X-Kid

"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.

"X-Kid"
Single by Green Day
from the album ¡Tré!
ReleasedFebruary 12, 2013 (2013-02-12)
RecordedFebruary 14–June 26, 2012 at Jingletown Studios in Oakland, California
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Green Day singles chronology
"The Forgotten"
(2012)		 "X-Kid"
(2013)		 "Xmas Time of the Year"
(2015)
Music video
"X-Kid" on YouTube
"X-Kid (Video Contest Finalist)" on YouTube

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.[1]

Theme and composition

According to The A.V. Club, "X-Kid" has "a rousing intro degenerates into a hybrid of two songs from the band’s 1992 album Kerplunk, “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” and “One Of My Lies.”"[2]

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.”[3]

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 1960-1980) 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.[4]

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".[5]

Chart positions
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canada Active Rock (America's Music Charts)[6] 18
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[7] 48
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[8] 35
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9] 23
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[10] 36

References
  1. YouTube (2012-12-19). "Green Day - "X-Kid" - Album: ¡TRE!". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  2. Tré Review. "Tré Review". the A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  3. "Interview: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on '¡Uno!,' '¡Dos!' and '¡Tre!' - Page 2". Guitar World. 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  4. "X-Kid by Green Day - Lyrics, song meaning and info". Greendayauthority.com. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  5. Ray Rahman (2013-01-09). "Tre! - review - Green Day Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  6. "Canada: Active Rock". America's Music Charts. March 26, 2013. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013. Alt URL
  7. "Green Day Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  8. "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  9. "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  10. "Green Day Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
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