One side of Billie Joe Armstrong‘s face is planted on the floor after a night of heavy drinking and partying as he’s singing I was sober now I’m drunk again / I’m in trouble and in love again / I don’t want to be a dead man walking. The chorus of Green Day‘s “Dilemma” takes a hard look at the see-saw effects and mental anguish that often come with addiction.
The lyrics reveal the cold truth of where addiction can often lead and the back-and-forth confusion and internal struggles it often breeds: Welcome to my problems / It’s not an invitation / This is my dilemma / And it’s my obsession.
“‘Dilemma’ was one of those songs that was kind of easy to write because it was so personal to me,” said Armstrong of the single in a statement. “We’ve seen so many of our peers struggle with addiction and mental illness. This song is all about the pain that comes from those experiences.”
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[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Billie Joe Armstrong Wrote for Other Artists]
The latest single off Green Day’s forthcoming 14th album Saviors, out January 19, “Dilemma” follows previous singles “The American Dream Is Killing Me” and “Look Ma, No Brains!” and the band’s previous 2020 release Father of All…
Green Day first premiered “Look Ma, No Brains!” during their headlining set at the When We Were Young festival in October, and debuted “1981” during a show in Quebec City, Canada before releasing “The American Dream Is Killing Me.”
Recorded in Los Angeles, California, and London, England, Saviors was produced by Rob Cavallo, who also worked with Green Day’s on Dookie in 1994 and again with the band a decade later on American Idiot in 2004.
To celebrate their third album, the band recently released a 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of Dookie, featuring 17 unreleased demos and six studio outtakes. In commemoration of their breakout album, Green Day also played an intimate show in Las Vegas at the Fremont Country Club in October and performed Dookie in its entirety.
[RELATED: Green Day’s Zombified Video for “The American Dream is Killing Me”]
Green Day recently revealed their stadium-led 2024 Saviours Tour with the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas in North America. The Hives, Nothing But Thieves, Donots, Maid of Ace, and The Interrupters will also join the band in the UK and European leg of the tour.
The Saviors Tour kicks off on May 30 in Spain and makes its way through Europe and the UK through the end of June before restarting in the U.S. on July 29.
Photo: Alice Baxley / Courtesy of Warner Records
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