Oh Yeah! (Green Day song)

"Oh Yeah!" is a song recorded by American rock band Green Day for their thirteenth studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers (2020). Band members Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool, and Mike Dirnt all co-wrote the song, which samples Joan Jett's cover of "Do You Wanna Touch Me" (Oh Yeah) was released on January 16, 2020, through Reprise Records as the album's third single. It later made its radio debut on January 28, 2020.

"Oh Yeah!"
Single by Green Day
from the album Father of All Motherfuckers
ReleasedJanuary 16, 2020 (2020-01-16)
RecordedSummer 2019
Genre
Length2:51
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Green Day singles chronology
"Fire, Ready, Aim"
(2019)
"Oh Yeah!"
(2020)
"Dreaming"
(2020)
Music video
"Oh Yeah!" on YouTube

The song is the official theme song of the WWE pay-per-view (now "Premium Live Event") event Backlash (2020).[1]

Background and composition

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"Oh Yeah!" was originally titled "Bulletproof Backpack" but was re-titled at some point in the production process to more closely associate it with "Do You Wanna Touch Me", which the song samples in its chorus.[2] This represents the first time the band has sampled another artist's work.[3] The writers of "Do You Wanna Touch Me", Gary Glitter and Mike Leander, both receive writing credits on the track. The band described Glitter as a "total asshole" because of his sexual abuse convictions and pledged to donate their royalties from the track to International Justice Mission and Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.[3][4] The lyrics of "Oh Yeah!" address celebrity culture and the polarization of modern society.[5]

The song has been described as pop rock by The Daily Californian,[6] power pop by Ultimate Classic Rock,[7] glam rock by Associated Press,[8] and synth-pop by Louder Sound.[9]

Commercial performance

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The song topped the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart at the week ending of April 18, 2020.[10] This broke the record previously held by Red Hot Chili Peppers for the longest span of Alternative Songs chart toppers, as 'Longview' became their first chart topper in June 1994.[11]

Music video

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An accompanying music video directed by Malia James premiered January 16, 2020.[12] The clip opens with drummer Tré Cool filming a tutorial on how to play the song.[12] A driver is shown watching this video as the camera zooms out from the tutorial and promptly hits lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong in a grocery store parking lot as a result.[4] This incident is filmed by a fan nearby and goes viral.[12] While Armstrong shows up on multiple occasions throughout the video, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool have recurring appearances as a security guard (who recognizes Armstrong) and a news reporter respectively. Throughout the rest of the video, various people take selfies and are otherwise absorbed by their phones.[12][4] Celebrity status and social media obsession are two themes in the video identified by critics.[12][13]

Charts

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Release history

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Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various January 16, 2020 Reprise [13]
United States January 28, 2020 Active rock Warner [21]
Modern rock [22]

References

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  1. ^ "6/14 WWE BACKLASH PPV RESULTS: Keller's report on McIntyre vs. Lashley, Edge vs. Orton in the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, Hardy vs. Sheamus, Strowman vs. Miz & Morrison, more". Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  2. ^ "Green Day Announce New Single And Confirm Father Of All... Tracklist". Kerrang!. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Green Day Have Dropped A Brand-New Song, Oh Yeah!". Kerrang!. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Spin Staff (January 16, 2020). "Billie Joe Armstrong Gets Hit by a Car in New Green Day Video". Spin. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Carter, Emily. "Green Day's New Album Is Like Nothing You've Seen Before". Kerrang!. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Bale, Pooja (January 29, 2020). "Green Day's new single 'Oh Yeah!' leaves listeners longing for past punk days". The Daily Californian. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Reed, Ryan (January 16, 2020). "Hear Green Day's New Joan Jett-Sampling Song, 'Oh Yeah!'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Mark (February 4, 2020). "Review: Green Day returns with snarling and lean album". Associated Press. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Beaumont, Mark (February 6, 2020). "Green Day have made a college jock party record and it's the best thing they've done in years". Louder Sound. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  11. ^ "Green Day dethrone Red Hot Chili Peppers with impressive chart record". Absolute Radio. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  12. ^ a b c d e Blistein, Jon (January 16, 2020). "Green Day Get Sucked Into the Endless Stream of Virality in New 'Oh Yeah!' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Gregory, Allie (January 16, 2020). "Green Day Share "Oh Yeah!" Video". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  14. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select CZ RADIO TOP 20 MODERN ROCK and insert 202013 into search. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Green Day Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  21. ^ "Rock Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  22. ^ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio". All Access. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.