Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the hit song as a tribute to his father Andrew, who died of cancer when the singer was just 10 years old
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has opened up about the devastating inspiration behind the band’s massive hit Wake Me Up When September Ends. The track became one of the standout singles from their seventh studio album, American Idiot.
Described as a rock opera, the record catapulted Green Day to fresh heights, scooping a Grammy for Best Rock Album and earning a spot on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Yet many supporters may be unaware of the tragic story behind Wake Me Up When September Ends.
Lead vocalist Billie Joe revealed he penned the song as a heartfelt tribute to his late father Andrew, a jazz musician and lorry driver, who passed away when the singer was just 10 years old. Andrew had been battling oesophageal cancer before his death.
During a 2004 appearance on the Howard Stern show, Billie Joe shared: “It’s something that stayed with me, the month of September always being that anniversary, it’s kind of a bummer.
“But it’s weird. When things happen like that when you’re that young, it’s almost like life starts at year zero, or something like that.”
Billie Joe continued, telling Howard that Andrew remains in his thoughts constantly, confessing “I think about him every day”. He revealed he had steered clear of writing about his father’s passing for “many years” but eventually found it “felt good” to “honour” him.
He continued: “I kinda avoided writing about him for many years, and then finally having a breakthrough like that felt good. It wasn’t like a negative emotion so much, but it was just kind of like honouring him.”
He revealed that the title Wake Me Up When September Ends originated from words he spoke to his mother. Whilst the vocalist has described the track as a homage to his father, numerous supporters have also viewed the song as a reference to the 9/11 tragedy.
This motif appears throughout several tracks on American Idiot, including Holiday. Billie Joe and bassist Mike Dirnt introduced Green Day to the globe in 1989, having previously performed under the name Sweet Children.
The group, which originated in the San Francisco Bay area, brought in drummer Tre Cool in 1990 following the exit of drummer John Kiffmeyer. Green Day are set to kick off the 60th Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Billie Joe commented: “We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard. We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”.
Their show will celebrate six decades of Super Bowl heritage as generations of MVPs will be brought out onto the pitch. The NFL’s Tim Tubito called it a “powerful way” to launch Super Bowl LX.
Green Day will share the Super Bowl lineup with Charlie Puth, who will deliver the national anthem, Brandi Carlile, who will perform America the Beautiful, and Coco Jones singing Lift Every Voice and Sing. A source close to Mirror US has previously disclosed that specifics surrounding Green Day’s Super Bowl appearance have been kept “highly confidential”.
The band, however, has a reputation for its overtly political stance, notably altering the words of American Idiot to reject the “MAGA agenda”.
Billie Joe has modified other song lyrics as well. During their performance of the hit track “Jesus of Suburbia” at Coachella in 2025, he sang, “Running away from pain like the kids from Palestine,” rather than, “Running away from pain when you’ve been victimized.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
