There probably aren’t any American pop punk bands more successful than Green Day. Perhaps Blink 182 could be considered more genre defining, but Green Day are enduring international stars with a string of massive hits.
“Walking Contradiction” is Green Day doing what they do best. The melodies are simple but effective, the tune is upbeat yet angst-y, and the song is driven by a distorted guitar riff and Billie Joe Armstrong’s inimitable singing.
The song is about a loser who just sort of plows through life, and tries to capture the feeling of being a rock star who still gets mad and has bad days even at the height of his fame.
It’s not hard to song to play or anything, but it’s great at what it does: exuberant energy.
The song was released in 1996 as the fourth single off Insomniac, and reached number 25 on the U.S. rock chart.
The video is quite funny and actually won a Grammy in 1997!
An anthem for teenagers everywhere!