Alright, so we all know 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' - it's one of Green Day's most popular songs, and you're bound to know it whether you're a devoted fan of Green Day or not. Of course, most people don't take the time to look for the meaning behind it, and when September ends every year, they joke about it. I wasn't one of those people, though I have seen some getting frustrated about it. I looked for the meaning behind the song, and and would like to contribute my point of view on how people treat it and how they joke about it every October 1st.
Now, I'm not sure if this article has been done yet, so feel free to tell me if it has been done so, and I'll take it down or something.
The Meaning of the Song: Green Day's lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, wrote the song about his father's death. His father had died of cancer on September 1, 1982. On his funeral, Billie cried and ran home, locking himself in his room. His mother came home sometime later and when she knocked on his door, all Billie said was "Wake me up when September ends," which became the title for the 11th song in their album, American Idiot.
The lyric "seven years have gone so fast" is a reference on when Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt first formed their band, Sweet Children (which would eventually become Green Day, having changed the band name to be more 'drug-friendly'), seven years after Billie's father died.
Another notable lyric, "twenty years have gone so fast" is a reference to the time from his father's death to when Billie wrote the song.
Why the jokes should stop: As said above, the song is about the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father. If you were to make about it, like saying, "Wake up, September has ended," it would be downright disrespectful to Billie Joe Armstrong and his family. This is why people, especially Green Day and their fans, are bothered when people joke about it.
It's not that the jokes aren't funny (well, they aren't, really), it's more of having respect for the dead and for the mourning.
Now, I'm not sure if this article has been done yet, so feel free to tell me if it has been done so, and I'll take it down or something.
The Meaning of the Song: Green Day's lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, wrote the song about his father's death. His father had died of cancer on September 1, 1982. On his funeral, Billie cried and ran home, locking himself in his room. His mother came home sometime later and when she knocked on his door, all Billie said was "Wake me up when September ends," which became the title for the 11th song in their album, American Idiot.
The lyric "seven years have gone so fast" is a reference on when Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt first formed their band, Sweet Children (which would eventually become Green Day, having changed the band name to be more 'drug-friendly'), seven years after Billie's father died.
Another notable lyric, "twenty years have gone so fast" is a reference to the time from his father's death to when Billie wrote the song.
Why the jokes should stop: As said above, the song is about the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father. If you were to make about it, like saying, "Wake up, September has ended," it would be downright disrespectful to Billie Joe Armstrong and his family. This is why people, especially Green Day and their fans, are bothered when people joke about it.
It's not that the jokes aren't funny (well, they aren't, really), it's more of having respect for the dead and for the mourning.
