Basket Case (song)

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## Basket Case

One of artworks used for commercial overseas releases

## Song information

### Studio

Fantasy Studios
(Berkeley, California)

### Genre

* Pop-punk
* punk rock
* alternative rock

### Songwriter(s)

* Billie Joe Armstrong
* Mike Dirnt
* Tré Cool

### Producer(s)

* Rob Cavallo
* Green Day

## General information

"**Basket Case**" is a song by the American rock band Green Day. It is the seventh track and third single from their third studio album, *Dookie* (1994). The song spent five weeks at the top of *Billboard*'s Alternative Songs chart.

In 2001, the song appeared as the fifth track on their greatest hits album, *International Superhits!*. In 2021, it was ranked no.150 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

## Origin and recording

Green Day vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said "Basket Case" is about his struggle with anxiety; before he was diagnosed with a panic disorder years afterward, he thought he was going crazy. Armstrong commented that at the time, "The only way I could know what the hell was going on was to write a song about it."

"Basket Case" was one of the songs producer Rob Cavallo heard when he received Green Day's demo tape. He ended up signing the band to Reprise Records in mid-1993. Green Day and Cavallo recorded the version of "Basket Case" released on the trio's major label debut *Dookie* between September and October 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.

Armstrong revealed in his audible, Welcome to My Panic, in April 2021 that he wrote the song whilst on speed.

## Composition

Template:Listen
"Basket Case", is a pop punk punk rock and alternative rock song, performed in the key of E-flat. The introductory verse features only Armstrong and his guitar. During the middle of the first chorus the rest of the band joins in, with Tré Cool adding fast tom fills and explosive transitions and Mike Dirnt adding a bass line that is reminiscent of the vocal melody. In the second verse, "Basket Case" references soliciting a male prostitute; Armstrong noted that "I wanted to challenge myself and whoever the listener might be. It's also looking at the world and saying, 'It's not as black and white as you think. This isn't your grandfather's prostitute – or maybe it was.'" The song's chord progression closely mirrors that of Pachelbel's Canon.

## Release and reception

"Basket Case" was the second single released from *Dookie*, following "Longview". "Basket Case" peaked at number one on the *Billboard* Modern Rock Tracks chart, a position it maintained for five weeks. In 1995, "Basket Case" garnered a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group category.

Music writer James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Something of an instant classic (...) it is certainly one of the most alternative Top 10 smash since Radiohead's Creep. As to where it goes next it is hard to tell but it could potentially open the door for a flood of the post-Nirvana young American rock bands who are currently making waves on the other side of the Atlantic." British magazine *Music Week* rated it three out of five, describing it as "the Generation X-flag-wavers' splenetic slice of Bay Area punk". Troy J. Augusto from *Variety* called it "psycho-rave".

In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted "Basket Case" the Greatest Punk Song of All Time. In 2009, it was named the 33rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1. In 2021, *Kerrang* ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Green Day songs, and in 2022, *American Songwriter* ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Green Day songs.

## Music video

The "Basket Case" video was directed by Mark Kohr. The video was filmed in an actual mental institution called Agnews Developmental Center in Santa Clara County, California, at the request of the band members. The mental institution had been abandoned, but most of the structure remained in a broken-down state. The band members found old patient files, deep scratches in the walls and dental molds scattered around. The video frequently references the films *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* and *Brazil*. After a throwaway joke by Tre Cool, many people believe the video was actually filmed in black and white and later recolored by hand by bassist Mike Dinrt, however there is absolutely no evidence to back up this claim.

The video was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1995: Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, Best Alternative Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Viewer's Choice Award. The video did not win in any of the categories it was nominated for.

The video for "Basket Case" was later published on Green Day's official YouTube channel in October 2009. It has amassed more than 276 million views as of February 2022.

## Track listing

### Initial pressing

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "On the Wagon"  – 2:48
3. "Tired of Waiting for You" – 2:30
4. "409 in Your Coffeemaker" [Unmixed]  – 2:49

Total length: 11:08

### Alternate pressing/Limited edition pressing

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "Longview" (live) – 3:30
3. "Burnout" (live) – 2:03
4. "2,000 Light Years Away" (live) – 2:49

* (Live tracks recorded March 11, 1994 at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida)

These tracks are also available on the live EP *Live Tracks*

### Japanese version

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "She" – 2:14
3. "Emenius Sleepus" – 1:43

### 7" vinyl singles box set

1. "Basket Case" – 3:01
2. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
3. "Having a Blast" – 2:44
4. "When I Come Around" (Live from Stockholm, Sweden) — 2:49

## Credits and personnel

* Songwriting: Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool
* Production: Rob Cavallo, Green Day

## Certifications

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## References

* Spitz, Mark (2006). *Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day*. Hyperion. <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css" />**Script error: No such module "Catalog lookup link".****Script error: No such module "check isxn".****Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**

## Notes

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1. ↑ **Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".**
2. ↑ "Green Day: *Dookie*". *Ultimate Albums* [documentary series]. VH1, 2002.
3. ↑ Spitz, p. 83-86
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Buskin, Richard. "Green Day: Basket Case" **Script error: No such module "webarchive".**. Sound On Sound. February 2011. Retrieved on February 3, 2013.
5. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Billie Joe Armstrong - Welcome to My Panic (04.22.2021).
6. ↑ Andrew Winistorfer (July 30, 2009). The Thermals: 'Basket Case' (Green Day Cover) and 'Now We Can See' | Prefix. Prefixmag.com.
7. ↑ Robinson, Joe (January 23, 2013). 10 Best Pop-Punk Songs.
8. ↑ **Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".**
9. ↑ Green Day: 20 Years of Dookie (January 31, 2014).
10. ↑ Shutler, Ali (March 13, 2022). Watch Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp cover Green Day’s ‘Basket Case’.
11. ↑ Yates, Henry (January 31, 2021). Green Day's Basket Case: the story behind the song.
12. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".**
13. ↑ BBC Radio 1- The Lock Up Top 30 Punk Songs.
14. ↑ Green Day. *PopMatters*.
15. ↑ Green Day: 'Basket Case'.
16. ↑ Punknews Staff. Green Day - Dookie. “"Basketcase" and "When I Come Around" were the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of the punk genre”
17. ↑ Green Day - Fantasy Studios. Fantasy Studios. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. “Issued in February 1994, Dookie would spawn five hit singles — ‘Longview’, ‘Welcome To Paradise’ (a re‐recording of a track on Kerplunk), ‘Basket Case’, ‘When I Come Around’ and ‘She’ — and, with worldwide sales of over 16 million units, would prove to be the group’s most popular work, while establishing them at the forefront of the neo-punk scene.”
18. ↑ *Dookie* at 20: Billie Joe Armstrong on Green Day’s Punk Blockbuster (February 3, 2014).
19. ↑ Ranking Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best. *Consequence of Sound* (July 5, 2017).
20. ↑ Fricke, David (February 3, 2014). 'Dookie' at 20: Billie Joe Armstrong on Green Day's Punk Blockbuster. *Rolling Stone*.
21. ↑ Chamings, Andrew (2013-04-30). Canon in the 1990s: From Spiritualized to Coolio, Regurgitating Pachelbel's Canon (en).
22. ↑ Strauss, Neil. "'94 Grammy Nominations: Not Just the Familiar". *The New York Times*. January 6, 1995.
23. ↑ Masterton, James (January 22, 1995). Week Ending January 28th 1995. Retrieved on September 17, 2021.
24. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".**
25. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".**
26. ↑ BBC Radio 1- The Lock Up Top 30 Punk Songs.
27. ↑ VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. *Stereogum* (January 5, 2009).
28. ↑ Law, Sam (April 4, 2021). The 20 greatest Green Day songs – ranked. *Kerrang*. Retrieved on April 2, 2022.
29. ↑ Uitti, Jacob (February 17, 2022). Top 10 Green Day Songs. *American Songwriter*. Retrieved on April 2, 2022.
30. ↑ Marks, Craig. "An American Family". *Spin*. December 1995.
31. ↑ Billie Joe Armstrong Interview on MTV. MTV.
32. ↑ MTV Video Music Awards | 1995 **Script error: No such module "webarchive".**. MTV. Retrieved on February 4, 2013.
33. ↑ Green Day - Basket Case [Official Music Video]. YouTube (October 27, 2009). Retrieved on February 21, 2022.
34. ↑ The ARIA Australian Top 100Singles Chart – Week Ending 20 Nov 1994. Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA).
35. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
36. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case" (in French). Ultratop 50.
37. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2655." *RPM*. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
38. ↑ **Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".**
39. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".**
40. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case" (in French). Les classement single.
41. ↑ "Green Day – Basket Case" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
42. ↑ Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.2 '95 – 25.2 '95) (is). *Dagblaðið Vísir* (February 18, 1995).
43. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Basket Case". Irish Singles Chart.
44. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
45. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case". Top 40 Singles.
46. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case". VG-lista.
47. ↑ **Script error: No such module "String".**/41/ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
48. ↑ "**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&titel=**Script error: No such module "WLink".**&cat=s Green Day – Basket Case". Singles Top 100.
49. ↑ **Script error: No such module "String".**/7501/ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
50. ↑ **Script error: No such module "WLink".**/chart-history/HSB "Green Day Chart History (Radio Songs)". *Billboard*. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
51. ↑ **Script error: No such module "WLink".**/chart-history/MRT "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". *Billboard*. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
52. ↑ **Script error: No such module "WLink".**/chart-history/RTT "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". *Billboard*. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
53. ↑ **Script error: No such module "WLink".**/chart-history/TFM "Green Day Chart History (Pop Songs)". *Billboard*. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
54. ↑ RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994. *RPM*. Library and Archives Canada (July 17, 2013).
55. ↑ Årslista Singlar – År 1994 (sv). Topplistan.
56. ↑ Rapports annuels 1995 (fr). Ultratop.
57. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".**
58. ↑ Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1995 (de). GfK Entertainment.
59. ↑ Topp 20 Single Vinter 1995 (no). VG-lista.
60. ↑ Årslista Singlar – År 1995 (sv). Topplistan.
61. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**[[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] Danish single certifications – Green Day – Basket Case]. IFPI Danmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2019 to obtain certification.
62. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**[[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] Italian single certifications – Green Day – Basket Case] (Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Basket Case" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
63. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**[[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] Japanese single digital certifications – Green Day – Basket Case] (Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. *Select* 2015年7月 *on the drop-down menu*
64. ↑ **Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".**[[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] British single certifications – Green Day – Basket Case]. British Phonographic Industry.
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## External links

* Official music video on YouTube

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