"Wake Me Up When September Ends" | ||||
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Single by Green Day | ||||
from the album American Idiot | ||||
Released | June 13, 2005 | |||
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Composer(s) | Green Day | |||
Lyricist(s) | Billie Joe Armstrong | |||
Producer(s) | Rob Cavallo | |||
Green Day singles chronology | ||||
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Music videos | ||||
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" on YouTube "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (short version) on YouTube |
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a song by the American rock band Green Day and the fourth single from their seventh studio album, American Idiot (2004). A rock ballad, the song was written by the band's lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, and is about the death of his father in September 1982 and his life since then. The song's lyrics have also been interpreted as a song about the victims and survivors of the September 11 attacks. The song's composition consists of an acoustic guitar, later introducing an electric guitar and bells.
The song was released as a single on June 13, 2005. An accompanying music video was directed by Samuel Bayer and depicts a young couple (played by Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood) that is split up after the boyfriend joins the United States Marine Corps during the Iraq War, with the fate of him and his division being left unknown. The song charted in several countries, reaching number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one in countries such as the Czech Republic, while its music video became the most requested clip on Total Request Live and was voted as the second best music video of 2005 in a Rolling Stone readers poll.
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" was well received by critics, who highlighted the song's lyrics and composition. The song received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song award at the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the song became associated with it due to a viral video pairing the song with news coverage of the disaster; Green Day also performed the song at a benefit concert for the hurricane recovery efforts. The song has seen use as an internet meme in the years since its release, often experiencing annual spikes in popularity on streaming platforms during the final days of September.