The American Dream Is Killing Me

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"The American Dream Is Killing Me"
Green Day “The American Dream is Killing Me”
Single by Green Day
from the album Saviors
A-side"Look Ma, No Brains!" (double A-side)
ReleasedOctober 24, 2023 (2023-10-24)
Recorded2023
Genre
Length3:06
LabelReprise[1]
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)
Green Day singles chronology
"Holy Toledo!"
(2021) 		"The American Dream Is Killing Me"
(2023) 		"Look Ma, No Brains!"
(2023)
Music video
"The American Dream Is Killing Me" on YouTube

"The American Dream Is Killing Me" is a song by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 24, 2023 as the lead single from their fourteenth studio album, Saviors (2024). It was released alongside a music video through Reprise Records. It is the first Green Day single since 2013's "X-Kid" to be produced by Rob Cavallo.[2]

Background and composition[edit]

On October 1, 2023, the band launched a new website with the name "The American Dream Is Killing Me" which teased a new song and showed October 24, 2023, circled on a calendar. The band released a number of teasers in the following weeks until October 24 when the song released alongside a music video. There was also a vinyl supplied to a limited number of people who entered their address into the new website which contained the song, and a second new song from the album called "Look Ma, No Brains!". The song was one of the last ones they recorded for the album.[3]

"The American Dream Is Killing Me" is a punk rock and pop-punk song,[4][5] with guitar riffs reminiscent of the band's 2004 album American Idiot[6] and their 2009 album 21st Century Breakdown.[7] Billie Joe Armstrong said of the song that it is "a look at the way the traditional American Dream doesn’t work for a lot of people—in fact, it's hurting a lot of people."[8]

At around the one-minute mark of the song, the song samples the song “Marine Marchande” by Québécois folk/neo-trad band Les Cowboys Fringants, released in 2015.[9][10] Green Day performed “The American Dream Is Killing Me” as part of their halftime show performance at the 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton, Ontario,[11] which, coincidentally, featured a team from Quebec in it, the Montreal Alouettes, who would later go on to win the game. With the game taking place shortly after Les Cowboys Fringants’ lead singer Karl Tremblay passed away after a multi-year-long battle with prostate cancer,[12] Green Day’s performance of “The American Dream Is Killing Me” at the Grey Cup was well-received by some people in Quebec as the band paying an indirect tribute to Tremblay.[13]

Music video[edit]

The music video released alongside the single on October 24, 2023, after the band had released a number of teasers in the previous weeks. The video starts with a woman stuck in traffic listening to a news radio station before changing to a music station which starts playing the song before getting attacked by a zombie. The video depicts the band playing the song in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The video was directed by Brendan Walter and Ryan Baxley.[14]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Billie Joe Armstrong; all music is composed by Green Day

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."The American Dream Is Killing Me"3:06

7-inch vinyl

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."The American Dream Is Killing Me"3:06
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Look Ma, No Brains!"2:03

Personnel[edit]

Green Day

Technical Personnel

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "The American Dream Is Killing Me"
Chart (2023–24) Peak
position
Canada Rock (Billboard)[15] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 81
German Download Singles (Official German Charts)[17] 45
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[18] 11
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[19] 29
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[20] 73
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[21] 65
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[22] 37
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[23] 22
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[24] 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Saviors - Album by Green Day". Apple Music. January 19, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Carter, Daisy (October 24, 2023). "Green Day announce new album, Saviors". DIY. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (October 24, 2023). "Green Day – "The American Dream Is Killing Me"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Anderson, Cary (October 24, 2023). "Green Day Preview New Album Saviors with "The American Dream Is Killing Me"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Bell, Sadie (October 20, 2023). "Green Day Announce Massive 2024 Tour, Plays New Song at Surprise Club Show". People. Retrieved October 29, 2023. The group — featuring Armstrong on vocals and guitar, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool — then erupted in the stadium-ready punk track "The American Dream is Killing Me."
  6. ^ Sacher, Andrew (October 24, 2023). "Green Day announce new album 'Saviors,' share "The American Dream Is Killing Me" video". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Brown, Paul (October 25, 2023). "Green Day Announce New Album Saviours with New Song 'The American Dream Is Killing Me'". Wall of Sound. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Breihan, Tom (October 24, 2023). "Green Day – "The American Dream Is Killing Me"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  9. ^ olivierdenommee (February 3, 2024). "Saviors – Green Day". Critique de salon (in French). Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Green Day copie les Cowboys Fringants?!?". Radio X (in Canadian French). Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Green Day - Grey Cup Halftime Show. Retrieved April 17, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ^ "Karl Tremblay sera honoré en marge de la finale de la Coupe Grey". TVA Sports (in Canadian French). November 18, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  13. ^ "TikTok - Make Your Day". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  14. ^ "Green Day announce new album "Saviors"". Warner Music. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  16. ^ "Green Day: The American Dream Is Killing Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ^ "Deutsche Download Singles Charts Category: Single". Deutsche Download Singles Charts. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of November 8, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  24. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
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