"Holiday" is ananti-warprotest song[4] by Americanrock bandGreen Day. It was released as the third single from the group's seventh studio album,American Idiot (2004), and is also the third track. Though the song is a prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday" was later released as a single on March 14, 2005.
The song achieved considerable popularity across the world and performed moderately well on the charts. It reached number 19 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number one on theHot Modern Rock Tracks andHot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. It debuted at number 11 in the United Kingdom and reached the top 20 in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway.
One of two explicitly political songs on the album (the other being fellow single "American Idiot"),[5] "Holiday" took two months to finish writing, because Armstrong continually felt his lyrics were not good enough. Aided by the encouragement ofRob Cavallo, he completed the song.[6] "Holiday" was inspired by the music ofBob Dylan.[7] Armstrong wanted to write something stronger than "American Idiot", with harsh language to illustrate his points. The song takes aim atAmerican conservatism. Armstrong felt that Republican politicians were "strategic" in alienating one group of people—for example, the gay community—in order to buy the votes of another.[8] He later characterized the song as an outspoken "fuck you" to then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[9] Armstrong for the first time imagined how he would perform the songs he was writing, and envisioned an audience responding to his lyric "Can I get another Amen?".[10] The song's bridge, which Armstrong hoped to be as "twisted as possible", was designed as a "politician's worst nightmare".[7]
The chorus's refrain—"This is our lives on holiday"—was intended to reflect the average American's apathy on the issues of the day.[11] Armstrong characterized the song as "not anti-American; it's anti-war."[12] This sentiment has frequently been reiterated in live performances over the subsequent decades, including on the live albumBullet in a Bible.[13][14]
The first half of the video takes place in a car (a 1968Mercury Monterey convertible), whereBillie Joe Armstrong,Mike Dirnt andTré Cool are partying around inLas Vegas. In the second half, they are cavorting in a bar where each of the band members portrays several different characters. Billie Joe Armstrong plays the mentioned Representative ofCalifornia, two fighting clients, a punk rocker and a nerd. Tré Cool plays a drunken priest, an arrested patron, and a female prostitute. Mike Dirnt plays the barman, another punk, and a policeman. There are also scenes featuring seemingly worn-downcan-can dancers. At the end of the video, the car smokes to a halt in the field that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" begins in. Like the video for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", this video was directed bySamuel Bayer.
"Holiday" has been included on the set lists of numerous Green Day concert tours, some of which playedAmerican Idiot in its entirety to promote the album.[15][16] The song was included on the set list for theRevolution Radio Tour in 2016, where the songs lyrics were adjusted to protest againstDonald Trump'spresidential campaign.[17] It was later included on the set list for theHella Mega Tour, a concert tour for Green Day,Fall Out Boy, andWeezer that began in 2021.[18] The song was later included on the set list for theSaviors Tour, alongside every other song fromAmerican Idiot.[19][20]
^Carter, Emily (July 22, 2020)."Green Day: Every album ranked from worst to best".Kerrang!.Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. RetrievedJuly 31, 2022.It resulted in songs like the epic Jesus Of Suburbia and Homecoming, fired-up punk rock classics like Holiday, St. Jimmy and Letterbomb, and heart-wrenching emotion of Wake Me Up When September Ends and Whatsername.
^Connick, Tom (May 16, 2018)."Green Day: their 15 best songs - ranked".NME.Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2022.A flawless fusion of angst, anger and a massive fuck-you to the political establishment, with a ripping solo and chant-along middle-eight to boot, 'Holiday' is punk-rock perfection.
^"RR Canada Rock Top 30"(PDF).Radio & Records. No. 1603. April 22, 2005. p. 58.Archived(PDF) from the original on October 13, 2020. RetrievedOctober 8, 2019.
