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"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Single by Green Day
from the album Nimrod
B-side	"Desensitized" "Rotting"
Released	December 2, 1997 (1997-12-02)
Genre	Alternative rock folk folk punk acoustic rock
Length	2:34 (album version) 2:28 (music video)
Label	Reprise
Composer(s)	Green Day
Lyricist(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Hitchin' a Ride" (1997) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (1997) "Redundant" (1998)
Music video
"Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" on YouTube

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a song by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Nimrod (1997). Although different from the band's usual sound, it is one of their most popular songs, and has became one of their signature songs. It has also become a staple of their concerts and is usually played as the final song.

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" became a chart hit, peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart and reaching the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. As of November 2022, the song had sold over five million copies and is certified quintuple platinum in the United States and double platinum in Australia and the United Kingdom, making it the band's most commercially successful single.

Background

Billie Joe Armstrong wrote "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" in 1993 about his girlfriend named Amanda who moved to Ecuador, with him naming the song "Good Riddance" to show his anger towards her. He did not show the song to his bandmates until the Dookie recording sessions later the same year. During the sessions, however, the song was determined to be too different from the rest of the songs on Dookie, and producer Rob Cavallo was unsure of how to structure the recording.

An early version of the song (in a different key, with a faster tempo and sparer arrangement) simply titled "Good Riddance" appeared as a B-side to the European single for "Brain Stew/Jaded".

When the time came to record Nimrod, Armstrong decided to record the song again, and Cavallo suggested they add strings to the track. He sent the band to play foosball in another room while he recorded the strings, which took "like fifteen, twenty minutes, maybe a half an hour at the most." Cavallo reflected on his decision to add the strings "I knew we had done the right thing. It was a hit the second I heard it."

Composition

In comparison to previous Green Day material, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" features more mellow, contemplative lyrics with acoustic music. Band member Mike Dirnt said that the release of this song was probably the "most punk" thing they could have done.

The song has been labelled alternative rock, folk, folk punk, and acoustic rock.

Album version

The album version of the song begins with Armstrong messing up the opening chords twice, muttering "fuck" under his breath before starting over and getting it right, thus starting the song. Radio versions and the music video omitted the expletive.

Music video

The music video was directed by Mark Kohr in Los Angeles in November 1997, and is based on a concept by Armstrong. The video features Armstrong singing and playing an acoustic guitar in an apartment (filmed in LA's Ambassador Hotel), intercut with "pull-in" shots of various people involved in mundane activities. All of the subjects are shown seemingly staring into space absent-mindedly. Dirnt and Tré Cool make cameo appearances in the video as a person pumping gas (Dirnt), and an injured bike rider being attended by paramedics (Tré). When the video came out, the name of the song was inverted, hence the video's title is "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)". This title was also used on the single cover.

In 1998, Green Day won their first MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video for "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and they were also nominated for Viewer's Choice.

The video can be found on their music video compilation DVD, International Supervideos!.

Legacy

To the band's surprise, the song became a hit at prom dances. Because of the song's lyrics, which many graduating seniors interpret as nostalgic and reflective of their time in high school, it has become a staple song at proms. Armstrong remarked that, in retrospect, the lyrics make sense when viewed that way. "The people that you grew up and braved the trials of high school with will always hold a special place. Through all the BS of high school you hope that your friends had the time of their life, and that's what the song is talking about".

The song is featured in the season nine episode of Seinfeld, entitled "The Chronicle" (also known as "The Clip Show"). The song plays in the closing minutes of the episode, which feature a series of bloopers, behind the scenes production, and a montage. It is the second-to-last episode of Seinfeld before the show's series finale in 1998.

The song was played on ITV in 1998, when the England National Football Team were knocked out of the France 98 tournament, losing to Argentina.

On May 28, 2015, Rolling Stone named "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" as one of the 20 Best Graduation Songs of the Past 20 Years (1995–2015).

Personnel

Credits

• Billie Joe Armstrong – acoustic guitar, vocals
• David Campbell – strings arrangement
• Conan McCallum – first violin

Additional credits

• Billie Joe Armstrong – words
• Green Day – music
• Rob Cavallo and Green Day – production

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

1. Rogers, Jack (October 26, 2022). "Green Day's 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)' Certified 5x Platinum In US". Rock Sound. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
2. ^ Spitz, Marc (2006). Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. Hyperion. p. 131. ISBN 978-1401309121.
3. "Green Day - Brain Stew / Jaded". Discogs. November 26, 1996.
4. VH1 Top 100 Songs of the '90's: "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
5. "The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1997". Spin. April 25, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
6. Richin, Leslie (January 12, 2017). "20 Alternative Rock Hits Turning 20 in 2017". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
7. Kot, Greg (October 2, 1997). "Green Day - "Nimrod"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 13, 2020. "Redundant," with its chiming, Byrds-ian guitars and soaring vocals, and "Walking Alone," with its plaintive harmonica, are persuasive midtempo pop songs, while "Good Riddance" is a surprisingly sweet folk anthem buoyed by strings.
8. Brown, Ed (October 13, 2022). "Nimrod showcased Green Day at their most authentically eclectic". Treble. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
9. Cinquemani, Sal (November 11, 2021). "MUSIC Review: Green Day, International Superhits!". Slant. Retrieved April 16, 2022. The album's new offering, "Poprocks & Coke," dishes out more of the maturated, acoustic-filled folk-punk that began with "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and Warning (the most notable selection from that album, "Macy's Day Parade," aptly closes Superhits!).
10. Acoustic Nation (August 12, 2015). "Best Acoustic Rock Song of All Time Poll: "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" Vs. "Jack & Diane"". Guitar World. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
11. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com.
12. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day". Song Facts.
13. "Rock On The Net: 1998 MTV Video Music Awards". www.rockonthenet.com.
14. Schwartz, Terri (May 8, 2013). "The Best Prom Songs of the '80s, '90s and '00s". iVillage. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
15. ^ CBS Local (April 30, 2012). "Top 10 Prom Songs". CBS. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
16. Lamb, Bill (c. 2006). "Top 10 Prom Songs 2006". Top 40 / Pop. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
17. Atlantic Coast Entertainment. "Popular Prom Songs". Atlantic Coast Entertainment. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
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24. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 6. February 7, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
25. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (5.2. – 12.2. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 6, 1998. p. 26. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
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43. "Canadian single certifications – Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". Music Canada. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
44. "Danish single certifications – Green Day – Time of Your Life". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
45. "Italian single certifications – Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved August 19, 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
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48. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1225. November 28, 1997. p. 41.
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50. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. January 17, 1998. p. 35.

• 1990s ballads
• 1997 songs
• 1997 singles
• 2008 singles
• Folk ballads
• Green Day songs
• Glen Campbell songs
• Songs written by Billie Joe Armstrong
• Reprise Records singles
• Song recordings produced by Rob Cavallo
• Songs about parting
• Graduation songs
• Alternative rock ballads
• Folk punk songs
• American folk songs