"Welcome to Paradise" is a song by the American rock band Green Day. It first appeared as the third track on the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). It was re-recorded and rereleased as the fifth track on the band's third studio album, Dookie (1994), and released as the album's third single. Its physical release was exclusive to the United Kingdom on October 17, 1994, though the song still saw radio airplay in the United States. The song peaked at number 56 on the US BillboardHot 100 Airplay chart. The Dookie version is more popular[citation needed] and was later included on the band's 2001 compilation album International Superhits!.
Song meaning and composition
The lyrics were written by Billie Joe Armstrong and the music by Armstrong with Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. It is based on the band members' experiences of moving out of their parents' houses and into an abandoned house in Oakland, California, where they, along with a number of others, lived without paying rent. The house was quite broken-down but to them it became home, and this feeling is described in the song.
Billie Joe Armstrong said this of the song, "It's about West Oakland, living in a warehouse with a lot of people, a bunch of artists and musicians, punks and whatever just lived all up and down, bums and junkies and thugs and gang members and stuff that just lived in that area. It's no place you want to walk around at night, but it's a neat warehouse where you can play basketball and stuff."[7]
The song is played with the guitar tuned a half-step down, as are many of their Dookie songs.
The song is sung as Armstrong is talking or sending a message to his mother, after moving out of her house. In the first verse, he is talking to his mother after three weeks of leaving, telling her that he is scared about being on his own. The second part describes him writing to her six months later, now happy to live on his own.
Music video
A video was released for the song. It shows the band playing live, while the studio version from the Dookie album is playing during the band's performance. It is one of two videos not to be included on the band's first DVD, International Supervideos! (the other being "Macy's Day Parade").
According to Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who can be seen getting kicked in the face in the video by a stage diver, the papers burned on stage in the video were local newspaper articles about Green Day.[8]
Track listing
"Welcome to Paradise" – 3:45
"Chump" (live) – 2:44
"Emenius Sleepus" – 1:44
Track 2 was recorded on March 11, 1994, at Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, Florida.
