Walking Contradiction

"Walking Contradiction"
Promotional single by Green Day
from the album Insomniac
Released	August 20, 1996[1]
Recorded	1995
Studio	Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre	Punk rock[2]
Length	2:31
Label	Reprise
Composer(s)	Green Day
Lyricist(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Brain Stew / Jaded" (1996) "Walking Contradiction" (1996) "Hitchin' a Ride" (1997)
Music video
"Walking Contradiction" on YouTube

"Walking Contradiction" is a song by American rock band Green Day, released as a promotional single from their fourth album Insomniac. Also the closing track on the album, the song reached number 21 on the Modern Rock Tracks in August 1996.[3] The riff of this song originally appeared as the guitar solo for a demo version of "Haushinka", recorded but unused on previous album Dookie. "Haushinka" would eventually appear on their follow-up album Nimrod).

Track listing

1. "Walking Contradiction" (radio edit) – 2:31

Music video

Directed by Roman Coppola and mostly filmed in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, the video features the trio going about in a town casually causing accidents, explosions, and mayhem, unaware of their actions. At the end of the video, they all meet up with each other, get into a car and drive off, just as a building collapses. The music video received a Grammy nomination for "Best Music Video, Short Form" at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997.[4]

Chart positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[5]	25
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[6]	21

Other versions

• A live version appears on the 1996 Green Day live EP, Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking.
• Cheekface recorded a cover version for the 2020 charity album Jesus Christ Supermarket: A Compilation to Celebrate 25 Years of Green Day’s Insomniac. The compilation's title references a title that was considered for Insomniac, but not used.

References

1. Green Day Album & Song Chart History | Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
2. Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times, and Music of Green Day. Marc Spitz. 7 November 2006. ISBN 9781401385798. Retrieved December 3, 2014. ...pummeling punk tracks like "Tightwad Hill" and "Walking Contradiction"...
3. Billboard Chart History
4. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1997/grammys.htm Retrieved October 3rd 2012.
5. "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
6. "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2016.