Insomniac is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 10, 1995, by Reprise Records. It was recorded at Hyde Street in San Francisco, and the band prioritized high-energy takes during the recording sessions. Released as the follow-up to the band's multi-platinum breakthrough Dookie, Insomniac featured a heavier, hardcore punk sound, with bleaker lyrics than its predecessor. Lyrically, the album discusses themes such as alienation, anxiety, boredom, and drug use. Insomniac also served as a reaction to many early fans who had turned their backs on the band after it achieved mainstream success with Dookie.
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album Synchronicity (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks, and the Canadian RPM chart for four weeks. Their fifth UK No. 1, it topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. The song also reached the top 10 in numerous other countries.
"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom (1995). It was released in 1996 as the third single from Tragic Kingdom in the United States by Interscope Records. Lead singer Gwen Stefani and her brother Eric Stefani, former No Doubt member, wrote the song originally as a love song. The song went through several rewrites and new versions. Gwen modified it into a breakup song about her bandmate and ex-boyfriend Tony Kanal, shortly after he ended their seven-year relationship.
"High and Dry" and "Planet Telex" are songs by the English rock band Radiohead. They were released as a double-A side single from Radiohead's second album, The Bends (1995), on 27 February 1995.
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 by A&M Records as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.
"Basket Case" is a song by rock band Green Day, released on August 1, 1994 by Reprise Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, Dookie (1994). The song spent five weeks at the top of the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart and garnered a Grammy Award nomination in the category for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Its music video was directed by Mark Kohr and filmed in an abandoned mental institution in California. In 2001, the song appeared on their greatest hits album International Superhits!. In 2021, "Basket Case" was ranked number 150 in Rolling Stone's updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". As of March 2024, "Basket Case" is the most streamed song by the band on Spotify, with over 1 billion streams.
"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a song by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Nimrod (1997). It is one of their most popular songs and has also become a staple of their concerts, usually played as the final song.
"Brain Stew" and "Jaded" are two songs released as a joint single by American rock band Green Day. They appear as the tenth and eleventh tracks and third and final single from the group's fourth studio album, Insomniac. The song was also included on Godzilla: The Album. The two songs were released as one single, as the songs are transitional – "Brain Stew" segues directly into "Jaded". After 9/11, "Brain Stew" was placed on Clear Channel's list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles. The song "Brain Stew" is about vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong dealing with insomnia. According to Armstrong himself, "Brain Stew" was originally called "Insomniac" on demo, and "Brain Stew" is a reference to Armstrong's long-time friend, James Washburn, who is nicknamed Brain Stew.
"When I Come Around" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the 10th track on their third studio album, Dookie (1994), and was shipped to radio in December 1994 before being physically released as the fourth single from that album in January 1995 by Reprise Records. It was played live as early as 1992.
"Stuck with Me" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released as the second single and third track from their fourth album, Insomniac. The song is about being too weak and too much of a push-over to stand up for yourself. The song also appears on the live album Foot in Mouth. It peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Originally this song was titled "Alright" on demo.A popular fan theory emerged where this song and the original Stuck with Me had their names accidentally switched around. Supposedly, someone in the studio wrote the wrong title on the demo, and the band then decided to keep the name since they found it fitting. The demo with the latter title would be later released on the band's B-side compilation Shenanigans.
"Acquiesce" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. The song originally appeared as the B-side to Oasis' first UK number-one single, "Some Might Say", in 1995. Its popularity led to it being included on the B-sides compilation album The Masterplan, released in 1998, after being voted for inclusion by fans of the band on their official website.
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and it was released as the record's third single on 24 February 1992. During the album's recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation of "One"; the song was written after the band members were inspired by a chord progression that guitarist the Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were inspired by the band members' fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe "disunity", they have been interpreted in other ways.
"I'll Stick Around" is the second single released by American rock band Foo Fighters from their 1995 self titled debut album, Foo Fighters.
"Hitchin' a Ride" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released in September 1997 as the first single from their fifth album, Nimrod, and is the second track on the album. The single reached number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
The American rock band Green Day has released 14 studio albums, four live albums, four compilation albums, one soundtrack album, four video albums, 12 extended plays, 4 box sets, 48 singles, 10 promotional singles, 3 anniversaries, and 56 music videos. The band has sold over 75 million records worldwide, including more than 24 million in certified album sales in the United States. Green Day released their first two studio albums, 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991) and Kerplunk (1991), through the independent label Lookout! Records before signing to major label Reprise Records. Dookie, the band's first album on the label and third studio album overall, was released in February 1994. It was a breakout success, selling over 10 million copies in the United States and 20 million copies worldwide. Dookie spawned five singles, including the international hits "Longview", "Basket Case" and "When I Come Around". The album placed Green Day at the forefront of the 1990s punk rock revival.
"Daughter" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released in November 1993 by Epic Records as the second single from the band's second studio album, Vs. (1993). The song features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by the band's members.
"Waiting" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released as the third single from their sixth album, Warning, and is the tenth track. The song peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.
"Armageddon It" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It was released as a single in 1988 and went to No. 3 in the United States, becoming their 3rd top 10 hit. It also reached the top 10 in Canada and New Zealand and the top 20 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
"More Human than Human" is a song by the American heavy metal band White Zombie from their album Astro-Creep: 2000 (1995). It was released as the first official single from the album and is also included on Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future, the greatest hits album The Best of Rob Zombie, and a remix is included on Supersexy Swingin' Sounds and Revolutions.
Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo is a live EP by the American rock band Green Day, recorded live at the Akasaka BLITZ, Tokyo, Japan on May 28, 2009. It was released in Japan and iTunes on November 11, 2009, and was later released as an import in other countries on December 1, 2009. The EP got to #31 in Japan on the Oricon Weekly Charts and got to number 197 on the Billboard Top 200. Only 2 songs from the live EP were not from 21st Century Breakdown. Although titled after "Last Night on Earth" from 21st Century Breakdown, the song is not featured on this extended play or on the setlist of the venue.
