Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will release his 'No Fun Mondays' cover series in a collection of 14 songs. 'No Fun Mondays' sees Armstrong put his signature melodic-punk spin on the songs that have formed the soundtrack to his life, including classics by John Lennon, Billy Bragg and Johnny Thunders.
The "No Fun Mondays" series launched in March on Green Day's YouTube channel. Like many musicians, Armstrong expected to be on the road for much of this year, touring in support of Green Day's February album "Father of All," which topped the charts.... But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to put those plans on hold, Armstrong began a different kind of work. "While we were all in quarantine, I thought about the things that were most important in my life: Family, friends and, of course, music," he says. "I figure if we have to spend that time in isolation, at least we can be alone together.
Opening with his perfectly on-trend cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' golden oldie, "I Think We're Alone Now," Armstrong treated fans to a new, self-recorded cover song each Monday, accompanied by a DIY video. Aside from paying his respects to his punk rock forebears (The Avengers' "Corpus Christi," Dead Boy Stiv Bators' "Not That Way Anymore") and working class heroes (John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth," Billy Bragg's "A New England"), Armstrong also indulged his love of sugary pop through reverential versions of The Bangles' "Manic Monday" and the Beatlesque theme to Tom Hanks' film "That Thing You Do! The latter was performed in honor of songwriter Adam Schlesinger, who died in April from complications of COVID-19.
Though the inspiration for the project was at times celebratory, these songs are meant to uplift. Although recorded at home, No Fun Mondays is as amped up as Green Day's arena-worthy anthems, a master class in punky power pop from a true connoisseur of the form.
Limited baby blue vinyl pressing
Tracklisting
Side A:
1. I think We're Alone Now
2. War Stories
3. Manic Monday
4. Corpus Christi
5. That Thing You Do!
6. Amigo
7. You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory
Side B:
1. Kids In America
2. Not That Way Anymore
3. That's Rock 'N' Roll
4. Gimme Some Truth
5. Whole Wide World
6. Police On My Back
7. A New England
