| "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Green Day | ||||
| from the album American Idiot | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2005 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:45 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| 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). Written by the band's front man Billie Joe Armstrong, the song is about the death of Armstrong's father in September 1982 and his life since. The song's lyrics have also been interpreted in other ways, including as a song about the victims and survivors of the September 11 attacks. The song is a rock ballad, starting with an acoustic guitar and later introducing an electric guitar and bells. It was recorded at Ocean Way Recording.
The song was released as a single on June 13, 2005 through Reprise Records. It charted in several countries, reaching number one in the Czech Republic and Croatia, while reaching number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified platinum once by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and four times by Music Canada. While initial reactions to the song were mixed, it has been since praised for its lyrics and is now considered one of Green Day's best. It received the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song award at the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, while Green Day was picked for the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Music Group.
An accompanying music video, filmed in Los Angeles, was directed by Samuel Bayer. It depicts a young couple (played by Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood) that are split up after the boyfriend joins the United States Marine Corps during the Iraq War, and leaves the fate of him and his division uncertain. Bayer said that he designed the music video as a "mini-movie", different from other music videos, while also aiming to spread awareness about the Iraq War's effects on soldiers. The music video was well received, reaching number one on Total Request Live and being voted as the second best music video of 2005 by readers of Rolling Stone.
The song became associated with Hurricane Katrina after a blogger created a viral video pairing the song with news coverage of the disaster.
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" has been performed at several of the band's concerts, and has also been covered by other musicians. In the years since its release, the song has often seen annual spikes in popularity during the final days of September, commonly coinciding with internet memes about the song.