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Green Day — Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
Album: Nimrod
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1637









Released: 1997
Length: 2:25
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

So take the photographs and still-frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
Comments (166)add comment
Fun fact: Nimrod was a respected king in the Bible, and the word didn't become an insult until Bugs Bunny used it that way.
 sfoster66 wrote:

Two things...

1. Personal memories attached to any piece of music don't make a song better or worse...hell, I have some pretty strong memories attached to some pretty crap tunes.  But I try to objectively understand that they are still crap, and;
2.  The rich white boy angst of Green Day really rubs me...and not in a nice way at all...these guys are about as genuine as the ninja that came for candy at my door on October 31st...

Now, go ahead and give me all the down thumbs you can muster...but y'all know that I'm right...



That's just your opinion
Ha ha 10 fuck you, you weren't there!

Wait, I wasn't either?  I was 85...well fuck you anyway.
If I start tearing up it gets a ten. 
 thewiseking wrote:

Good Pop songwriters I suppose but that singin thru yer nose shtick grows old quick



Yeah..... tell that to Dylan.
Thank you!
This song was played at my good friend's funeral at his request. In the program his wife listed the title as "Time of Your Life" rather than its actual title, for obvious reasons.
 dwlangham wrote:

Play this at my funeral, and the dead shall rise (to choke the living shit out of you).


Wasn't sure I had commented on this song but found this and am satisfied that my appreciation for this song hasn't budged.

0r we can luv it, !!!!!!
The absolute perfect graduation song even though it was never intended as such.
Good Pop songwriters I suppose but that singin thru yer nose shtick grows old quick
Aye, this band gets a bad rep, but their first few albums have some stellar tracks đź‘Ť
Back in the spring of 2021, Vancouver BC had a sports station that was shut down and eventually replaced by an all comedy format. This is the very first track they played when the last sports show signed off. Many, many got very upset people about the irony.
Two things...

1. Personal memories attached to any piece of music don't make a song better or worse...hell, I have some pretty strong memories attached to some pretty crap tunes.  But I try to objectively understand that they are still crap, and;
2.  The rich white boy angst of Green Day really rubs me...and not in a nice way at all...these guys are about as genuine as the ninja that came for candy at my door on October 31st...

Now, go ahead and give me all the down thumbs you can muster...but y'all know that I'm right...
When this song played in the last seconds of Seinfeld, I sobbed like a baby.
 ppopp wrote:

Colin Hay was bad enough, but to follow it with this manure. What next - Michael Buble, Jack Johnson, a Paul McCartney Christmas song..?


Sounds to me like ppopp is harboring a h8ful grudge against some gr8 artists on account of their successful careers in popular music.  Looks like ppopp is the kind of fellow who wants to cast the first stone (or cowpie as the case may be).

Plus, who the frack h8s Wonderful Christmastime? (hint: not The Shins)
 lizardking wrote:

Shout out to Happy Thoughts, the band from my high school that seemed to try and be Green Day, or some other alt-grunge type band.....LLRP



Grunge bands would never claim Green Day as one of their own. Green Day missed the movement by about a decade. Green Day certainly followed in the mould of others, but I always thought of Green Day as watered down "punk-lite" more than grunge. My 2 cents anyway. Which may be worth what you paid for that advice. OK, I'd better get back to work now...
 SchrodingersCat wrote:
Yes, but a refresh fixed it for me.
 
How many lives do you have exactly? Just curious.
 1wolfy wrote:

two songs are running simultaneously on my player...anyone else ?
I see others had this happen as well..shown at the end of previous song...



Yes, but a refresh fixed it for me.
two songs are running simultaneously on my player...anyone else ?
I see others had this happen as well..shown at the end of previous song...
This song technically falls into my category of 'if you add strings to any
rock song, it makes it good?' (coldplay!)

but this song, for me, besides being pretty good, really showcases and somewhat isolates that absolutely, incredible, right hand of his.
I’be been living in Ireland for 3 years now. I’ve been listening to this Green Day since it came out. I never realized before how much of an Irish ballad this is. From the haunting violin chorus to the snarky “eff you” lyrics, it certainly has a bit of Irish to it. Gave me a new perspective on the song and made me realize why I like it so much. 
Unblock your nose. Please.
An 8, out of nostalgia mostly, because there are plenty more songs by Greenday that I like way more! But still... :)
Those who don't think much of Billie Joe Armstrong could listen to the album Foreverly, that he recorded with Norah Jones. It's very different from Greenday, and it's absolutely brilliant! 
Knowing that I find Green Day annoying convinces me thy senses are to be trusted unconditionally.
 ppopp wrote:
About as appealing as toothache. Clearly I'm a little too old. This stuff just sounds a little too generic.
 thank goodness I'm not to old for this! 63 that is. Great Song with a valid sentiment.
Overplayed cotton candy recorded by posers. 
I like this but it sort of cries out for a cover version by someone with a better voice
About as appealing as toothache. Clearly I'm a little too old. This stuff just sounds a little too generic.
Shout out to Happy Thoughts, the band from my high school that seemed to try and be Green Day, or some other alt-grunge type band.....LLRP
never could stand these Nimrods. utterly obnoxious mouth breathers whining thru their noses. our equivalent of Oasis. 
It became a go-to favorite for sitcoms and dramas in the 90's seeking to evoke profundity with a pop tune. I HATE IT.
I can't say that a lot holds up from 1997, but this sure does (to me).
It just takes me back to the highly disappointing Seinfeld series finale.  I rate i a solid 7.

Proclivities wrote:
Ulises wrote:

Then turn it the fuck off and quit your whingeing.

  

skooba wrote:
WTF is whingeing?
 
Whingeing

 
You learn something new every day.  Thanks 4 the tip.  {#Roflol}
tired of this song. got way too much airplay back in the day. Not a fan of theirs in general.
This tune is a perennial favorite at virtually every high school senior prom in the area.
Not sure who it is that thinks this is a good idea but as I look out at the kids dancing
I think to myself if high school is the time of your life you're in for a long slog. Or maybe
it's the Good Riddance part.
Ulises wrote:

Then turn it the fuck off and quit your whingeing.

  

skooba wrote:
WTF is whingeing?
 
Whingeing
is there much difference between a nimrod and a goober?   
Great movie out there which was filmed when Green Day was recording American Idiot. Recommend it highly.
WTF is whingeing?

Ulises wrote:

Then turn it the fuck off and quit your whingeing.

 


Great Song from a great band!{#Clap}
 Ulises wrote:

Then turn it the fuck off and quit your whingeing.

 
Exactly.
 jnesser wrote:
As good of a song as some might say, or have find memories of when it was first out - I am over it. I would be happy to never hear it again.

 
Then turn it the fuck off and quit your whingeing.
 cupajoe wrote:
Another turnip on the fork stuck in the road.

 
Friggin' turnips - they're a menace!
Another turnip on the fork stuck in the road.
Play this at my funeral, and the dead shall rise (to choke the living shit out of you).
What is going on here!? 
As good of a song as some might say, or have find memories of when it was first out - I am over it. I would be happy to never hear it again.
 ppopp wrote:
Colin Hay was bad enough, but to follow it with this manure. What next - Michael Buble, Jack Johnson, a Paul McCartney Christmas song..?
 

Just because a song is popular doesn’t mean it’s a bad song. I for one am delighted to hear Green Day on Radio Paradise.


8 - Perhaps their very best tune.
*wistful sigh* This has some memories attached to it. 
 ppopp wrote:
Colin Hay was bad enough, but to follow it with this manure. What next - Michael Buble, Jack Johnson, a Paul McCartney Christmas song..?

 
This is a great tune. Overkill is the best Men at Work and Colin's acoustic is lovely. Paul's xmas tune is fun. So please don't compare to credo like Michael Buble.
Colin Hay was bad enough, but to follow it with this manure. What next - Michael Buble, Jack Johnson, a Paul McCartney Christmas song..?

The first time I heard this was at a friend's funeral.  He had been murdered, and his sons chose this song as one of 3 contemporary songs that were played.  Whenever I've heard it since then, I think of him fondly and sadly.

{#Sad}


Good riddance, indeed.

PSD >  Talk Talk — The Rainbow
 MrsTom wrote:
Domeone deeds der dadenoids done.  not my cup of tea
 
Ha!  I was about to say the same thing.  A liddle Flonase would helb wid da stuffed ub node.
Domeone deeds der dadenoids done.  not my cup of tea
 aspicer wrote:
As with others - not a big GD fan, but really appreciate this one.  Great actually when not heard all the time.

 
How does a song get to be non-great just because you hear it all the time.  Never understood that.  It's not the song's fault it got played a lot.


Love the song.  Loving this band more and more.  And I've been listenting to them for 20 years.
I was a luke-warm Green Day fan until my teenage daughter reintroduced me to them.  They really are an amazing band and give one of the best live performances of any band (and at 58, I've seen most of them).  I think that this is one of their best along with Wake Me Up When September Ends.
 aspicer wrote:
As with others - not a big GD fan, but really appreciate this one.  Great actually when not heard all the time.

 
...same 
As with others - not a big GD fan, but really appreciate this one.  Great actually when not heard all the time.
Poignancy, beauty, depth...10
I don't know if it's an objectively good song, but as someone who graduated high school in the early 2000's I'm never going to be able to separate it from my own memories of the era. Thanks for playing this one, Bill.
big stud Romeo Tuma wrote:




 

Musicians always get fracked...  that's the ways of the world...  at least Billie Joe Armstrong puts his foot down...

everybody in my mushrooming multitude of churches be dancing buck ass naked...
 
Glurgle.  Did a high school graduation just break out in Paradise, CA?
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
So take the photographs and still-frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

Always loved this beatiful little song.
All y'all, Boulevard Brewery makes a kickass quadrupel--Sixth Glass. I freely pass this wisdom on at the behest of the bottle I am finishing off just now, although it actually might be finishing me off. 

Prost!   {#Good-vibes}















 
 nightmann wrote:
lets make a rule, no top ten radio junk, plz Bill.
 
Why not play top ten, when its good. But i am with you, this is not so good!
from the video below ...  expletives deleted.

"Let me tell you something!  I've been around since 1988!"   That's actually pretty funny, and I don't think he meant it to be.
lets make a rule, no top ten radio junk, plz Bill.
 trissi wrote:
Very strange to hear this here. This band is the epitome of the American music industry "formula", heard so much on commercial radio.
 
I was never much of a fan of this band, but there are many other recording artists who epitomized "the American music industry 'formula'" more than these guys - The Eagles spring to mind, for one.
Like everything by Green Day, I'd give this an:

8 for attitude
6 for playing
4 for songwriting
2 for creative delivery

They always manage to make nice punky songs sound boring.

My wife has been telling me for a while that we should invest in some Green Day albums...I think she may be right (again!).


Very strange to hear this here. This band is the epitome of the American music industry "formula", heard so much on commercial radio.
You should hear Glen Campbell do this song.  Seriously!
 NeuroGeek wrote:

Never liked this group.  Was shocked that it made it to RP.
 
Well, I hope you have the time of your life, anyway.
 sirdroseph wrote:
Well I don't hate this song. That's about it.
 

good point...
Well I don't hate this song. That's about it.
 plaid wrote:
I've never much liked this song.
 
Never liked this group.  Was shocked that it made it to RP.
Somewhat tolerable and so very tired. Too bad this is the tune that makes Green Day these days.
I've never much liked this song.
THe special gal and I used to really love this one.  So for old times sake....................{#Wave}
SNL flashback!!  "Mitt Romney & others" singing Green Day

 crockydile wrote:

Let it go...I tried for months.{#Yawn}

 Romeo rates all songs 10s and has essentially the same comments. I contend he is a bot, but who knows.

 
Doubt if romeo's a bot...I've gotten PMs from him which don't mention hotel rooms, dancing or ears.

Back to the song:
It might be a light throwaway ditty, but I always remember it being played on the final Seinfeld retrospective episode, and I still get a lump in my throat remembering that.  If you were of a certain age and demographic in the early 90s, Seinfeld was part of your soundtrack, and this was the PERFECT song to wrap it up.
 terryp17 wrote:

I really wish I knew where your room is - you're always having a great time ...
 
It's in the accounts department of a failing Vegas hotel where he is tied to a desk in a grey cubicle with no windows.
It's not fair that I judge this song by the bad taste left in my mouth after hearing this sung on an episode of the US television show "ER". By a doctor at the funeral of a teenage patient. It's not the song's fault that it was used for such a maudlin purpose.
Colin Hay to Green Day segue. A perfect acoustic transition — that rhymes.
All I can say is . . . Yea.  {#Smile}
 romeotuma wrote:

Everybody in my hotel room loves this song...
 
 
I really wish I knew where your room is - you're always having a great time ...
blah and then some.
I wonder if every high school in the U.S. for the years since this song came out ended up paying royalties (esp. around graduation season)?  Don't mind that it's overplayed; they deserve kudos — just as the folks collecting on Happy Birthday every year deserve a tip of the (party) hat.
Never heard this song before I heard it on RP a couple of years ago. I can understand how it could be over-played, but I would like it none the less.
 curufinwe wrote:
A fine song, destroyed by overplay. (not necessarily by RP, just in general)
 

I must agree and for those who say you cannot ruin a song by overplay, you can say that all you want but it will not change the fact that overplay ruins the experience of a lot of perfectly good songs. {#Yes}
switched it off w/in .7sec~!{#Crashcomp}
 gvan wrote:
We have the Eagles of Death Metal; Green Day is the Journey of punk rock.
 

Nice!
This song gets better every time I hear it...   {#Sleep}
We have the Eagles of Death Metal; Green Day is the Journey of punk rock.
A fine song, destroyed by overplay. (not necessarily by RP, just in general)

 Bocephus wrote:


I like Green Day, but Billie Joe's nasally delivery doesn't really suit this song.
 
It seems that his nasal delivery begat legions of "punk" bands with nasal singers over the last 15 years.

 Bosami wrote:


Wrong! Although these cats deserve to be stripped of any punk rock accolades for their recent awards show performances (IE being a 5 person trio and Billy Armstrong only pretending to play acoustic guitar)  I say YES RP - more punk rock.

Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash are better - but hey I'll take some Green Day now and then.
 

You can't strip them of punk accolades; they are not now, nor were they ever punk.

 romeotuma wrote:


This song is soooo gooood for the ears...
Flipmode wrote:

Is this quote a running joke? I seem to read it in almost all song threads?
 
Ha,,take a look at his song-ratings !{#Yes}{#Lol}
 Cynaera wrote:
They are the musical equivalent of Jeff Spicoli.
 
And that's a bad thing?

We have four local radio stations here, and they ALL play this damned song at least twice a day. I am not fond of Green Day. They are the musical equivalent of Jeff Spicoli.
 Flipmode wrote:
Is this quote a running joke? I seem to read it in almost all song threads?
 
Let it go...I tried for months.{#Yawn}

 Romeo rates all songs 10s and has essentially the same comments. I contend he is a bot, but who knows.

 Bosami wrote:
Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash are better - but hey I'll take some Green Day now and then.
 
Early Green Day, hell yeah, but not this tripe. These guys sure have made a lot of money but their progression has been anything but positive.

 chirpie wrote:

It's true. The song itself isn't bad, it's just been so overplayed in my life that I'm simply unable to enjoy it anymore. I feel bad for the song, but it's how I feel. {#Meditate}
 

Hey, that happens, don't apologize for it! If I had a nickel for every perfectly good song media oversaturation has ruined for me!{#Yes}{#Headache}
I graduated from high school in 1998. It's not tough to guess which song was THE graduation song for nearly every high school in America that year. Thank god I didn't go to prom.

That being said, the wounds of radio overplay are beginning to heal and I can possibly begin to enjoy this song.

 rumblekg wrote:

i bet all the beatles, neil young, stevie wonder, led zeppelin, dolly parton pink floyd-loving people just hate this right now.

 

Wrong! Although these cats deserve to be stripped of any punk rock accolades for their recent awards show performances (IE being a 5 person trio and Billy Armstrong only pretending to play acoustic guitar)  I say YES RP - more punk rock.

Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash are better - but hey I'll take some Green Day now and then.
 rumblekg wrote:

i bet all the beatles, neil young, stevie wonder, led zeppelin, dolly parton pink floyd-loving people just hate this right now. go green day!


 

Clash fans too will abhor these charlatons.  Green Day are just plain silly gurning 40 year olds.

Amusing as your punk affectation may be, resistance is futile. You will be assimilated by the popular culture.

i bet all the beatles, neil young, stevie wonder, led zeppelin, dolly parton pink floyd-loving people just hate this right now. go green day!


 romeotuma wrote:


This song is soooo gooood for the ears...
 

Is this quote a running joke? I seem to read it in almost all song threads?
 Stave wrote:
Wow, welcome to the last dance of basically every Class of '98 senior prom in America.
 
It's true. The song itself isn't bad, it's just been so overplayed in my life that I'm simply unable to enjoy it anymore. I feel bad for the song, but it's how I feel. {#Meditate}
 keller1 wrote:
Good band.  Good tune.

Their "Bullet in a Bible" DVD is excellent.

Open your minds, ladies and gentlemen.  There's more to music than Radiohead.

 

I like Green Day, but Billie Joe's nasally delivery doesn't really suit this song.
What, no 21 Gun {#Drunk}
 Wizzuvv_oz wrote:

I like them too.  Just not this song.  Which makes me want to twist my own head off.
 
DITTO!


 casey1024 wrote:
Well said.
I like them too. 
 
I like them too.  Just not this song.  Which makes me want to twist my own head off.
 GretchenOhio wrote:
 I'm no musical snob...I like what I like.  It doesn't all have to be unusual and outside of the mainstream to be worth listening to.
  Well said.
I like them too.