Billie Joe Armstrong is apparently a very decisive guy. He’s just officially and definitively named what he thinks is Green Day’s best song.

In the interview with Vulture, he said, “’Jesus of Suburbia’ is the one that sticks out. It’s so epic. I mean, I’m tooting my own horn, but I think it encompasses so much about my life and friendship and family, and it’s flamboyant and big and bombastic. It’s one of those moments where I was feeling like I wanted to take a big risk. It’s so fun to play live, seeing how the entire crowd sings along. It’s just one of those songs.”

He was also asked on what his favourite Green Day album is. To that he replied, “At the moment, I’m going to say [1991’s] Kerplunk. It’s kind of autobiographical. We wrote that record when I was 18, 19 years old, and it was at a time before punk became mainstream.”

He continued, “There’s something about it that feels like a fanzine. All of us were living together, living in bands together. It was a coming of age in a way. A song like “Welcome to Paradise” wasn’t just about teenage heartbreak anymore. It had a lot more to do with life slapping you in the face.”

On a song he didn’t expect to be successful, he said, “I never expected ‘Basket Case’ to be a single. I think I would have probably chosen, like, “Burnout” or “She,” something like that. Thank God I got outvoted for that single.”

In other news on the Billie Joe Armstrong front, the frontman has also reportedly filed FEC papers to run for president in the 2024 election as part of the Republican party.

For more on this topic, follow the Classic Rock Observer and the Green Day Observer.

Love Classic Rock?

Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

Listen to ‘Jesus Of Suburbia’ by Green Day.

YouTube VideoPlay

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine