Longview - Green Day

Artist: Green Day
Song: Longview
Year: 1994
Album: Dookie

The long career of Green Day really took off with this song. After years of trying to find success, they hit the big time with "Longview". This was the first in a string of hits for Green Day that really hasn't let up yet.

Believe it or not, the song is about masturbation. It wasn't obvious during my first few listens in 1994, but looking at the lyrics (and knowing the lyrics by heart) reveal the true story. It's a song about boredom and what a person will do when bored.

After this video debuted on MTV (when they actually played videos and not reality shows), Green Day would be everywhere in 1994. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing a Green Day song. You couldn't turn on the TV without seeing a video or a live performance.

This is one of the many reasons that the summer of 1994 will remain one of my favorite summers. The only thing that seemed to go wrong was that I missed Green Day performing at Lollapalooza by one day. I got to see them in 1995, so it was OK.

Lyrics:
Sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on
Change the channels for an hour or two
Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit
I'm sick of all the same old shit
In a house with unlocked doors
And I'm fucking lazy

Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored I'm going blind
And I smell like shit

Peel me off this velcro seat and get me moving
I sure as hell can't do it by myself
I'm feeling like a dog in heat
Barred indoors from the summer street
I locked the door to my own cell
And I lost the key

Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored I'm going blind
And I smell like shit

I got no motivation
Where is my motivation?
No time for the motivation
Smoking my inspiration

Sit around and watch the phone, but no one's calling
Call me pathetic, call me what you will
My mother says to get a job
But she don't like the one she's got
When masturbation's lost it's fun
You're fucking breaking

Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored
I'm going blind
And loneliness has to suffice
Bite my lip and close my eyes
I was slipping away to paradise
Some say,"Quit or I'll go blind."
But it's just a myth