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Insomniac
Studio album by Green Day
Released	October 10, 1995
Recorded	April–June 1995
Genre	Punk rock, alternative rock
Length	32:55
Label	Reprise
Producer	Rob Cavallo, Green Day
Professional reviews
	Allmusic link; Entertainment Weekly (B) link; Rolling Stone [1]; Robert Christgau (A-) link; Henry Wheeler ;
Green Day studio album chronology
Singles from Insomniac
	"Geek Stink Breath"; Released: September 25, 1995; "Stuck with Me"; Released: December 27, 1995; "Brain Stew/Jaded"; Released: July 3, 1996; "Walking Contradiction"; Released: 1996;

Insomniac is the fourth studio album from the punk rock band Green Day. It was released on October 10, 1995, through the Reprise Records label. Though it reached number two in the United States and went double Platinum (According to the RIAA)^[1] by 1996, Insomniac did not have the sales endurance of its predecessor, Dookie, largely due to its slightly darker lyrical tone and heavier, more abrasive sound.^[2] The album is the band's third-best selling album behind Dookie and American Idiot with over 7 million copies sold worldwide.

[edit] Background

In 1995, a new single for the Angus soundtrack was released, titled "J.A.R.". The single went straight to number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was followed by Insomniac, which was released in the fall of 1995. Insomniac opened to a warm critical reception, earning four out of five stars from Rolling Stone, which said "In punk, the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets."^[3]

Before the name 'Insomniac', the band considered the naming the album Tight Wad Hill (After the thirteenth track of the album) After visiting collage artist Winston Smith for the album cover, Billie Joe Armstrong asked him how he managed to make such intricate pieces in such short times. Smith answered, "It's easy for me. I am an insomniac."^[4]

Insomniac was reissued on vinyl on May 12, 2009.

[edit] Cover art

"God Told Me to Skin You Alive"

The collage on the album cover was created by Winston Smith [2] and is called God Told Me to Skin You Alive, a reference to the Dead Kennedys song "I Kill Children". Interestingly enough, the cover art contains an image (the dentist) that was originally used in a collage featured in the inside cover art of Dead Kennedys' album Plastic Surgery Disasters. Smith knew Tré Cool from Green Day's time at Lookout! Records and told Tré that if he ever needed album artwork that he should call him.^[5] The cover art features several hidden images: a naked woman, 3 fairies, and several other ghostly faces in the flames.^[6] There are also three skulls on the entire album cover and back; one for each member of Green Day. One of the skulls requires you to view the piece at an angle. The hidden skull is taken from Hans Holbein's 1533 painting 'The Ambassadors'.^[7] Green Day's version, however, is slightly different from the original, with the woman holding Billie Joe's sky blue Fernandes imitation Stratocaster rather than an acoustic guitar.^[8]

[edit] Track listing

All lyrics written by Billie Joe Armstrong except “Panic Song” by Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong, all music composed by Green Day.

#	Title	Length
1.	"Armatage Shanks"	2:17
2.	"Brat"	1:43
3.	"Stuck with Me"	2:16
4.	"Geek Stink Breath"	2:15
5.	"No Pride"	2:20
6.	"Bab's Uvula Who?"	2:07
7.	"86"	2:48
8.	"Panic Song"	3:38
9.	"Stuart and the Ave."	2:04
10.	"Brain Stew"	3:13
11.	"Jaded"	1:30
12.	"Westbound Sign"	2:13
13.	"Tight Wad Hill"	2:01
14.	"Walking Contradiction"	2:31
32:55

Japanese version
#	Title	Writer	Length
15.	"I Want to Be on T.V."	Fang	1:17

Australian tour edition CD2 "Live Tracks EP"
#	Title	Length
1.	"Welcome to Paradise" (Live)	3:44
2.	"One of My Lies" (Live)	2:19
3.	"Chump" (Live)	2:59
4.	"Longview" (Live)	3:59
5.	"Burnout" (Live)	2:07
6.	"2,000 Light Years Away" (Live)	2:24

Rare Limited Edition Version
#	Title	Writer	Length
15.	"I Want To Be On TV"	Fang	1:17
16.	"Don't Wanna Fall In Love"	B.J. Armstrong	1:38
17.	"Brain Stew/Jaded (Clean Mix)"	B.J. Armstrong
18.	"Do Da Da (Stuck With Me)"	B.J. Armstrong	1:33
19.	"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (Early Mix)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:02
20.	"Brain Stew (Clean Radio Faded Ending)"	B.J. Armstrong	3:12
21.	"Walking Contradiction (Radio Edit)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:34
22.	"When I Come Around (Live at Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 1995)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:54
23.	"Jaded (Live at Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 1995)"	B.J. Armstrong	1:52
24.	"Stuck With Me (Live at Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 1995)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:37
25.	"Dominated Love Slave (Live at Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 1995)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:11
26.	"Chump (live at Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 1995)"	B.J. Armstrong	2:42

[edit] B-sides and outtakes

Song	Length	Release(s)
"I Want to Be on T.V"	1:17	A cover of the song by punk band Fang; B-side of "Geek Stink Breath"
"Don't Wanna Fall In Love"	1:38	B-side of "Geek Stink Breath"
"Do Da Da"	1:30	Originally named "Stuck with Me"; B-side of "Brain Stew/Jaded"
"Good Riddance"	2:01	Original demo of the later famous single; B-side of "Brain Stew/Jaded"
"J.A.R."	2:52	Featured on the soundtrack for the movie Angus; released as its own single in 1995

[edit] Singles and commercial success

The first single released from Insomniac was "Geek Stink Breath". This song was popular on both Top Forty and modern rock radio stations and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. It is one of Green Day's best known songs, and also a fan favorite. It was mostly well received by critics.

The second single, released as a tangible single exclusively in the UK, was "Stuck with Me". This song was moderately popular in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, but was not one of their bigger hits in the US.

The penultimate single from the album was "Brain Stew/Jaded". Oddly, the songs were separate songs (tracks 10 and 11 on Insomniac), but they were both released as a single, in one video.

The last single from the album was "Walking Contradiction". This song, compared to the other singles off of Insomniac, was less of a success, only managing to chart at number 21 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Year	Chart	Position
1995	The Billboard 200	2

[edit] Singles

Year	Song	Peak chart positions
Year	Song	US Airplay^[9]	US Mod ^[9]	US Main ^[9]	UK
1995	"Geek Stink Breath"	27	3	9	16
1995	"Stuck with Me"				24
1996	"Brain Stew/Jaded"	35	3	8	70
1996	"Walking Contradiction"	70	21	25

[edit] In popular culture

The song "Westbound Sign" is used for the teaser trailer for the Disney/Pixar picture Cars.
The title, "Babs' Uvula Who?" comes from a 1976 SNL sketch with Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase.^[10]
The song "86" was featured in the 1996 MTV film Joe's Apartment. "86" plays in the montage when Joe is trying different jobs.

[edit] Personnel

Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitars
Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals
Tré Cool – drums

[edit] Production

Producers: Green Day, Rob Cavallo
Engineer: Kevin Army
Mixer: Jerry Finn
Second Engineers: Richard Huredia, Bernd Burgdorf
Cover design: Winston Smith
Drum tech: Mike "Sack" Fasano Mike Fasano
Guitar tech: Mr. C Steffes
Project coordination: Cheryl Jenets

[edit] References

^ RIAA Certificates for "Insomniac"
^ Green Day: Behind the Music
^ Coleman, Mark. "Insomniac." Rolling Stone. November 1995.
^ Winston Smith Gallery: God Told Me to Skin You Alive (Insomniac), 1995
^ Tre & Winston http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html
^ Hidden images in Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Skin You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html
^ Green Day in Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Sking You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html
^ Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Skin You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html
^ ^a ^b ^c "Green Day single chart history". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=54578&model.vnuAlbumId=754886. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
^ SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 05/29/76: Babs' Uvula http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75vuvula.phtml

[0] RIAA Certificates for "Insomniac"

[1] Green Day: Behind the Music

[2] Coleman, Mark. "Insomniac." Rolling Stone. November 1995.

[3] Winston Smith Gallery: God Told Me to Skin You Alive (Insomniac), 1995

[4] Tre & Winston http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html

[5] Hidden images in Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Skin You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html

[6] Green Day in Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Sking You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html

[7] Winston Smith's "God Told Me to Skin You Alive" http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html

[billboardsingles-8] "Green Day single chart history". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=54578&model.vnuAlbumId=754886. Retrieved 2007-07-16.

[9] SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 05/29/76: Babs' Uvula http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75vuvula.phtml

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