When I Come Around Explained

When I Come Around
Cover:Green Day - When I Come Around cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Green Day
Album:Dookie
Released:January 31, 1995
Genre:
Length:2:58
Label:Reprise
Lyricist:Billie Joe Armstrong
Composer:Green Day
Producer:
Prev Title:Welcome to Paradise
Prev Year:1994
Next Title:J.A.R.
Next Year:1995

"When I Come Around" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the 10th track on their third studio album, Dookie (1994), and was shipped to radio in December 1994 before being physically released as the fourth single from that album in January 1995[7] by Reprise Records. It was played live as early as 1992.

"When I Come Around" peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks, and reached number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, it became a top-10 hit in Australia, Canada, Iceland, and New Zealand. Mark Kohr directed the song's music video. As of August 2010, "When I Come Around" has sold 639,000 copies. This makes it the band's second best-selling single of the 1990s, behind their 1997 hit "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".[8] In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Modern Rock Tracks (which by then had been renamed to Alternative Airplay), Billboard ranked the song as the 19th-most successful in the chart's history.[9] [10]

Composition

The song is played in 4/4 time and has a verse-chorus song structure. Most of the song is based around a sequence of four chords in the key of G flat major.[11]

Critical reception

David Stubbs from Melody Maker felt the band is "threatening to get caught up in the tramlines of Rainbow's "Since You've Been Gone" in the opening chords [of the song]."[12] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "We asked Nick Lowe, one-time producer in the first wave of punk, what's the difference between then and now? He answered: 'Green Day can really play.' Life is sometimes so simple."[13] A reviewer from Music Week gave "When I Come Around" three out of five, writing, "The fourth track to be lifted from their gold-selling Dookie album lacks the character and charm of 'Basket Case' but shouldn't harm their chart fortunes if their US success is anything to go by."[14] Sylvia Patterson from NME viewed it as "their least frantic rouser to date [...] but nonetheless it's a mutant sun-ripe beef tomato of a pop guitar romp featuring the rhyming of "loser" with "user" and — heck! — "accuser" just like they were The Monkees."[15]

Music video

The music video for the song is directed by Mark Kohr.[16] It shows the band walking to different places, like the Mission District, Broadway, and the Powell Street Station in San Francisco and Berkeley, California at night, along with various scenes of people doing common things all inter-related. One of the first scenes of the video eventually leads back to the scene at the end. The band's touring guitarist Jason White can be seen in the video with his girlfriend.

Before the video was filmed, MTV aired a live performance of the song by the band at the 1994 Woodstock Festival. MTV's Ultimate Albums: Dookie special credited the simple horizontally-striped sweater worn by Armstrong in the video for starting a fashion trend of similar sweaters.

Track listings

Initial pressing

  1. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
  2. "Coming Clean" (live) – 1:36
  3. "She" (live) – 2:14

Australian single

  1. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
  2. "Longview" (live) – 3:30
  3. "Burnout" (live) – 2:11
  4. "2,000 Light Years Away" (live) – 2:48

7-inch picture disc

A. "When I Come Around" – 2:58

B. "She" (live) – 2:14

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1995)! scope="col"
Peak
position
scope="row"
scope="row"
Denmark (Hitlisten)[17] 19
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[18] 51
scope="row"
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[19] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[20] 2
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
Spanish Airplay (Music & Media)[21] 15
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)! scope="col"
Position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 40
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[24] 21
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[25] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[26] 28
US Hot 100 Airplay (Billboard)[27] 11
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[28] 4
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[29] 10
US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)[30] 6

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesDecember 1994RadioReprise
AustraliaJanuary 31, 1995CD
Europe
United KingdomMay 8, 1995[31]

Use in media

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The best third albums. Radio X. October 8, 2019. June 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220618102509/https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/best-third-albums/. live.
  2. Web site: Punknews Staff. Green Day - Dookie. Punknews. July 30, 2014 . February 19, 2022. "Basketcase" and "When I Come Around" were the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of the punk genre. July 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220711134905/https://www.punknews.org/review/12794/green-day-dookie. live.
  3. Web site: 25 Years Ago: Green Day Reset Their Career With 'Dookie'. Ultimate Classic Rock. February 2019 . October 8, 2019. August 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818141646/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/green-day-dookie/. live.
  4. Web site: Mezydlo . Jeff . The definitive Green Day Playlist . Yardbaker . February 19, 2022 . April 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220417051607/https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/the_definitive_green_day_playlist/s1__35749739#slide_16 . live .
  5. Web site: The 95 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1995. Spin. October 13, 2019. September 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220912154820/https://www.spin.com/2015/08/95-best-alternative-rock-songs-1995-alt/5/. live.
  6. Green Day – Dookie . . June 22, 2010 . August 22, 2015 . Raub . Jesse . https://web.archive.org/web/20100829201325/http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/dookie . August 29, 2010 . dead.
  7. Book: Billboard . 1994-12-03 . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . en . October 30, 2023 . April 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230429104948/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=When+I+come+around&pg=PA2 . live .
  8. Web site: Week Ending Aug. 8, 2008: Taylor Swift Returns - Chart Watch. August 11, 2010. New.music.yahoo.com. August 14, 2011.
  9. Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song. Rutherford. Kevin. Billboard. September 7, 2023. November 10, 2023. October 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231013183139/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/alternative-airplay-chart-35th-anniversary-foo-fighters-all-time-low-rule-1235408126/. live.
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006001750/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-alternative-songs/. Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs. October 6, 2023. November 10, 2023. live. Billboard.
  11. Book: Covach . John . Flory . Andrew . What's That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its History . March 8, 2006 . W.W. Norton & Company . 478-479.
  12. David. Stubbs. Singles. Melody Maker. May 13, 1995. 34. January 13, 2024. David Stubbs. January 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240113114252/https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53459678856/. live.
  13. New Releases: Singles . . May 20, 1995 . 13 . May 18, 2021 . March 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308061221/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-05-20.pdf . live .
  14. Reviews: Singles . . April 29, 1995 . 14 . May 7, 2021 . May 9, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509225629/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-04-29.pdf . live .
  15. Sylvia. Patterson. Singles. NME. May 13, 1995. 51. January 18, 2024. Sylvia Patterson. January 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240118183255/https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53460761252/. live.
  16. Web site: GDA | Video Information . Greendayauthority.com . August 14, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050411232634/http://www.greendayauthority.com/TheBand/videos.php . April 11, 2005 .
  17. News: Schlüter . Johan . Johan Schlüter . June 9, 1995 . Official Danish Singles Chart . IFPI Report . Week 23 . IFPI Danmark.
  18. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 12. 21. 31. May 27, 1995.
  19. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.3. '95 – 24.3. '95). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 26. March 18, 1995. April 19, 2023. April 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230419122423/https://timarit.is/page/2725912?iabr=on#page/n25/mode/2up. live.
  20. Web site: Tipparade-lijst van week 31, 1995. Dutch Top 40. nl. March 28, 2023. March 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328030234/https://www.top40.nl/tipparade/1995/week-31. live.
  21. Major Market Airplay. Music & Media. 15. 29. 25. June 24, 1995. October 23, 2024.
  22. Green Day Rock Digital . . June 7, 2016 . June 17, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160617123858/http://www.billboard.com/artist/303108/green-day/chart?f=1085 . live .
  23. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1995. ARIA. November 18, 2019. August 3, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150803041226/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1995.htm. live.
  24. RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 22, 2018. February 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226224941/https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2840&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2840.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2840. live.
  25. News: Árslistinn 1995. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 16. January 2, 1996. May 30, 2020. July 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200714210153/https://timarit.is/page/2935413?iabr=on#page/n15/mode/2up. live.
  26. Web site: End of Year Charts 1995. Recorded Music NZ. November 18, 2019. July 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190710023502/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index_chart%3Fchart%3D3884. live.
  27. The Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles Airplay. Billboard. 107. 51. YE-32. December 23, 1995. June 6, 2022. June 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210628190958/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1995/BB-1995-12-23.pdf. live.
  28. The Year in Music: Hot Album Rock Tracks. Billboard. 107. 51. YE-76. December 23, 1995. January 18, 2024. June 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210628190958/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1995/BB-1995-12-23.pdf. live.
  29. The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Billboard. 107. 51. YE-77. December 23, 1995. January 18, 2024. June 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210628190958/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1995/BB-1995-12-23.pdf. live.
  30. The Year in Music 1995: Top 40/Mainstream Top Titles. Airplay Monitor. 3. 51. 8. December 15, 1995.
  31. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 59. May 6, 1995.

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