September has finally ended and that can mean only one thing. Billie Joe Armstrong has woken up.
Armstrong announced the release of No Fun Mondays on Nov. 27, a 14-track album built solely out of his quarantine covers series of the same name.
The lockdown and the quarantining protocols did not deter Green Day’s frontman from dishing out content beginning as early as March when the lockdown had just started. The only difference was that instead of original songs, he put out covers ranging a variety of genres.
His first cover was a rendition of Tommy James and the Shondells’ classic “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Since then he has gone on to cover tracks like John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth,” The Bangles’ “Manic Monday,” and The Avengers’ “Corpus Christi.” Other artists that Armstrong got around to putting his melodic-punk spin on include Billy Bragg, Johnny Thunders, Wreckless Eric and the late Adam Schlesinger. The full tracklist can be found at the bottom of the post.
Armstrong’s covers corresponded to his feelings during the quarantine and he said he tried to use his music as a way of making everyone feel connected in this time of rampant disconnect.
“While we’ve all been in quarantine I’ve been reflecting on the things that matter the most in my life: family, friends, and, of course, music,” Armstrong said in a statement. “I figure if we have to spend this time in isolation at least we can be alone together.”
During the course of the release of his quarantine covers, Armstrong made each video available on Green Day’s official YouTube account. In the build-up to the release of the album, a new song will be released on streaming services every week.
In accordance with the band’s pre-coronavirus plans, Green Day was supposed to be on the road for the majority of 2020 on a tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer, but the Hella Mega Tour has since then been rescheduled for 2021, kicking off its North American leg in Seattle on July 14. The rescheduled tour dates and stops can be found here.
No Fun Mondays is currently available to preorder on CD and vinyl here. A limited-edition baby-blue colored vinyl pressing will be available at independent record stores all around the United States.
Billie Joe Armstrong’s No Fun Mondays cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” is available to view below.
No Fun Mondays Tracklist
- “I Think We’re Alone Now”
- “War Stories”
- “Manic Monday”
- “Corpus Christi”
- “That Thing You Do!”
- “Amico”
- “You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory”
- “Kids in America”
- “Not That Way Anymore”
- “That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll”
- “Gimme Some Truth”
- “Whole Wide World”
- “Police on My Back”
- “A New England”
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