Nimrod Songs Ranked

Nimrod (stylized as nimrod.) is the fifth studio album by 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, surf rock, and ska. Lyrical themes discussed include maturity, personal reflection, and fatherhood. To promote the album, Green Day embarked on an extensive touring schedule. The album was also reissued on vinyl on June 16, 2009. The album was released in Europe as an HDCD. The songs “Nice Guys Finish Last”, “Hitchin’ a Ride”, and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” are featured in the video game Green Day: Rock Band. Here are all of Nimrod’s songs ranked.

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18. Last Ride In

“‘Last Ride In’ is an instrumental track with no lyrics. Apparently written during a sound check, Mike really keeps the whole thing together with the bass. I really like this one, I find it helps calm me down when I’m stressed out. “

17. All the Time

“‘All The Time’ has a good intro starting out with the electric guitar first and then quickly adding the drums and bass. Like ‘Scattered’, this song also would have sounded great on ‘Insomniac’. The track deals with substance use, very much like ‘Geek Stink Breath’, except that its lyrics are much more subtle.”

16. Reject

“‘Reject’ was apparently written after a mother wrote a letter to Billie Joe when her eight year old son received ‘Dookie’ as a gift from his grandmother, who must have not known what sort of music Green Day played”

15. Platypus (I Hate You)

“The lyrics for ‘Platypus (I Hate You)’ aren’t written in my sleeve for ‘Nimrod’. I don’t know if it was a mistake, if my album is a new one and perhaps the lyrics were printed in the originals, or if they weren’t printed because (perhaps) they were too offensive. It’s hard to hear what Billie Joe is singing the first time around when you don’t have the lyrics in front of you, but if you read them (I had to go online), the song is basically talking about how someone is dying”

14. Jinx

“Things speed up quickly with ‘Jinx’. It’s starts with someone (I can’t figure out who) screaming “one, two, three!” and then the music comes in immediately. This actually kind of reminds me of ‘St. Jimmy’ off of Green Day’s latest album (‘American Idiot’). I really love the lyrics “You finally met you nemesis/Disguised as your fatal long lost love/So kiss it goodbye until death do we part”. ‘Jinx’ merges flawlessly into ‘Haushinka’ without any pause.”

See more: Green Day Albums Ranked (Top 5)

13. Worry Rock

“The seventh track, ‘Worry Rock’, opens with notable and likeable lyrics. Take into consideration; “Yelling at brick walls and punching windows made of stone/The worry rock has turned to dust and fallen on our pride”. Mike’s bass playing is awesome on this track, and the drums stand out a lot in a few places as well.”

12. Take Back

“Basically, it’s a very angry track. At only one minute and nine seconds, it’s the shortest song on the album. Billie Joe pretty much yells throughout all of it. It’s actually pretty hard to understand what he’s saying until he reaches the chorus, where he basically just repeats “take back” a few times in a really weird, throat-y voice. It’s an interesting track; good, but not one of the best off of ‘Nimrod’.”

11. Prosthetic Head

” ‘Prosthetic Head’ is one of my favourite songs on the album. It begins kind of like ‘All The Time’ does, but with a quieter, more amateur feel. I really love the lyrics on this track, and I think that the song overall is one of the best written ones on the album. Simple, but effective, it supposedly addresses people in Hollywood with huge egos (prosthetic heads). It opens with some of my favourite lines from the album, and continues with the same minimal but impressive observations.”

10. Haushinka

“I remember the first time I was listening to the album I didn’t even know the song had switched until halfway through ‘Haushinka’, which is apparently about a girl Billie Joe met while the guys were touring Japan around the time of ‘Kerplunk!’. The drums in the intro are fantastic and they continue in the same way throughout the first verse before the music changes for the chorus.”

9. Walking Alone

“‘Walking Alone’ is an awesome track. Billie Joe puts his harmonica skills to use in it, and it sounds fantastic. The bass is also quite prominent. This is probably the most pop-influenced track on the album, but it doesn’t sound out of place. Rather, it just showcases the guys’ talent and their willingness to experiment with different types of music.”

8. Uptight

“‘Uptight’ slows down the album a little bit. It’s a mid-tempo track, and has an extremely catchy beat. After about a minute and 15 seconds, the music really speeds up for the chorus and doesn’t slow down again. The lyrics are repetitive, but that’s fine because they’re good, and very hard to get out of your head (as I’m quite aware).”

7. The Grouch

“‘The Grouch’ is a humorous, tongue in cheek track. I’d love to post some of the funny words to this one on here, but I have a feeling the language would have to be cut out. This is one of my favourite songs on the album, I love when Tre hits his drum sticks together at the beginning of the song, just before Billie Joe really gets into the song and the drums start. The timing is perfect. The vocals are absolutely flawless. Billie Joe’s voice is extremely distinct, and it sounds awesome here.”

See more: Green Day Songs Ranked

6. King for a Day

“‘King For A Day’ is Billie Joe’s infamous song about cross-dressing. The music is very goofy and fun, thanks to the trumpets which are included. It has a very circus-inspired theme, which adds to the overall humorous tone of the track. This is definitely a standout song, and one of my personal favourites.”

5. Scattered

“‘Scattered’, wouldn’t have sounded out of place on ‘Insomniac’. Judging from the lyrics, I’d say this track is about regrets and past memories. After about two minutes, Tre changes the beat of the song with the drums, before it loops back into the vocals to finish the track off.”

4. Nice Guys Finish Last

“The album begins with ‘Nice Guys Finish Last’. This is an upbeat track, with an awesome drum arrangement courtesy of Tre Cool. It has clever lyrics (“Don’t pat yourself on the back/You might break your spine”), and is a good track, but it isn’t one of my favourites.”

3. Redundant

“‘Redundant’ has a great, mid-tempo intro before the lyrics begin. I don’t know exactly how they’re meant to be interpreted, but I see this song as a sweet, poignant track. The vocals sound kind of distant and full of sadness and emotion. “

2. Hitchin’ a Ride

“t starts out strong with a violin, then the drums start up and the music really gets going. The lyrics here are top notch and Mike’s bass on this track is awesome. Billie Joe’s vocals are also fantastic. They’re drawn out in certain areas, and yelling in others. This is unquestionably one of the best tracks off of ‘Nimrod’, and one of the best, most unique songs of Green Day’s ever.”

1. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

“By now everyone and their dog has heard ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ about a million times. It begins with a few strums on an acoustic guitar, then silence, then another few strums, followed by another short silence, then Billie Joe actually begins playing. This is a simple song, with exquisite lyrics. I’m quite sure it’s most often played at High School graduations (I think mine was the only one in the last few years that it wasn’t played at), and I’m sure it’s a crowd favourite at live shows”