"Wake Me Up When September Ends"
Single by Green Day
from the album American Idiot
Released	June 13, 2005
Format	Digital Download, CD single, 7" vinyl
Genre	Alternative, rock
Length	4:45
Writer(s)	Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)	Green Day, Rob Cavallo
Peak chart positions
#1 [1](ARG) #6 (USA) #8 (UK) #8 (CAN) #13 (AU) #22 (GER)
Green Day singles chronology
Holiday (2005) Wake Me Up When September Ends (2005) Jesus of Suburbia (2005)
American Idiot track listing
Letterbomb (10)	Wake Me Up When September Ends (11)	Homecoming (12)

"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is the fourth single from Green Day's seventh studio album, American Idiot. Released on 13 June 2005, the single peaked at number six in the United States, becoming Green Day's second Top 10 single. It also peaked at number eight in Canada and the UK, while making number thirteen in Australia. The song is well known for its music video, which paints a drawn out intimate portrait of a wartime situation. Image File history File links Green. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... // A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official and legal music single available for purchase through an online store. ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972, in Oakland, California) is best known as the lead vocalist, main lyricist, and guitarist for the rock band Green Day. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Rob Cavallo is a music producer who has produced several well-known albums. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... American Idiot track listing Jesus of Suburbia (2) Holiday (3) Boulevard of Broken Dreams (4) Holiday is a punk rock song stolen from Minor Threats Out of Step by Green Day, released as the third single off of their seventh studio album American Idiot (2004). ... Jesus of Suburbia is the fifth and final single to be released from Green Days seventh studio album, American Idiot. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Letterbomb is the 10th track on Green Days American Idiot album. ... This article is missing references or citation of sources. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Track list

AU Single:

1. Wake Me Up When September Ends
2. Give Me Novacaine (Live Version from Storytellers)
3. Homecoming (Live Version from Storytellers)

7" Picture Disc:
Side A.

1. Wake Me Up When September Ends

Side B.

1. Give Me Novacaine (Live from Storytellers)

Song information

There once was much debate about what this song was about, one of the most common initial beliefs, and still a very prevalent one at that, being that it is about 9/11. However, Billie Joe has confirmed to the public that the song was written as a memorial anthem about his father, a jazz musician and minor league baseball catcher, who died of lung cancer when Billie Joe was only ten years old. The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ...

In this melancholy ballad, Billie Joe, backed by the support of the other members of Green Day, takes a trip back to his painful childhood and thinks about the day he lost his innocence when his father died. Like many faced with such a traumatic event, Billie Joe never truly recovered, and he can't believe that twenty years have passed since the day. As Armstrong associates pain with the month September, the month his father died, he would rather not deal with anything related to the month prompting him to sing, "As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost... Wake me up when September ends..."

This song is in the key of G major and is four minutes and forty five seconds long. The verses are an example of 32-bar AABA form. In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ... G major is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and G. Its key signature consists of one sharp. ... The thirty-two-bar form, often shortened to AABA, is a musical form common in Tin Pan Alley songs, later popular music including rock and pop music, and jazz, though there were few instances of it in any type of popular music until the late teens, it became the principal...

Music video

The video clip of the song features the story of a teenage couple, played by Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood. Jamie Bell (born 14 March 1986) is an English actor. ... Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American film, television and theater actress, and singer. ...

An image of Green Day performing in the music video

The video strays from the original meaning of the song and instead focuses on the teenage couple as the boyfriend promises never to leave his girlfriend. Later, the girlfriend confronts him about something he did (open-ended), repeatedly yelling, "How could you do this to me?" Although the audience's initial assumption may be that he was unfaithful, subsequent scenes reveal that he in fact enlisted in the United States Marine Corps without her knowledge. The video then shows the boyfriend in battle (presumably in Iraq) being ambushed by enemy forces. The war scene cuts out with the boyfriend hiding after running from an explosion. It cuts back to the girlfriend again, where she is crying. Since the war scene suddenly cuts out, the viewer is left to think about what might have happened. This video adds to the American Idiot anti-war sentiment of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Image File history File links Wakemeuppromoshot. ... Image File history File links Wakemeuppromoshot. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... American Idiot track listing American Idiot (1) Jesus of Suburbia (2) American Idiot is a song by American Rock band Green Day, and is the first single from their seventh album, American Idiot. ... The subject of this article is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

Like the rest of the videos from the album American Idiot, Samuel Bayer was the director. The video features one of Green Day's touring support guitarists, Jason White. Samuel Bayer (born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York) is an American music video director. ...

The song eventually became a tribute song to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and sound bytes were added from various news coverages to the song. A live version of the song, recorded on September 3, 2005 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts was released soon after and dedicated to the hurricane's victims. Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Foxborough (or Foxboro) is a town located in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Boston. ...

Comprehensive charts

See also

• Category:Green Day songs

External links

• Video
• Guitar Tab