Wake Me Up When September Ends: The Music Video

Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the band’s most popular songs, and the music video is just as iconic. In honor of the song’s anniversary, we’re taking a look back at the video and its legacy.

Checkout this video:

The music video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day

The music video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day was released on August 31, 2005. The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, who also directed the videos for “American Idiot” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.

The video tells the story of a young boy who loses his father in the September 11th attacks. The boy is shown growing up and dealing with his loss. The video culminates with the boy (played by Jamie Bell) attending a Green Day concert with his mother (played by Lynn Cohen).

The video was very well-received, winning several awards, including Best Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The story behind the music video

The video, set in 1985, is a montage of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s childhood and teen years, set to the tune of the song. The video covers his life from ages 9 to 19, focusing mainly on his adolescence. The video features clips of Armstrong growing up in Rodeo, California, as well as clips of the band during their early years in Berkeley.

The video was directed by Mark Pellington and was released on August 1, 2005. It was nominated for Best Editing at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.

The meaning of the lyrics

The lyrics of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” are written from the point of view of a young man whose love has died of leukemia. He is struggling to deal with his grief and longing for her. The song is a plea for time to heal his broken heart.

The video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was directed by Marc Webb and released in 2005. It tells the story of a young couple in love who are torn apart by the Iraq War. The girl is killed while serving as a soldier, and the boy is left behind to mourn her loss.

The video was filmed in New York City and features real-life footage of soldiers being deployed to Iraq as well as scenes of the aftermath of the war. It is a powerful and moving tribute to the sacrifice of our military men and women.

The symbolism in the video

The symbolism in the video is interesting. The white flowers could symbolize purity, or they could be a symbol of hope. The fact that they are wilting could symbolize the end of innocence or the end of something beautiful. The fact that the girl is holding onto them so tightly could symbolize her unwillingness to let go of something that she knows is already gone.

The color red is often used to symbolize passion, so the fact that the girl is wearing a red dress could symbolize her passion for life, even though she knows that it is coming to an end. The fact that she is crying could symbolize her sadness at losing something that meant so much to her.

The fact that the video takes place in September could be a symbolic reference to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The fact that the girl is running away from something could represent the way that many people felt after the attacks. They were running away from their old lives, and they were trying to start fresh.

overall, the video seems to be about loss and starting over again. It’s about grieving for what was lost, but also about finding hope in what comes next.

The connection between the video and the 9/11 attacks

The video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was released on October 13, 2005, exactly four years after the 9/11 attacks. The video features actor Jamie Bell lip syncing to the song while walking through New York City during different time periods. The video begins in the present day and goes back in time, starting with the 1950s. The first few scenes show life in the city during that time period, including people dancing in a park and children playing. There are also shots of famous landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

As the video goes on, it shows footage of the 9/11 attacks as well as images from other tragedies that have happened since then, such as the Columbine shooting and Hurricane Katrina. Near the end of the video, Bell is seen walking through Times Square, which is filled with people holding up signs that say things like “Never Forget” and “We Will Rise.” The video ends with a shot of the New York City skyline at night.

The connection between the music video and 9/11 is clear. The video is a tribute to those who lost their lives on that fateful day, as well as a reminder of how resilient New Yorkers are. It’s also a reminder that even though tragedy strikes, life goes on.

The critical reception of the video

The critical reception of the video was mixed. Some commentators praised the video for its emotion, while others criticized it for its simplicity.

On the positive side, Scott Weinberg of Entertainment Weekly wrote that “it’s a very sweet and sad little video, made all the more powerful by its utter lack of artifice or pretension.” Weinberg went on to say that “the ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ video is a perfect example of how a simplicity can sometimes trump ambition.”

However, not all reviewers were so complimentary. For example, Michael Slezak of TV Guide called the video “a simplistic, manipulative cash-in on 9/11.” Slezak went on to say that “the only thing more offensive than releasing such a lowest-common-denominator heartfelt anthem this close to 9/11 would be if Green Day had somehow managed to make an even more maudlin and cloying Cash for Clunkers commercial.”

The legacy of the video

The legacy of the video is one of the most important aspects of its cultural impact. The video was shot in black and white and directed by Samuel Bayer, who also directed Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video. The video features actors Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood as a young couple in love. The video is set during the American Civil War, and features shots of the couple dancing in a cornfield and walking through a battlefield. Bayer has said that he wanted to make a “timeless” video that would be remembered long after its release.

The video was released on September 13, 2005, just four days after the death of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s father. Armstrong had written the song about his father’s death, and the video is seen as a tribute to him. The video was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards, winning four, including Best Rock Video. It was also nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Music Video and Best Editing.

Green Day’s thoughts on the video

The video for “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was directed by Mark Pellington and released in October 2005. In an interview with MTV, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong discussed the video’s concept, saying:

“It’s definitely a different type of video for us. We’ve done videos that were pretty lighthearted and humorous in the past, but this one is much more serious and has a bit more of a message to it. It’s based on a couple that’s torn apart by the events of 9/11.”

He continued: “We actually shot the video in New York City, and I think that added to the feeling of it being very real and very honest. The people in the video are just regular people off the street. We didn’t use any actors, which I think helped to make it even more powerful.”

How the video has aged

It has been 4,676 days since “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day was released on September 13th, 2005 — the fourth and final single from their hit album American Idiot. The song, written by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong about the death of his father, struck a chord with fans across the world who related to the loss and grief that he was expressing. The music video, directed by Flavio Ferraro, added another layer of emotion to the already powerful song.

In the years since its release, the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” music video has aged well. The mix of live action and animation still feels unique and expressive, Ferraro’s direction is masterful, and audiences can still appreciate the raw emotion that Armstrong is conveying on screen. If anything, the video has only become more poignant with time as audiences have had their own personal experiences with loss and grief.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over fifteen years since “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was released, but the music video remains as impactful as ever.

The influence of the video

The video, set during the American Civil War, shows a love story between a young soldier in the Union army and a slave working on a Confederate plantation. It was filmed in Virginia and North Carolina. The video caused some controversy upon its release due to its graphic portrayal of slavery, and because of its use of the Confederate flag (shown prominently in several shots). Despite this, it was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards, winning two—Breakthrough Video and Best Editing.