)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	85
Denmark (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	19
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	11
Finland Airplay (IFPI Finland)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	30
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
Quebec (ADISQ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	47

2025 weekly chart performance for "Basket Case"

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13

Year-end charts

1994 year-end chart performance for "Basket Case"

Chart (1994)	Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	89
Sweden (Topplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	51
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4

1995 year-end chart performance for "Basket Case"

Chart (1995)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	50
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	74
Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	40
Latvia (LAIPA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	46
Norway Winter Period (VG-lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Sweden (Topplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Basket Case"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Template:Abbr
United States	1994	Radio	Reprise
United Kingdom	August 1, 1994	Template:Hlist		<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Australia	October 3, 1994	Template:Hlist		<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
United Kingdom (re-release)	January 16, 1995	Template:Hlist		<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Japan	June 25, 1995	CD		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

• Spitz, Mark (2006). Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. Hyperion. Template:ISBN

External links

• Official music video on YouTube