"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a song by the Americanrock bandGreen Day and the fourth single from their seventh studio album,American Idiot (2004). Written by the band's front manBillie Joe Armstrong, the song is about the death of Armstrong's father in September 1982 and his life since. The song's lyrics have also been interpreted in other ways, including as a song about the victims and survivors of theSeptember 11 attacks. The song is arock ballad, starting with an acoustic guitar and later introducing an electric guitar and bells. It was recorded atOcean Way Recording.
An accompanying music video, filmed in Los Angeles, was directed bySamuel Bayer. It depicts a young couple (played byJamie Bell andEvan Rachel Wood) that are split up after the boyfriend joins theUnited States Marine Corps during theIraq War, and leaves the fate of him and his division uncertain. Bayer said that he designed the music video as a "mini-movie", different from other music videos, while also aiming to spread awareness about the Iraq War's effects on soldiers. The music video was well received, reaching number one onTotal Request Live and being voted as the second best music video of 2005 by readers ofRolling Stone.
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" has been performed at several of the band's concerts, and has also been covered by other musicians. In the years since its release, the song has often seen annual spikes in popularity during the final days of September, commonly coinciding withinternet memes about the song. The song became associated withHurricane Katrina after a blogger created a viral video pairing the song with news coverage of the disaster.
In 2004, Green Day released their seventh studio album,American Idiot.[1] Apunk rockconcept album,American Idiot's narrative is focused on the story of a teenager (who refers to himself as the "Jesus of Suburbia") growing up in the United States under the presidency ofGeorge W. Bush during the Iraq War, criticizing both.[2]
One of the songs inAmerican Idiot, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", is not entirely related to the album's central narrative.[3][4] The song was inspired by the death of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong's father in September 1982.[2] On the day of his father's funeral, Armstrong reportedly ran home, locked himself in his room, and when his mother came to check on him, he told her to wake him up when September ended,[5] and held onto the song title for several years after.[6] In an interview with theHoward Stern Show, Armstrong said that he initially avoided writing a song about his father for years, until he "[had] a breakthrough" and created "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in his honor.[5][6] It was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, and produced byRob Cavallo.[7]
American Idiot was released on September 21, 2004, through Reprise Records;[8] "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is the eleventh song on the standard track list.[7][9] It was released as the album's fourth single[10] on June 13, 2005,[11][12] also through Reprise.[13] A live recording of the song was included in the live albumBullet In A Bible, released in 2005.[14] The song was featured inAmerican Idiot, the 2009jukebox musical based on the album, and its2010 cast recording.[15][16] The song was later included in Green Day's greatest hits albumGod's Favorite Band (2017).[17] The song was included as part of the 20th anniversary reissue ofAmerican Idiot, alongside live and demo recordings of the song, released on October 25, 2024.[18] A demo recording of the song, set to be part of the reissue, was released early on September 6, 2024, alongside theB-side track "Governator" and a live recording of "St. Jimmy"[19]
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a slow-pacedemo[3]rock ballad.[2][8][4] It is four minutes and forty-five seconds long.[20][21][22] It begins with an acoustic guitararpeggio, later introducing other instruments such as an electric guitar and bells which create what Jordan Blum ofPopMatters described as a "militarist rhythm";[8] Blum described each element of the song as "aching to express the same angst".[8] The last few seconds of the song are silence only broken by a few reverberated guitar notes, which Blum described to "embody the sad aftermath".[8] Several journalists found the song to be similar to "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)", an earlier Green Day song;[8][23][4][10]Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone considered "Wake Me Up When September Ends" to be the song's "sadder, more adult sequel".[23]
Marginally diverging from the album'smain narrative, the song's lyrics are primarily about the life of Armstrong after his father's death, and his life since.[5][3] Throughout the song, Armstrong emphasizes the time that had passed since then, stating "Like my father's come to pass / Seven years has gone so fast", which is repeated later in the song as "Twenty years has gone so fast", referring to how long it had been by the time he recorded the song.[5] While Armstrong's personal experiences were the primary basis for the song, many have considered the song to have multiple meanings. These meanings range from contributing to the narrative ofAmerican Idiot to the song being interpreted as a homage to the victims of the September 11 attacks. The former is supported by lyrics that reference an earlier song in the album (specifically "Holiday") and the friends and family that the Jesus of Suburbia left behind on his journey. After realizing what he had lost, he chooses to return home in the next song in the album, "Homecoming".[8]
Initial reception towards "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was mixed. A staff reviewer ofIGN described the song as "powerful" and praised the lack of direct connections to the rest of the album, writing that it allowed the song to provide "universal emotion".[4] Tim O'Neil ofPopMatters expressed a mixed opinion on the song, writing that it was one of the most emotionally impactful songs on the album, but also felt that the song could have been a bit generic, describing it as "used at the end of an episode ofDawson's Creek" or another popular show.[24] Johnny Luftus ofPitchfork criticized the song's shift in tone from the rest of the album, believing it to be slow compared to the rest ofAmerican Idiot, describing it as the "cost of ambition".[25] He later criticized the song again in a review ofBullet in a Bible, stating that the song made it "unclear whatIdiot was supposed to mean in the first place".[14]
Retrospective opinions on the song have been positive.[8][26][27][28] In a retrospective article, Jordan Blum ofPopMatters described "Wake Me Up When September Ends" as the most poignant song in the album, writing that the song could be considered "deceptively simple yet subtly brilliant" based on the different possible interpretations of its lyrics. When viewing it as a personal song for Armstrong, he described it as one of his "bravest and most revealing songs", as well as "overwhelmingly truthful and touching" when viewing it as a song about the September 11 attacks. He also considered "Wake Me Up When September Ends" to be the best song that Green Day had ever written.[8] Matthew Leimkuehler ofAmerican Songwriter described the song as having a "memorable, powerful message" that discussed long-lasting grief and the consequences of unexpected life events.[26]
When ranking the band's songs, Scott Waldman ofAlternative Press and the staff ofConsequence placed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" at numbers 8 and 20, respectively. The former's Philip Cosores said that the song "provided an emotional gut-punch", while the latter said that the song reminded him of his own father, thanking Armstrong for writing the song.[27][28] Jon O'Brien ranked the song as the fourth best inAmerican Idiot, describing Armstrong's performance as "one of his most powerful vocals", and one that could still compare to more recent emo songs.[29]
In the United States, the song reached number six on theBillboard Hot 100, and spent twenty weeks on the chart.[30][31] It also reached number two on theBillboard Alternative Airplay,[32] and twelve onMainstream Rock.[33] OnBillboard year-end charts for 2005, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was number 46.[34] The song was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2008.[35] In Canada, the song entered the CHR/Pop Top 30 at number four,[36] the Hot AC Top 30 at number three,[37] and the Rock Top 30 at number 1.[38] It was certified Platinum in the country four times by Music Canada.[39]
Outside of North America, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" reached number one on the charts in Croatia[40] and the Czech Republic,[41] as well as reaching number one onGermany Airplay.[42] In the United Kingdom, it reached number one on theUK Rock & Metal chart,[43] spending seven weeks at that spot,[44] as well as peaking at number eight on theUK singles chart.[45][46] As of February 2020, it is the bands fourth most-successful song in the country.[46] The song won the Favorite Song award at the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, hosted byNickelodeon. At the same ceremony, Green Day was the recipient of the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Music Group.[47]
The main characters in the video were played byJamie Bell (left, pictured in 2019) andEvan Rachel Wood (right, pictured in 2022)
The song's music video was directed by Samuel Bayer, known for directing music videos forNirvana andMetallica.[48] Bayer envisioned the video as a mini-movie,[49] wanting to create something unlike other music videos that he felt were predictable.[48] Bayer brought the idea of an Iraq War-themed video to the band after interviewing soldiers who had signed up to fight after being persuaded by a television advertisement.[50] Bayer also said that he wanted the music video to be more political than the album's other music videos, saying that he "wanted kids to talk about the war", and felt that MTV had not spread awareness of the conflict and its consequences on soldiers.[10] Although it was not the song's original meaning, Armstrong felt it was appropriate.[51] Bayer and his crew spent a month casting actors for the roles and conducted rehearsals, which was uncommon for music videos.[48] It was filmed in Los Angeles.[49]
The video focuses on a couple in love, played by Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood.[48] The boyfriend promises never to leave his girlfriend but they later argue when the boyfriend enlists in theUnited States Marine Corps. The boyfriend interprets his actions as a way to show her that he loves her to the point that he would put his life on the line to keep her safe. However, the girlfriend is heartbroken, viewing this as him breaking his vow to never leave her. The video then shows the boyfriend in battle in Iraq being ambushed byinsurgents. Despite the Marines fighting back, several of them fall to the ground wounded. This scene is intercut with scenes of the girlfriend tearfully mourning in a quiet field,[52] implying that the boyfriend and his division had been killed in action.[53]
Responses to the music video were generally positive.[10][54][55][56] While its original message of the clip was meant to be anti-war, some interpreted as pro-war.[56] While recognizing the music video's original message,Kelefa Sanneh of theNew York Times said that the music video also served as a good "support-our-troops" statement; according to Sarah Boxer, also of theNew York Times, the video has been reposted by online bloggers with a caption describing it as a "great recruitment video".[56] Michael Moore ofRolling Stone praised the music video's "authentic" depiction of war, and its effect on soldiers.[10]
It became one of the most requested music videos on MTV,[54] reaching number one onTotal Request Live[51] and remaining one of the most popular clips into September 2005.[56] In a 2005 reader poll byRolling Stone for the best music videos of the year, the clip came in second place, losing to the music video forGwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl".[57] Michael Slezak ofEntertainment Weekly considered the video to be the second best music video of the year, behind the music video forDestiny's Child's "Girl".[55] In 2019, he later included the clip on his list of the best story-oriented music videos.[58] At the2006 MTV Video Music Awards, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was nominated for theBest Rock Video award, but it lost toAFI's "Miss Murder".[59]
Green Day performing in Manchester in 2024, where the Saviors Tour began[60]
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" has been included on the set lists of numerous Green Day concert tours.[61][62] Among these was the set list for the 201021st Century Breakdown World Tour,[63] the 2021Hella Mega Tour,[64] and the 2024Saviors Tour.[65][60] Some of these concerts and tours, such as the Saviors Tour, played the song alongside every other track fromAmerican Idiot.[61][62][60] It was also part of the set list for the band's performance at theWhen We Were Young festival in 2023.[66] The band performed the song live for the Howard Stern Show in October 2019, alongside an interview with Armstrong discussing the song's origin.[67] Armstrong again performed the song forOne World: Together At Home, a charity live stream dedicated toCOVID-19 relief efforts hosted byGlobal Citizen, in April 2020.[68]
In April 2021, Australian singer-songwriterDidirri performed a cover of the song onLike A Version, a weekly segment ofTriple J, alongside an original song from one of his recent EPs.[69] A version of the song, covered by Australian pop-punk bandWith Confidence, was included onAmerican Superhits!, a limited-edition compilation of Green Day song covers released byKerrang!.[70][71]
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" became closely associated with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck theGulf Coast of the United States three days before the start of September 2005.[56] The association began after a blogger (known as Karmagrrrl) created a video pairing the song with recordings of television coverage of the disaster, which wentviral.[5][56]Sarah Boxer said that while the song's official music video had an ambiguous meaning, the edit created by Karmagrrrl sent a "clear message", though Boxer believed that some of the lyrics did not make sense within the context of the clip.[56] Green Day performed the song forReAct Now: Music & Relief, a benefit concert dedicated to the victims of the hurricane. A live recording of the song, also dedicated to the victims, was performed atGillette Stadium and released on September 3.[5] They performed the song again during the pre-game show for a Monday Night Football game played between theNew Orleans Saints and theAtlanta Falcons at theNew Orleans Superdome. This game was the first to be played at the stadium after the hurricane.[5]
In the years since release, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" has seen popularity spikes on streaming platforms during the first and last days of September, as well as the first day of October.[72][73] According toLoudwire, its viewership on YouTube increased by 135 percent on the last day of September 2019 compared to the rest of the year's daily average.[74] Consequentially, the band sees increased revenue during those days.[73] The resurgence in popularity around the end of the month also coincides numerous social media posts and internet memes being created, most asking to wake Armstrong up. Many have criticized these memes as insensitive due to the song's context;[5] in response to the memes, Armstrong jokingly said in a 2016 interview withVulture that he would create a new song titled "Shut The Fuck Up When October Comes".[75][76] He later referenced the memes in a promotional video released on October 1, 2023, for the then-upcoming song "The American Dream Is Killing Me".[77]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
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