When I Come Around - Wikipedia

1995 single by Green Day

"When I Come Around"
Single by Green Day
from the album Dookie
B-side	"Coming Clean" (live) "She" (live)
Released	January 16, 1995 (1995-01-16)[1]
Genre	Punk rock[2][3][4] pop-punk[5][6] alternative rock[7][8]
Length	2:58
Label	Reprise
Composer	Green Day
Lyricist	Billie Joe Armstrong
Producers	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Welcome to Paradise" (1994) "When I Come Around" (1995) "J.A.R." (1995)
Music video
"When I Come Around" on YouTube

"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.[citation needed]

"When I Come Around" peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, which ties it with "Wake Me Up When September Ends" as their second-highest song on this chart, behind only "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". It also topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks, and reached number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, it became a top-10 hit in Australia, Canada, Iceland, and New Zealand. Mark Kohr directed the song's music video. As of August 2010, "When I Come Around" has sold 639,000 copies. This makes it the band's second best-selling single of the 1990s, behind their 1997 hit "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".[9] In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Modern Rock Tracks (which by then had been renamed to Alternative Airplay), Billboard ranked the song as the 19th-most successful in the chart's history.[10][11]

Composition

[edit]

The song is performed in 44 time and has a verse-chorus song structure. Most of the song is based around a sequence of four chords in the key of G flat major.[12] Fred Thomas of AllMusic described the track as "a slacker punk answer to the power ballad".[13]

Critical reception

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David Stubbs from Melody Maker felt the band is "threatening to get caught up in the tramlines of Rainbow's 'Since You've Been Gone' in the opening chords [of the song]".[14] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "We asked Nick Lowe, one-time producer in the first wave of punk, what's the difference between then and now? He answered: 'Green Day can really play.' Life is sometimes so simple."[2] A reviewer from Music Week gave "When I Come Around" three out of five, writing, "The fourth track to be lifted from their gold-selling Dookie album lacks the character and charm of 'Basket Case' but shouldn't harm their chart fortunes if their US success is anything to go by."[15] Sylvia Patterson from NME named it "their least frantic rouser to date [...] but nonetheless it's a mutant sun-ripe beef tomato of a pop guitar romp featuring the rhyming of "loser" with "user" and — heck! — "accuser" just like they were The Monkees."[16] Also Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it three out of five, saying, "This is much slower than 'Basket Case', but it's still got that really catchy hook-line."[17]

Music video

[edit]

The music video for the song is directed by Mark Kohr. It shows the band walking to different places, like the Mission District, Broadway, and the BART Powell Street Station in San Francisco and Berkeley, California, at night, along with various scenes of people doing common things all inter-related. One of the first scenes of the video eventually leads back to the scene at the end. The band's touring guitarist Jason White can be seen in the video with his girlfriend.

Before the video was filmed, MTV aired a live performance of the song by the band at the 1994 Woodstock Festival. MTV's Ultimate Albums: Dookie special credited the simple horizontally-striped sweater worn by Armstrong in the video for starting a fashion trend of similar sweaters.

Track listings

[edit]

Initial pressing

1. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
2. "Coming Clean" (live) – 1:36
3. "She" (live) – 2:14

• All live tracks were recorded on November 18, 1994, at Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

Australian single

1. "When I Come Around" – 2:58
2. "Longview" (live) – 3:30
3. "Burnout" (live) – 2:11
4. "2,000 Light Years Away" (live) – 2:48

• All live tracks were recorded on March 11, 1994, at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida. Tracks two and three are the same on the Live Tracks EP. Track four has an extended intro but is the same performance.

7-inch picture disc

A. "When I Come Around" – 2:58 B. "She" (live) – 2:14

Charts

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Weekly charts [edit] 1995 weekly chart performance for "When I Come Around" Chart (1995) Peakposition Australia (ARIA)[18] 7 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 3 Denmark (Hitlisten)[20] 19 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[21] 51 Finland Airplay (IFPI Finland)[22] 32 Germany (GfK)[23] 45 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[24] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[25] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26] 33 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 4 Quebec (ADISQ)[28] 5 Scotland Singles (OCC)[29] 29 Spain Airplay (Music & Media)[30] 15 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 28 UK Singles (OCC)[32] 27 UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[33] 2 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[34] 6 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[35] 1 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[36] 2 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[37] 2 2011 weekly chart performance for "When I Come Around" Chart (2011) Peakposition US Billboard Rock Digital Songs[38] 31

Year-end charts [edit] 1995 year-end chart performance for "When I Come Around" Chart (1995) Position Australia (ARIA)[39] 40 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[40] 21 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[41] 12 New Zealand (RIANZ)[42] 28 US Hot 100 Airplay (Billboard)[43] 11 US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[44] 4 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[45] 10 US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)[46] 6

Certifications

[edit] Certifications for "When I Come Around"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39]	Gold	35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[47]	4× Platinum	320,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[48]	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[50]	Gold	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[51]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[52]	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit] Release dates and formats for "When I Come Around"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	December 1994	Radio	Reprise
Australia	January 16, 1995	CD cassette		[1]
United Kingdom	May 8, 1995	7-inch vinyl CD cassette		[53]

Use in media

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• "When I Come Around" was featured in South Park episode "Hummels & Heroin", sung in the style of a barbershop quartet.
• It was also featured in the Green Day-themed Rock Band game Green Day: Rock Band.
• It has been featured in multiple media such as the trailer for Blast from the Past and the episode in Hindsight.
• Green Day performed the song at FireAid to help with relief efforts for the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.[54][55]
• It has been featured in the basketball video game NBA 2K26.

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "New Releases – Product Available from : 16/01/95: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 257. January 15, 1995. p. 20.
2. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 20. May 20, 1995. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
3. ^ "The best third albums". Radio X. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
4. ^ Punknews Staff (July 30, 2014). "Green Day - Dookie". Punknews. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022. "Basketcase" and "When I Come Around" were the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of the punk genre
5. ^ "25 Years Ago: Green Day Reset Their Career With 'Dookie'". Ultimate Classic Rock. February 2019. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
6. ^ Mezydlo, Jeff. "The definitive Green Day Playlist". Yardbaker. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
7. ^ "The 95 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1995". Spin. August 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
8. ^ Raub, Jesse (June 22, 2010). "Green Day – Dookie". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
9. ^ "Week Ending Aug. 8, 2008: Taylor Swift Returns - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
10. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (September 7, 2023). "Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
11. ^ "Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
12. ^ Covach, John; Flory, Andrew (March 8, 2006). What's That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its History. W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 478–479.
13. ^ Dookie - Green Day | Album | AllMusic, retrieved April 16, 2025
14. ^ Stubbs, David (May 13, 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 34. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
15. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 29, 1995. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
16. ^ Patterson, Sylvia (May 13, 1995). "Singles". NME. p. 51. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
17. ^ Daniels, Leesa (April 26, 1995). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 62. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
18. ^ "Green Day – When I Come Around". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 8002". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
20. ^ Schlüter, Johan (June 9, 1995). "Official Danish Singles Chart". IFPI Report. No. Week 23. IFPI Danmark.
21. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 21. May 27, 1995. p. 31.
22. ^ "Chart History" (PDF). musiikkiarkisto.fi. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
23. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
24. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.3. '95 – 24.3. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 18, 1995. p. 26. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
25. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 31, 1995" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
26. ^ "Green Day – When I Come Around" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
27. ^ "Green Day – When I Come Around". Top 40 Singles.
28. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
29. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 20/5/1995 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
30. ^ "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 29. June 24, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
31. ^ "Green Day – When I Come Around". Singles Top 100.
32. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 20/5/1995 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
33. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 20/5/1995 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
34. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
35. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
36. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
37. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
38. ^ "Green Day Rock Digital". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
39. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1995". ARIA. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
40. ^ "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
41. ^ "Árslistinn 1995". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1996. p. 16. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
42. ^ "End of Year Charts 1995". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
43. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles Airplay" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. YE-32. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
44. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Album Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. YE-76. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
45. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 51. December 23, 1995. p. YE-77. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
46. ^ "The Year in Music 1995: Top 40/Mainstream Top Titles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 3, no. 51. December 15, 1995. p. 8.
47. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around". Music Canada. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
48. ^ "Italian single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
49. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around". Radioscope. Retrieved May 23, 2025. Type When I Come Around in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
50. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
51. ^ "British single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
52. ^ "American single certifications – Green Day – When I Come Around". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
53. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 6, 1995. p. 59.
54. ^ Stevens, Matt; Sisario, Ben (January 30, 2025). "At FireAid Benefit, Stars Sing a Love Song to Los Angeles". The New York Times.
55. ^ "FireAid: Inside the Star-Studded Benefit Show for Los Angeles". Rolling Stone. January 31, 2025.

• Myers, Ben (2005). Green Day - American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion. Independent Music Press. ISBN 0953994295. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.

v t e Green Day
Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool John Kiffmeyer
Studio albums	39/Smooth Kerplunk Dookie Insomniac Nimrod Warning American Idiot 21st Century Breakdown ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! Revolution Radio Father of All Motherfuckers Saviors
Live albums	Bullet in a Bible Awesome as Fuck Woodstock 1994 BBC Sessions
Compilations	1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours International Superhits! Shenanigans Demolicious Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band
EPs	1,000 Hours Slappy Sweet Children Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking Tune In, Tokyo... Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo 21 Guns
Tours	Pop Disaster Tour American Idiot World Tour 21st Century Breakdown World Tour 99 Revolutions Tour Revolution Radio Tour Hella Mega Tour The Saviors Tour
Associated acts	Foxboro Hot Tubs The Network Pinhead Gunpowder The Frustrators The Lookouts The Big Cats The Influents The Longshot The Coverups
Related articles	Discography List of songs Awards and nominations Adeline Records Seltzer v. Green Day, Inc Punk Bunny Coffee Cigarettes and Valentines Money Money 2020 Stop Drop and Roll!!! American Edit Green Day's American Idiot soundtrack Green Day: Rock Band songs ¡Cuatro! Foreverly "Boulevard of Broken Songs" Ordinary World Love Is for Losers No Fun Mondays Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!
Category

v t e Green Day songs
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours	"Knowledge"
Kerplunk	"Welcome to Paradise"
Dookie	"Longview "Basket Case "She" "When I Come Around"
Insomniac	"Stuck with Me" "Geek Stink Breath" "Brain Stew / Jaded" "Walking Contradiction"
Nimrod	"Nice Guys Finish Last" "Hitchin' a Ride" "Redundant" "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Warning	"Warning" "Waiting" "Minority"
American Idiot	"American Idiot" "Jesus of Suburbia" "Holiday" "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
21st Century Breakdown	"21st Century Breakdown" "Know Your Enemy" "East Jesus Nowhere" "Last of the American Girls" "21 Guns"
Awesome as Fuck	"Cigarettes and Valentines"
¡Uno!	"Let Yourself Go" "Kill the DJ" "Oh Love"
¡Dos!	"Stray Heart" "Amy"
¡Tré!	"X-Kid" "The Forgotten"
Revolution Radio	"Bang Bang" "Revolution Radio" "Still Breathing"
Father of All Motherfuckers	"Father of All..." "Oh Yeah!" "Meet Me on the Roof"
Saviors	"The American Dream Is Killing Me" "Look Ma, No Brains!" "Bobby Sox" "One Eyed Bastard" "Dilemma"
Other songs	"J.A.R." "Xmas Time of the Year" "I Fought the Law" "The Saints Are Coming" "The Simpsons Theme" "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" "Dreaming" "Smash It Like Belushi"

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work MusicBrainz release group