Tre Cool and guest Benmont Tench have fun with the Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve roles. Billie Joe tries to act like a grownup, working to earn the respect of the woman he'd die for. He's even willing to go to church with her. Castaway is fast, light fun. A lot of the songs on Warning sound familiar and aren't much more than throwaways but the music is always energetic with good guitar riffs.
Warning has lots of links to classic pop.
Waiting is about being in a good place and ready to make things even better. Its bouncy, upbeat riff is a little like Petula Clark's Downtown, as well as the version of Do You Wanna Dance done by The Ramones, who are among Green Day's heroes. It's worth noting that Green Day have always been better than The Ramones at making punky music that appeals to a wide audience and they seem to be aging more gracefully than the Ramones. Hold On like the one from the Beatles' Should Have Known Better. Standing up for yourself and finding personal virtue are repeated themes on Warning.