The Alternative Number Ones: Green Day’s “When I Come Around”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I’m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it’s for members only. Thank you to everyone who’s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

"The softest songs will get the hardest reactions," says Mike Dirnt. It's 1995, and he's on a couch between his two Green Day bandmates, talking to MTV News about all the ways that their lives have changed since their album Dookie unexpectedly blew the fuck up. He's visibly bored, and so are his bandmates. But probably just to entertain himself and his friends, Dirnt suddenly snaps into character, imitating some rando at a Green Day show: "Dude! 'When I Come Around'!" He then grabs Billie Joe Armstrong and flails every limb in every direction. He kicks and punches the air and fish-flops across his bandmates' laps while they crack up. For whatever reason, this little bit of physical comedy has been stuck in my head for the past 30 years.