Rocktober '90s Song #9: "Basket Case" by Green Day (1994)

In 1994, the world didn't realize it needed a pop punk injection, and then came Dookie, Green Day's third studio album, but their first major-label release.  It pretty quickly thrust the band into mainstream, with help from the band's spot on one of the side stages at Lollapalooza and their appearance at Woodstock '94, where they infamously engaged in literal mud slinging with the crowd.

I remember hearing the first single, "Longview," on Q101 and being taken aback by the fact that the song openly talked about masturbation -- and even more taken aback by the fact that they suggested masturbation could lose its fun, though as a sophomore in high school, no one would dare admit to pleasuring themselves.  But anyway, after that, four other now-classic Green Day singles followed:  "Welcome to Paradise" (which was a re-recording, as the song had originally appeared on their 1991 album Kerplunk), "Basket Case," "When I Come Around," and "She."  Each one was a Top 7 song on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, with "Longview," "Basket Case," and "When I Come Around" topping that chart.

Dookie would reach #2 on the Billboard album chart, #1 on the album charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the Top 10 on the album charts in seven other countries.  It is certified diamond in the U.S., and over the years, it has received various accolades over the years, including #1 on Rolling Stone's Readers' Choice Best Albums of 1994 list, #375 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list, and #2 on Kerrang!'s list of the Greatest Pop Punk Albums Ever.  It ended up being #33 on Billboard's Decade-End album chart for the '90s.

While there are various songs from the album I could have chosen, my favorite is "Basket Case," a three-minute blast of energy with lyrics by lead singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong about his battles with anxiety and various delicious fills from drummer Tré Cool.  And the video is great too, with the band playing in a mental institution.  Like they ever would give mental patients cords.