Green Day See Huge YouTube View Spike When September Ends
Some songs are inextricably tied to certain moments of the year. There's the Justin Timberlake "It's gonna be May" meme, for example, and each year, at the close of September, music fans flock to YouTube to hit play on Green Day's American Idiot hit "Wake Me Up When September Ends."
While the song is symbolic of love and loss, fans flip the script and, for at least one day out of the year, turn it into a celebration of sorts as they welcome October. On Sept. 30 of this year, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" amassed over 395,000 views on YouTube in just that single day, good enough for a 135 percent spike compared to the song's daily average throughout the rest of 2019.
At the time of publication, the track has garnered over 151 million total views since being uploaded in late October of 2009, which equates to a ballpark figure of over 15 million views each year.
The single was also certified platinum by the RIAA in August of 2008, just under four years after the release of American Idiot. The album itself went gold in 2005 and achieved platinum status in 2013.
Catch Green Day on the "Hella Mega" tour next year with Fall Out Boy and Weezer.
Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer 2020 North American Tour Dates
July 17 - Seattle, Wash. @ T-Mobile Park
July 21 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Oracle Park
July 24 - San Diego, Calif. @ Petco Park
July 25 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Dodger Stadium
July 28 - Commerce City, Colo. @ DICK’s Sporting Goods Park
July 31 - Arlington, Texas @ Globe Life Field
Aug. 01 - Houston, Texas @ Minute Maid Park
Aug. 05 - Miami, Fla. @ Hard Rock Stadium
Aug. 06 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ TIAA Bank Field
Aug. 11 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Field
Aug. 13 - Chicago, Ill. @ Wrigley Field
Aug. 15 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PNC Park
Aug. 16 - Hershey, Pa. @ Hersheypark Stadium
Aug. 19 - Detroit, Mich. @ Comercia Park
Aug. 21 - Washington, D.C. @ Nationals Park
Aug. 22 - New York, N.Y. @ Citi Field
Aug. 24 - Toronto, Ontario @ Rogers Centre
Aug. 27 - Boston, Mass. @ Fenway Park
Aug. 29 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Citizens Bank Park
See American Idiot in the Top 100 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 21st Century