This Should Give Green Day Fans Hope

Acolytes of the seminal '00s pop-punk band Green Day should not despair. The band's North American tour was set to kick off this week, but was cancelled due to illness that reportedly affected both the musicians and their crew (get better soon, guys!). But is the new Green Day single "Still Breathing" a sign of hope to mosh pit devotees that our favorites will reschedule some dates very, very soon? Despite possessing no concrete evidence to back this up, I'm going to say with supreme confidence: absolutely.

While I imagine the song's title was originally intended as a sort of meta-commentary on sustaining enough of a fan base to be a professional musician after an insane 30 years in the game, it's hard not to read it now as a message of hope to fans. After all, it's a very telling title. It suggests that you might think they're sick, but they're not that sick.

If you're fifty shades of cynical about this theory, I suggest you look to the chorus — the words penned by the band themselves:

Cause I'm still breathing on my ownMy head's above the rain and rosesMaking my way, my wayMy way to you

So the band's telling you that, not only do they not require assistance to pump oxygen into their lungs, but they're headed your way. But how would a band possibly visit every single listener in North America? Unless there was some sort of structure in place where bands played at venues in different towns, and if you lived nearby you might be able to travel there to see them. Almost like a... tour.

At some point, the voice of the song switches: it goes from voicing the musician's perspective to taking on the voice of every faithful Green Day fanatic:

I'm like a junkie tying off for the last timeI'm like a loser that's betting on his last dime

Um, get out of my brain please, lyrics writer Mr. Armstrong. I know my relationship with Green Day is totally unhealthy, but I'm OK with it. Could the loser betting on his last dime be Billie Joe's self-deprecating way of describing the public shelling out for another ticket?

But it's not just about metaphors, but the practicalities of running the music biz. Dropping a song means PR for a band. When would a band as big as Green Day most need PR? When they'd maybe cancelled a tour and had to give everyone their money back, but now wanted to reschedule dates and convince fans to shell out a second time round for the tickets.

So, yes. Not only is this a great day because we just got a fresh new single from a band that brings back all the nostalgia and who simultaneously makes genuinely good music, but it's a great day because you've been given new hope that a tour's just around the corner. Just call me the world's seminal pop-punk music detective and set a Google Alert for Green Day tickets. If I'm right, those new dates will be showing up within the next week. Billie Joe, Tre, Mike, I can't wait to see you live again.

Images: Green Day/Youtube