Holiday (Green Day song)

"Holiday" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day, released as the third single off of their seventh studio album American Idiot (2004). Though the song is a prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday" was released as a single later on, in the spring of 2005. The song achieved considerable popularity across the world and performed moderately well on the charts. In the U.S., it reached number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. It debuted at number eleven in the UK and at number twenty-one in Canada.

"Holiday" features a spoken word segment during the bridge that is unique to Green Day songs. While it caused controversy, this speech is generally regarded as anti-fascist, with Green Day accusing George W. Bush of being a fascist.

During live performances, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong liked to introduce this song with a political agenda, or alternatively, a disclaimer. For example, on Green Day's CD/DVD Bullet in a Bible (2005), Armstrong announces, "This next song's a big 'fuck you' to all the politicians. This song's called Holiday! This song is not anti-American; it's anti-war!" Which some consider to be similar to the way in which Bono of U2 would introduce "Sunday Bloody Sunday"; "This is not a rebel song...".

Track listing

CD 1

  1. "Holiday"
  2. "Holiday" (live)
  3. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (live)

CD 2

  1. "Holiday"
  2. "Minority" (live)

7" picture disc

Side A
  1. "Holiday"
Side B
  1. "Minority" (live)
  • (live tracks recorded September 21, 2004 at Irving Plaza, New York)