X-Kid

"X-Kid"
"X-Kid"
Single by Green Day
from the album ¡Tré!
Released	February 12, 2013
Recorded	February 14–June 26, 2012 at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, California
Genre	Pop punk; power pop;
Length	3:42
Label	Reprise; Warner Bros.;
Songwriter(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong; Mike Dirnt; Tré Cool;
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo; Green Day;
Green Day singles chronology
Music video
	"X-Kid" on YouTube; "X-Kid (Video Contest Finalist)" on YouTube

"X-Kid" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the fifth track on their eleventh studio album, ¡Tré! (2012), and was released as the second single from the album on February 12, 2013, and is the sixth and final single from the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! & ¡Tré! trilogy.

Background and release

"X-Kid" was released as a single on February 12, 2013. On December 19, 2012, a video was released to Green Day's official YouTube channel showing "X-Kid" playing on a cassette tape.^[3]

Theme and composition

"X-Kid"

A sample of "X-Kid from Green Day's ¡TRE! Album ".

Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to The A.V. Club, "X-Kid" has "a rousing intro" which becomes a "hybrid" of "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?" and "One Of My Lies", two songs from Green Day's second studio album Kerplunk.^[4]

Song meaning

“X-Kid” from ¡Tré! deals with the suicide of a close friend of the band's. “I don’t really want to get into it,” Armstrong says. “It’s too heavy.”^[5]

This song was written in response to the 2009 suicide of a close friend that Armstrong grew up with in Rodeo, CA. However, the song is as much about the entire "Generation X" (those born from roughly 1965–1980)^[6] as it is about this one specific tragedy. Billie Joe has repeatedly identified himself as an "Ex-Kid" in recent interviews. The narrator is able to relate to his late friend, in that they were both "Ex/X-kids." But, he was able to push through the struggles that came with growing older, while his friend was not. His friend, unfortunately, found an escape in suicide, thus the line "Here goes nothing, the shouting's over." The narrator sees facets of himself in his late friend. He feels as if, sadly, there wasn't much that could have been done to help his friend, though he wishes someone could have found a way to help him before it was too late.^[7]

Credits and Personnel

Songwriting: Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool
Production: Rob Cavallo, Green Day

Critical reception

Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly named "X-Kid" as the best song on ¡Tre!, above "Brutal Love" and "Missing You".^[8]

Chart positions

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Canada Rock (Billboard)^[9]	38
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[10]	48
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)^[11]	36

References

^ "Green Day "X-Kid" (video) | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.
^ Robinson, Joe (21 December 2012). "Green Day, 'X-Kid' – New Video". Diffuser.fm.
^ YouTube (2012-12-19). "Green Day - "X-Kid" - Album: ¡TRE!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
^ Heller, Jason (December 11, 2012). "Green Day: ¡Tre!". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
^ "Interview: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on '¡Uno!,' '¡Dos!' and '¡Tre!' - Page 2". Guitar World. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
^ Katz, Stephen (2017). "Generation X: A Critical Sociological Perspective". Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging. 41 (3): 12–19. ISSN 0738-7806. JSTOR 26556295.
^ "X-Kid by Green Day - Lyrics, song meaning and info". Greendayauthority.com. 2012-12-11. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
^ Ray Rahman (2013-01-09). "Tre! - review - Green Day Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
^ "Green Day Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ "Green Day Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
^ "Green Day Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.

[1] "Green Day "X-Kid" (video) | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.

[2] Robinson, Joe (21 December 2012). "Green Day, 'X-Kid' – New Video". Diffuser.fm.

[3] YouTube (2012-12-19). "Green Day - "X-Kid" - Album: ¡TRE!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

[4] Heller, Jason (December 11, 2012). "Green Day: ¡Tre!". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.

[5] "Interview: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on '¡Uno!,' '¡Dos!' and '¡Tre!' - Page 2". Guitar World. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-13.

[6] Katz, Stephen (2017). "Generation X: A Critical Sociological Perspective". Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging. 41 (3): 12–19. ISSN 0738-7806. JSTOR 26556295.

[7] "X-Kid by Green Day - Lyrics, song meaning and info". Greendayauthority.com. 2012-12-11. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2013-02-13.

[8] Ray Rahman (2013-01-09). "Tre! - review - Green Day Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

[sc_Billboardcanadarock_Green_Day-9] "Green Day Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[sc_Billboardrocksongs_Green_Day-10] "Green Day Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2014.

[sc_Billboardrockairplay_Green_Day-11] "Green Day Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.

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v t e Green Day
Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool John Kiffmeyer Sean Hughes Raj Punjabi
Studio albums	39/Smooth Kerplunk Dookie Insomniac Nimrod Warning American Idiot 21st Century Breakdown ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! Revolution Radio Father of All Motherfuckers Saviors
Live albums	Bullet in a Bible Awesome as Fuck Woodstock 1994 BBC Sessions
Compilations	1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours International Superhits! Shenanigans Demolicious Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band
EPs	1,000 Hours Slappy Sweet Children Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking Tune In, Tokyo... Last Night on Earth: Live in Tokyo 21 Guns
Tours	Pop Disaster Tour American Idiot World Tour 21st Century Breakdown World Tour 99 Revolutions Tour Revolution Radio Tour Hella Mega Tour The Saviors Tour
Associated acts	Foxboro Hot Tubs The Network Pinhead Gunpowder The Frustrators The Lookouts The Big Cats The Influents The Longshot The Coverups
Related articles	Discography List of songs Awards and nominations Adeline Records Seltzer v. Green Day, Inc Punk Bunny Coffee Cigarettes and Valentines Money Money 2020 Stop Drop and Roll!!! American Edit Green Day's American Idiot soundtrack Green Day: Rock Band songs ¡Cuatro! Foreverly "Boulevard of Broken Songs" Ordinary World Love Is for Losers No Fun Mondays Money Money 2020 Part II: We Told Ya So!
Category

v t e Green Day songs
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours	"Knowledge"
Kerplunk	"Welcome to Paradise"
Dookie	"Longview "Basket Case "She" "When I Come Around"
Insomniac	"Stuck with Me" "Geek Stink Breath" "Brain Stew / Jaded" "Walking Contradiction"
Nimrod	"Nice Guys Finish Last" "Hitchin' a Ride" "Redundant" "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Warning	"Warning" "Waiting" "Minority"
American Idiot	"American Idiot" "Jesus of Suburbia" "Holiday" "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" "Wake Me Up When September Ends"
21st Century Breakdown	"21st Century Breakdown" "Know Your Enemy" "East Jesus Nowhere" "Last of the American Girls" "21 Guns"
Awesome as Fuck	"Cigarettes and Valentines"
¡Uno!	"Let Yourself Go" "Kill the DJ" "Oh Love"
¡Dos!	"Stray Heart" "Amy"
¡Tré!	"X-Kid" "The Forgotten"
Revolution Radio	"Bang Bang" "Revolution Radio" "Still Breathing"
Father of All Motherfuckers	"Father of All..." "Oh Yeah!"
Saviors	"The American Dream Is Killing Me" "Look Ma, No Brains!" "Dilemma" "One Eyed Bastard" "Bobby Sox"
Other songs	"J.A.R." "Xmas Time of the Year" "I Fought the Law" "The Saints Are Coming" "The Simpsons Theme" "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" "Dreaming"