A Late Career Green Day Hit Song Was Originally Written for Pop-Rock Act 5 Seconds of Summer

In a new interview with People, Billie Joe Armstrong reflects on Green Day’s biggest songs, revealing that one of the band’s late-career hits was originally written for a pop-rock act. There was a moment, however, that made the frontman realize that he couldn’t give this track away.

The cut comes from 2016’s chart-topping Revolution Radio, Green Day’s 12th studio album.

And that cut is “Still Breathing,” the record’s second single.

Telling People about the hit, Armstrong says, “There’s a band called 5 Seconds of Summer who wanted me to write a song for them. All of a sudden I was writing the lyrics, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s no fucking way I’m giving these guys this song.’

Formed in 2011 in Australia, 5 Seconds of Summer began as a pop-rock act, later morphing into more a full-blown pop outfit.

Regarding the lyrics on “Still Breathing,” Armstrong explains, “There’s all those [lyrics] where it’s the last moment of someone’s life — it’s so intense. It’s just a song about being a survivor.”

Earlier in the interview, Armstrong talks about how writing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” to commemorate 20 years since his father had died and how he “felt this huge weight off my shoulders” after finishing it.

Going back to Green Day’s early success, he says that he didn’t think the Dookie hit “Basket Case” was going to be a single. “When it came out and got so big, I was really surprised,” the frontman admits.

Read the full interview here.

Green Day in 2024

Green Day’s 14th album, Saviors, will be released tomorrow (Jan. 19). The 15-track affair clocks in at just under 46 minutes and finds the pop-punk legends teaming back up with longtime producer Rob Cavallo for the first time since 2012.