Nimrod (stylized as nimrod.) is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 14, 1997, by Reprise Records. The band began work on the album in the wake of the cancellation of a European tour after the release of their previous album, Insomniac. Recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, the album was written with the intent of creating a set of standalone songs as opposed to a cohesive album. Retrospectively, Nimrod is noted for its musical diversity and experimentation, containing elements of folk, hardcore, surf rock, and ska. Lyrical themes discussed include maturity, personal reflection, and fatherhood.
The album peaked at number ten on the Billboard U.S. charts and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The record was also certified triple platinum in Australia and double platinum in Canada. Upon release, Nimrod received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the singer Billie Joe Armstrong's songwriting. The album yielded the acoustic single "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", which appeared in numerous popular culture events, including the penultimate episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. To promote the album, Green Day embarked on an extensive touring schedule. The album was also reissued on vinyl on June 16, 2009, as well as for anniversary and deluxe edition releases in 2012, 2017, and 2023.
Background
In 1995, Green Day released Insomniac, which did not perform as well commercially as the band's breakthrough major-label debut Dookie. Speaking of Insomniac, singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong noted, "It did a lot better than I thought it was going to do...From the sound of it, we knew it wasn't going to sell as much as Dookie." The group embarked on an extensive world tour to promote Insomniac in early 1996, which saw the band performing in sports arenas that contrasted with the small clubs the group was accustomed to playing. The members became increasingly uncomfortable with the level of stardom they had attained; Armstrong recalled, "We were becoming the things we hated, playing those big arenas. It was beginning to be not fun anymore." During this time, the band continued to write, and eventually completed over three dozen new songs by the beginning of 1997. Although the group's last effort with the producer Rob Cavallo was considered a disappointment, the band did not contemplate choosing anyone else to work with on Nimrod, because the members viewed Cavallo as a "mentor". Nimrod took four months to record; To keep the band focused, Cavallo enlisted his father, Pat Magnarella, to supervise and manage the group. Armstrong drew inspiration from the Clash's London Calling, and referred to Nimrod as "the record I've wanted to make since the band started." Green Day recorded around 30 songs for Nimrod and picked 18 of them for the record. Dirnt explained that the recording was much more loosely structured than previous albums, and that creating songs was the focus as opposed to making a cohesive record. During the sessions, the song was determined to be too different from the rest of the songs on Dookie, and Rob Cavallo was unsure of how to structure the recording. "Hitchin' a Ride" opens with a Middle Eastern-inspired violin performed by Petra Haden of That Dog. The band invited Gabrial McNair and Stephen Bradley of No Doubt's horn section to play on the ska-influenced "King for a Day".
Composition
Music
Nimrod is more musically diverse than previous Green Day albums. Armstrong noted that with the album, Green Day went down "different avenues", adding: "Each song has its own character and identity so we wanted to be able to bring that out as much as possible." "Nice Guys Finish Last" has been considered a song that "eases the transition" from Insomniac to Nimrod. Sandy Masuo of the Los Angeles Times likened "Worry Rock" to the music of Elvis Costello. "Last Ride In" is a surf rock-influenced instrumental, and "King for a Day" is a song featuring a horn section. Overall, Nimrod is considered a punk rock, pop-punk, album. Additionally, Loudwire categorized the album as representing scene music.
Lyrics
Lyrically, Nimrod touches upon more reflective themes not present on earlier Green Day albums. Much of the album illustrates Armstrong's sentiments on growing up and his role as a husband and father. The same woman is also the subject of "She" from Dookie, "Whatsername" from American Idiot (2004) and "Amanda" from ¡Tré!. "Redundant" focuses on Armstrong's relationship with his wife and how "things sometime get repetitive and you have to make an effort to recapture the early spontaneity", whilst "Worry Rock" deals with the "vicious fights" between them.
However, other songs contain subject matter and themes more typical of Green Day's previous work. Armstrong wrote "Nice Guys Finish Last" about the band's interactions with the band's lawyers and managers and how "everybody thinks they know what's best for you." "Jinx" contains self-deprecating lyrics characteristic of many of the band's songs, while "Prosthetic Head" has been referred to as a "typical ticked-off kiss-off". Armstrong described "Platypus (I Hate You)" as "a vicious song about wanting to strangle someone I have deep animosity for, and the pleasure of watching this person die."
After three art directors were rejected by the band and pressing was behind schedule, Green Day asked the help of Chris Bilheimer, a friend of Armstrong who had done covers for another group signed by Warner Bros. Records, R.E.M. Having just the album title to work on, Bilheimer had some ideas, with one taking inspiration from a photo Bilheimer had seen, where a politician's poster had his face removed. He felt the image was "striking" and seemed to fit the band by featuring "a typical middle-age male, corporate politician American kind of guy, and someone had completely taken his identity away through vandalism." Following that line of thought, Bilheimer took an encyclopedia picture of men in suits and ties and put colored circles reading "nimrod." on their faces, "using that to take away the people's identity". The back cover had the same being done to a yearbook Bilheimer found in a Los Angeles bookstore, "from the era of the Leave It to Beaver 1950s idyllic America", with the label "break[ing] down that image of people’s perceptions of a happy polite idyllic society." The booklet features the lyrics presented as if they were a secret document that had been redacted with black ink, "so they seemed like they were part of something else".
On August 26, 2023, Green Day announced limited edition T-shirts with a parody of Nimrod album cover, replacing the portraits obscured behind the circles with a mug shot of Donald Trump. The band promised to donate the merchandise proceeds to Greater Good Music, a charity helping victims of the Maui fire.
In the back cover, among the yearbook photos, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, and Mike Dirnt are seen on the top left, third right top, and bottom right.
Release and promotion
thumb|The band's first promotional appearance for the release of Nimrod took place at the [[Tower Records store in Manhattan; the performance escalated into a riot.|alt=A street view of a store front prominently features a yellow taxi in front of the store. The walls contain clear windows with the phrase "Tower Records – Video" in bright orange lights.]]
The Nimrod promotional tour began that fall and opened with a performance and in-store record signing on November 11, 1997, at a Tower Records in Manhattan. The band was upset upon reading reviews that suggested the band had lost its punk edge, and despite the presence of security staff both inside and outside the building, started a riot during its scheduled eight-song set at the store. Armstrong then wrote the words "fuck" and "nimrod" in black spray paint on the storefront windows, and proceeded to moon the audience of approximately 1,400 people. No charges were filed and no injuries were reported, but the store was closed for the day to repair damages caused. The Nimrod tour marked the first time the band performed its now-routine ritual of inviting audience members onstage to play instruments. During the tour, Armstrong felt that he became a better performer, noting, "I think some people walk away from a Green Day concert with the emotions you would get from some kind of theater performance where the crowd feels involved — where it's not just about the singer. It's not just about the band."
While performing at the 1998 KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California, the Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar ran onstage and "bear-hugged" Dirnt, who was caught off-guard. The incident escalated into an on-stage scuffle before Salazar was taken away by security. After the performance, Dirnt confronted Salazar backstage, and as the two were arguing, a beer bottle struck Dirnt in the head, causing a small fracture in his skull. and an X-Men blooper reel during the credits sequence of the 2024 MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine.
25th Anniversary Edition
On October 13, 2022, the band announced they would be releasing an expanded version of Nimrod for its 25th anniversary, and released a demo of the song "You Irritate Me", which was cut from the original release. The expanded version includes over 30 bonus tracks on 2 discs, including other demos and live versions of some of their singles, and also includes remastered versions of the original album's songs. Prior to the January 27, 2023, release, the band also released a second demo; a cover of Elvis Costello's "Alison" on January 13, 2023. Upon release of the anniversary edition, many critics and fans noted that the demo "Black Eyeliner" was repurposed by Armstrong for two different songs later in his career. The pre-chorus was used for "Church on Sunday" on Green Day's next album, Warning, while the chord progression and lyrical construction were used for "Kill Your Friends", a song by Armstrong's 2018 side project, the Longshot.
Reception
Critical response
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave Nimrod three and a half stars out of five, calling it an "invigorating, if occasionally frustrating listen", and although he praised Armstrong's "gift for hooky, instantly memorable melodies", he noted that "the 18 tracks whip by at such a breakneck speed that it leaves you somewhat dazed." The Los Angeles Timess Sandy Masuo enjoyed the "mature songwriting that really makes this album tick", noting that "Naturally, a couple of thrash 'n' bash hard-core paeans are included, but they're surrounded by songs that are surprisingly varied in character and grounded in a pop aesthetic that evokes a gaggle of great tunesmiths." On March 16, 2000, Nimrod was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over two million copies. In Canada, the album peaked at number four, remaining on the chart for four weeks. In Australia, the album debuted at number twelve and later peaked at number three on the country's chart. The record was later certified triple platinum in Australia.
Track listing
25th Anniversary Edition
Personnel
Adapted from Nimrod CD booklet.
Green Day
- Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Mike Dirnt – bass, vocals; baseball bat on "Desensitized"
- Tré Cool – drums, bongos, tambourine
Additional musicians
- Petra Haden – violin on "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Last Ride In"
- Conan McCallum – violin on "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
- Gabrial McNair, Stephen Bradley – horns on "Last Ride In" and "King For A Day"
- David Campbell – string and horn arrangements
Production
- Rob Cavallo; Green Day – producers
- Ken Allardyce – recording, engineer
- Tony Flores – second engineer
- Mike Dy, Barry Goldberg, Bill Kinsley, Wes Seidman – additional second engineers
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
- Timmy Chunks – guitar technician
- Bill Schneider – bass technician
Artwork
- Snorri Brothers – photography
- Chris Bilheimer – photography, art direction, design
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for Nimrod
! scope="col"| Chart (1997–1999)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums (FIMI)
|15
|-
!scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (AFYVE)
|align="center"|28
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2023 weekly chart performance for Nimrod
! scope="col"| Chart (2023)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1997 year-end chart performance for Nimrod
! scope="col"| Chart (1997)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Albums (Nielsen Soundscan)
| 89
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1998 year-end chart performance for Nimrod
! scope="col"| Chart (1998)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 56
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Albums (RPM)
| 77
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 75
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1999 year-end chart performance for Nimrod
! scope="col"| Chart (1999)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 84
|}
Certifications
Notes
References
Works cited
- Diehl, Matt. (April 17, 2007) My So-Called Punk: Green Day, Fall Out Boy, The Distillers, Bad Religion—How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream. St. Martin's Griffin Publishing. .
- Myers, Ben. (April 1, 2006) Green Day: American Idiots & The New Punk Explosion. Disinformation Books. .
- Spitz, Marc. (November 1, 2006) Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. Hyperion. .
External links
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
- Nimrod at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)