Billie Joe Armstrong Returns with “Whole Wide World” Cover
Following two months of No Fun Mondays covers last spring, and a trio of covers in July, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is back with another! Last Friday, he shared his cover of “Whole Wide World” exclusively with Amazon; today, the song gets a wider release and lyric video.
“Whole Wide World” was originally released by Wreckless Eric in 1977. The song has been covered by a variety of artists over the years, including Elvis Costello, The Monkees, and even an Italian-language cover by Anna Oxa. Most recently, Cage The Elphant’s live cover was released as a single for their 2017 live album, Unpeeled.
Billie Joe’s cover, though, has the honor of getting Wreckless Eric’s approval. Rolling Stone reports that Eric called Billie Joe’s rendition “the most punk rock version ever.” Structurally, Billie’s cover stays true to the original, starting soft, vocals filtered, before growing louder and stronger. Billie infuses it with plenty of punk energy, making it a fun track to listen to. The lyrics are all about searching the planet for your one true love.
Enjoy Billie Joe’s cover of “Whole Wide World” in the lyric video below:
In the spring, No Fun Mondays gave us covers of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” “Manic Monday” featuring Susanna Hoffs, “Corpus Christi,” “That Thing You Do!,” “War Stories,” “Kids In America,” “Not That Way Anymore,” and “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll.” We also got the bonus Italian language cover of “Amico.”
July brought Billie’s covers of “Gimme Some Truth,” “A New England,” and “Police On My Back,” but now summer gets a late addition with “Whole Wide World.”
Father Of All… & “Otis Big Guitar Mix” EP
Green Day’s new album Father Of All… just came out in February. It features the singles “Father Of All…,” “Fire, Ready, Aim,” “Oh Yeah!,” and “Meet Me On The Roof.”
It’s a fun and straightforward record, weaving in elements of Motown along with Green Day’s brand of punk rock. While it’s not their strongest or most ambitious release (see instead American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, and the trilogy), it is refreshingly carefree and fast-paced.
Then, surprising fans everywhere, Green Day just put out an EP at the beginning of April. The “Otis Big Guitar Mix” EP features alternate versions of three trilogy songs. Sure, the trilogy came out 8 years ago, but it’s never too late for more goodies from it, right? Hear new mixes of “Lazy Bones,” “Wild One,” and “Oh Love.”
Changing Labels & More Music Possibilities
In a series of interviews last September, Green Day did imply that Father Of All… would be their last album with Warner Records. They’ve been with the major label since the early 1990s, and all of their albums from Dookie onwards have been released by Warner.
Additionally, at the time, the band members also suggested the possibility of them releasing a second album in 2020 – possibly on their own label after leaving Warner.
Billie Joe has repeated this idea, including in an interview in February. He stated that he’d written several songs in the previous six months and had several left over from the Father Of All… sessions. However, he did not indicate how they would release new music this year, if they indeed do so. We’ll just have to wait and see.
In early April, Billie Joe told Kerrang that he’s written another six songs since the quarantines began. We could have a ton of new music ready once the pandemic is over!
Hella Mega Tour
Around now, Green Day was supposed to be in the midst of their Hella Mega Tour, co-headlining with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. COVID-19 has forced them to postpone Asian, European, and North American dates to 2021. However, the November tour to Australia and New Zealand is still on… for now.
Tickets for the Hella Mega Tour are on sale now. Be sure to get tickets before it’s too late! Some dates have already sold out, so don’t wait!
Enjoy Billie Joe’s cover of “Whole Wide World,” and be sure to spin Green Day’s recent Father Of All… album and the “Otis Big Guitar Mix” EP. Get ready for more music from Green Day, potentially out later this year. Keep checking back here for all the latest Green Day music news.
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