Editing Insomniac (Green Day album)

{{Use American English|date=September 2020}}
{{use mdy dates |date=September 2020}}
{{Redirect-multi|2|Tight Wad Hill|Armatage Shanks|the hills|Tightwad Hill|the toilet company|Armitage Shanks}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Insomniac
| type         = Studio
| artist       = [[Green Day]]
| cover        = Green Day Insomiac.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = {{Start date|1995|10|10}}
| recorded     = December 1994 – May 1995
| venue        = 
| studio       = [[Hyde Street Studios|Hyde Street]], [[San Francisco]], California
| genre        = [[Punk rock]]
| length       = 32:49
| label        = [[Reprise Records|Reprise]]
| producer     =
* [[Rob Cavallo]]
* Green Day
| prev_title   = [[Dookie]]
| prev_year    = 1994
| next_title   = [[Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking]]
| next_year    = 1996
| misc         = {{Singles
| type         = studio
| single1      = [[Geek Stink Breath]]
| single1date  = September 25, 1995<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=35|date=September 23, 1995}}</ref>
| single2      = [[Stuck with Me]]
| single2date  = December 21, 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/64982/products/308079/1/|title=グリーン・デイ {{!}} スタック・ウィズ・ミー|trans-title=Green Day {{!}} Stuck with Me|publisher=[[Oricon]]|language=ja|access-date=March 24, 2025}}</ref>
| single3      = [[Brain Stew / Jaded]]
| single3date  = April 10, 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/64982/products/308234/1/|title=グリーン・デイ {{!}} ブレイン・シチュー|trans-title=Green Day {{!}} Brain Stew|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=March 24, 2025}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Insomniac''''' is the fourth studio album by the American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Green Day]], released on October 10, 1995, by [[Reprise Records]]. It was recorded at [[Hyde Street Studios|Hyde Street]] in [[San Francisco]], and the band prioritized high-energy takes during the recording sessions. Released as the follow-up to the band's multi-platinum breakthrough ''[[Dookie]]'', ''Insomniac'' featured a heavier sound, with bleaker lyrics than its predecessor.<ref name="spence">{{Cite web|last=Spence|first=Matthew|date=October 9, 2020|title="Insomniac": Green Day's Follow Up|url=https://medium.com/@mattsp17spence/insomniac-green-days-follow-up-969a49732e7a|access-date=October 10, 2020|website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]]}}</ref><ref name="brophy">{{cite news |last1=Brophy |first1=Christine |title=''Insomniac'' will keep you up all night rockin' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/483369019/?terms=Green%20Day%20insomniac |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=[[The Daily Item (Sunbury)|The Daily Item]] |date=October 27, 1995}}</ref> Lyrically, the album discusses themes such as [[Social alienation|alienation]], [[anxiety]], boredom, and drug use.<ref name="spence"/> ''Insomniac'' also served as a reaction to many early fans who had turned their backs on the band after it achieved mainstream success with ''Dookie''.<ref name="spence"/>

The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the singer [[Billie Joe Armstrong]]'s songwriting and sarcastic sense of humor. Three songs were released as singles, "[[Geek Stink Breath]]", "[[Stuck with Me]]", and "[[Brain Stew / Jaded]]". Though it peaked at number 2 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart and was certified [[RIAA certification|2× Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]]<ref>[https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS "RIAA Certificates for Insomniac"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626051113/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS |date=2007-06-26 }}. riaa.com.</ref> in 1996, ''Insomniac'' did not have the sales endurance of its predecessor ''[[Dookie (album)|Dookie]]'', largely due to its slightly darker lyrical tone and its heavier and more abrasive sound.<ref>''Green Day: Behind the Music''</ref> ''Insomniac'' has sold over 2.1 million copies in the United States as of 2012.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gallo |first=Phil |date=2012-07-16 |title=Green Day: The Billboard Cover Story |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/green-day-the-billboard-cover-story-481423/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> The album was reissued on [[Gramophone record|vinyl]] on May 12, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/2009/03/green-day-reissue-entire-catalog-vinyl/ |title=Green Day Reissue Entire Catalog on Vinyl |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=13 March 2009 |access-date=7 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308140820/http://www.spin.com/2009/03/green-day-reissue-entire-catalog-vinyl/ |archive-date=2017-03-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, a deluxe version of the album was released for its 25th anniversary, including previously unreleased live tracks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/green-days-remastered-25th-anniversary-edition-of-insomniac-to-be-released-this-friday/|title=Green Day's remastered 25th anniversary edition of Insomniac to be released this Friday|date=March 17, 2021 }}</ref>

==Background==
{{Quote box
| quote="The fact that that album came out, like, a year and a half after ''Dookie'' was us trying to cut off the bullshit in its tracks and just keep making music. That’s all we wanted to do, keep making music. Sometimes I feel that ''Insomniac'' is the most honest record I ever made at the particular moment that it was written and recorded."
| source =—Billie Joe Armstrong on ''Insomniac''<ref name="Winwood" />
| width= 30em
| align= right
| salign= right
}}
Green Day's previous album ''[[Dookie (album)|Dookie]]'' (1994), their first for a [[major label]], was approaching the ten-million sales mark by the time of recording ''Insomniac'', and the band's success saw them rejected by the [[punk subculture|punk]] circles in which the group got their start.<ref name="Winwood" /> The group also began performing at large venues such as coliseums and hockey arenas.<ref name=stonecover>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/green-day-from-punk-to-platinum-19951228|title=Green Day: From Punk to Platinum|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Jann Wenner|date=December 28, 1995|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003075818/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/green-day-from-punk-to-platinum-19951228|archive-date=2017-10-03|url-status=live}}</ref> The singer and guitarist [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] was stung by criticisms of being a "[[sell out]]", telling an interviewer: "I think I was just lost. I couldn't find the strength to convince myself that what I was doing was a good thing. I was in a band that was huge because it was supposed to be huge, because our songs were that good. But I couldn't even feel that I was doing the right thing, because it felt like I was making so many people angry."<ref name="Winwood" />

The band's state of discombobulation inspired them to prove themselves with ''Insomniac''.  The bassist [[Mike Dirnt]] later said: "I felt at the time that there was a real urgency to what we were doing. There was a real urgency to stake our claim and say, 'No, we belong here.' It was really important to us to make sure people knew that we weren’t just a flash in the pan."<ref name="Winwood" /> During this period the band members also underwent changes in their personal lives; Armstrong married and had a son, while the drummer [[Tré Cool]] and his wife had a daughter.<ref name=successofdookiekerrang>{{cite news|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/billie-joe-armstrong-on-the-success-of-dookie-i-remember-being-pretty-freaked-out/|title= Billie Joe Armstrong on the Success of Dookie: "I Remember Being Pretty Freaked Out" |newspaper=Kerrang |date=October 30, 2019 |access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref><ref name=stonecover/> For Armstrong, reaching all these milestones was a surreal experience and he struggled to process these sudden changes, noting that "what I really wanted to do was keep working, and keep writing songs...I didn't really stop and smell the roses".<ref name=successofdookiekerrang/>

==Recording==
Much of the album was written and rehearsed in a small, [[Cape Cod (house)|Cape Cod]]-style home in East Oakland, California.<ref name=stonecover/> The band decorated the walls with notes underneath song titles jokingly providing instructions for achieving the intended tempo for each track; these included "Must pop [[Valium]] for this one" and "Must take [[Methamphetamine|crank]] for this one".<ref name=stonecover/>  After the birth of Cool and his wife's first child, and Cool noted that "I can hit the drums harder than I ever thought I could. Having a kid is trying – you have to watch your temper all the time – but it enhances the experience of playing in the band."<ref name=stonecover/>

Eschewing the typical punk rock ethos of creating cheap, low-quality recordings, the band strove to perfect its sound on the record, drawing inspiration from bands such as [[the Beatles]] and [[Cheap Trick]].<ref name=stonecover/> Cool experimented with different cymbal sounds on nearly every song on the album, while Armstrong and producer Rob Cavallo developed the ritual of lining up several guitar amps and testing each one to achieve the desired sound.<ref name=stonecover/> Much of ''Insomniac'' was recorded in short, high-energy bursts. Before takes, the group would drink excessive amounts of coffee, "squeeze every last drop of energy" into the recordings, and then rest immediately afterward.<ref name=stonecover/> Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics was employed to apply a thicker guitar sound to the songs.<ref name="Winwood" />

==Composition==
===Musical style===
{{listen
|filename=Geek Stik Breath.ogg
|title="Geek Stink Breath"
|description="[[Geek Stink Breath]]" is the lead single from the album.
|filetype=[[Ogg]]}}
{{listen
|filename=Brain Stew Jaded.ogg
|title="Brain Stew/Jaded"
|description="[[Brain Stew/Jaded]]" is the third single from the album.
|filetype=[[Ogg]]}}
David Browne of ''Entertainment Weekly'' described ''Insomniac'' as "14 slices of hearty anarchy, played with a follow-the-bouncing-spitball compactness and vigor."<ref name=EW/> Ian Winwood of ''[[Kerrang!]]'' wrote of the album's "master class in buzzsaw efficiency, the songs are so economical, not to mention harsh, that the removal of even a single chord would cause each composition to collapse in on itself," calling it "the album on which its creators lost their baby teeth."<ref name="Winwood">{{cite web |last1=Winwood |first1=Ian |title=Green Day: The Inside Story of Insomniac |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/green-day-the-inside-story-of-insomniac/ |website=Kerrang |access-date=October 22, 2019 |date=2018}}</ref> Music journalist Andrew Earles said producer Rob Cavallo "helped the band make huge guitar walls out of riffs and grow away from the shiny-happy locker-room dip-shittery of ''Dookie''."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Earles |first1=Andrew |title=Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 |date=September 15, 2014 |publisher=Voyageur Press |page=131 }}</ref>

The album features bleaker, more pessimistic lyrics than those of ''Dookie''.<ref name=EW/> However, ''Rolling Stone'' noted that the lyrics exemplify "cold-eyed realism, not trendy nihilism or bleak despair."<ref name=RS/> Armstrong's vocal delivery on the album has been described as an "adenoidal vocal whine."<ref name=RS/>

===Lyrical themes===
The album begins with "Armatage Shanks", which explores disassociation and the lack of identity, with Armstrong feeling "Stranded / Lost inside myself."<ref name=RS/> "When I wrote that song it was right before ''Dookie'' came out, and I was really at odds with myself," Armstrong said of it in an interview with ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marks |first=Craig |date=December 1995 |title=Green Day: Boys to Men |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=11 |issue=9 |page=138 |issn=0886-3032}}</ref> "Brat" takes the perspective of a "snot-nosed slob without a job" waiting for his parents to die in order to receive his inheritance.<ref name=EW/> "Stuck with Me", the second single of the album, talks about the band's negative experiences with their newfound fame after releasing ''Dookie'', as evidenced by the line ”I'm not part of your elite, I'm just alright". "Geek Stink Breath", the first single, discusses methamphetamine use, including side effects such as the formation of facial scabs and an accelerated pulse.<ref name=RS/> "No Pride" talks about a narrator at the bottom of society, who doesn't mind being there, since he has no pride. The angst-ridden "Bab's Uvula Who?" begins with the lyric, "I've got a knack for fucking everything up," backed by a "brutal, unforgiving wall of sound."<ref name=RS/> It is followed by "86", which discusses the rejection Green Day faced from the [[924 Gilman Street]] music club in Berkeley after the band's rise to fame in 1994.<ref name="brief">{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2013/05/03/a-brief-guide-to-green-day/|title=A brief guide to Green Day|work=The Baltimore Sun|publisher=Tribune Publishing|date=May 3, 2013|access-date=February 23, 2016|last=Case|first=Wesley|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305191612/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-05-03/entertainment/bs-ae-american-idiot-sidebar-20130503_1_green-day-geek-stink-breath-gilman-street-punk-scene|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Panic Song" exhibits a pessimistic view of the world, describing it as "a sick machine breeding a mass of shit."<ref name=EW/> It begins with a "pummeling" instrumental introduction that has been compared to [[the Who]], which lasts for roughly the first two minutes of the three-and-a-half minute-long song.<ref name=EW/> It was inspired by Armstrong's [[panic attack]]s caused by his [[anxiety]] issues and Dirnt's panic attacks, which were suffered as a result of being born with an enlarged [[mitral valve]] in his heart.<ref name="myers22">Myers, 2006. p. 22</ref> Cool tore the calluses on his hand while recording the instrumental intro, and slumped against a wall between takes. Cavallo recalled the musician's hands resembled "a bloody mess".<ref name="Winwood" /> "Stuart and The Ave." is about a girl Billie liked but then realized he didn't anymore. Billie wrote this song after Billie’s girlfriend broke up with him before Insomniac’s release. So he proceeded to go home and write a punk anger filled song about it. Stuart and the Ave. is a real location in Berkeley CA, it is an intersection between Stuart Street and Telegraph Avenue. "Brain Stew", the third and biggest single off of ''Insomniac'', talks about insomnia and is quickly followed by "Jaded". "Westbound Sign" is about Billie's wife, Adrienne, moving to California with him. "Tight Wad Hill" talks about how the activities teens once did (like getting high) are not fun anymore. Tight Wad Hill is also a real place at California Memorial Stadium where people would watch games without paying, as said in the line, "Cheapskate on the hill, a thrill seeker making deals". The final track, "Walking Contradiction" was described as an anthem for "anyone who has chafed against the bounds of the demographically correct, computer-coded, image-conscious mid-'90s."<ref name=RS/>

==Title and artwork==
{{Redirect|God Told Me to Skin You Alive|the Dead Kennedys song|I Kill Children}}
[[File:Winston Smith - God Told Me to Skin You Alive (1995).jpg|thumb|''God Told Me to Skin You Alive'']]
Before the name ''Insomniac'' was decided on, the band considered naming the album ''Jesus Christ Supermarket''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/billiejoe/status/34349567428268032|title=One regret? Insomniac was going to be called "jesus christ supermarket". JCSM is a much better title. Oh well..|first=Billie Joe|last=Armstrong|date=February 6, 2011|access-date=November 4, 2019}}</ref> and ''Tight Wad Hill''. ''Insomniac'' was originally the working title song for "[[Brain Stew / Jaded|Brain Stew]]" on demo. After visiting [[collage]] artist [[Winston Smith (artist)|Winston Smith]] for the album cover, [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] asked him how he managed to make such intricate pieces in such short times. Smith answered: "It's easy for me. I am an [[insomnia]]c."<ref name="Smith">{{cite web|url=http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html |title=Winston Smith Gallery: God Told Me to Skin You Alive (Insomniac), 1995 |access-date=2006-10-12 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011129004117/http://www.winstonsmith.com/gallery/book2/big/insomniac.html |archive-date=November 29, 2001 }}. winstonsmith.com.</ref> Armstrong himself has said that the album title comes from his own insomnia, after having been woken up frequently during the night due to his son's screams. Armstrong also mentions his insomnia from the perspective of methamphetamine use in the song "Brain Stew".

The collage on the album cover was created by Smith<ref>[http://www.winstonsmith.com/ "The Montage Art of Winston Smith"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323071039/http://www.winstonsmith.com/ |date=2006-03-23 }}. winstonsmith.com.</ref> and is called '''God Told Me to Skin You Alive''', a reference to the [[Dead Kennedys]] song "[[I Kill Children]]". The cover art contains an image (the dentist) that was originally used in a collage featured in the inside cover art of [[Dead Kennedys]]' album ''[[Plastic Surgery Disasters]]'' (1982). Smith knew drummer [[Tré Cool]] from Green Day's time at [[Lookout! Records]] and told Cool that if he ever needed album artwork that he should call him.<ref name="Smith"/> The cover art features several hidden images: a naked woman, three fairies, and several other ghostly faces in the flames.<ref name="Smith"/> There are also three skulls on the entire album cover and back, one for each member of Green Day. One of the skulls requires the viewer to tilt the piece at an angle. The hidden skull is taken from [[Hans Holbein the Younger|Hans Holbein]]'s 1533 painting ''[[The Ambassadors (Holbein)|The Ambassadors]]''.<ref name="Smith"/> Green Day's version, however, is slightly different from the original, with the woman holding Armstrong's iconic Sonic Blue [[Fernandes Guitars|Fernandes]] imitation [[Stratocaster]] rather than an acoustic guitar.<ref name="Smith"/>

==Promotion and tours==
Promotion for ''Insomniac'' was limited, with a "[[Media blackout|virtual press blackout]]".<ref name="Winwood" /> All of the album's singles contained the words "fuck" or "shit" and the music video for "Geek Stink Breath", showing a [[methamphetamine]] addict having his tooth removed, was removed from [[MTV]] playlists. This, combined with the ''God Told Me to Skin You Alive'' cover collage, led Winwood to comment that "everything about ''Insomniac'' was noticeably different from ''[[Dookie (album)|Dookie]]'', yet fully informed by the vast shadow it cast."<ref name="Winwood" /> [[Larry Livermore]], co-founder of the band's former label [[Lookout Records]], found ''Insomniac'' to be "depressing", and recalls that he "was even a bit worried about them" upon hearing the single "Brain Stew".<ref name="Winwood" /> A staff writer for ''People'' compared the release of ''Insomniac'' to [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s ''[[In Utero (album)|In Utero]]'' (1993), which featured a darker, less accessible sound in the wake of the success of the band's multi-platinum album ''[[Nevermind]]''.<ref name=peoplereview>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-insomniac-vol-44-no-18/|title= Picks and Pans Review: Insomniac|work=People|date=October 30, 1995|access-date=May 28, 2020|author=People Staff}}</ref>

Green Day also became [[Homesickness|homesick]] because touring forced the members to leave behind their families. The band eventually decided to cancel the late 1996 European leg of the ''Insomniac'' tour to take time off to spend at home.<ref name="Spitz126">Spitz, 2006, p. 126</ref><ref>Myers, 2006. p. 130.</ref>  During this time, the band continued to write, and eventually completed over three dozen new songs by the beginning of 1997 for the upcoming album, ''[[Nimrod (album)|Nimrod]]''.<ref name="Spitz127">Spitz, 2006, p. 127</ref> Although the group's last effort with producer [[Rob Cavallo]] was considered a disappointment, the band did not contemplate choosing anyone else to work with on ''Nimrod'', because the members viewed Cavallo as a "mentor".<ref name="Spitz127"/>

==Release and commercial performance==
''Insomniac'' debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling over 171,000 copies its first week of release.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rA4EAAAAMBAJ |title = Billboard|date = 1995-10-28}}</ref> The first single released from ''Insomniac'' was "[[Geek Stink Breath]]". The song was successful on both Top 40 and rock radio stations and peaked at number 27 on the [[Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)|''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay]]. The second single, released exclusively in the [[United Kingdom]], was "[[Stuck with Me]]". The song was moderately successful in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, but was not one of the group's bigger hits in the US. The third single from the album was "[[Brain Stew/Jaded]]". The two were separate songs (tracks 10 and 11 on ''Insomniac''), but they were released together as a single and a music video. The song "[[Walking Contradiction]]" was released as a [[Promotional recording|promotional single]] in August to promote the album, while "86" was only released as a promotional single in [[Spain]] and [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=72974 |title=Green Day 86 - Eighty Six Spain Promo CD single (CD5 / 5") (72974) |publisher=Eil.com |access-date=2013-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211134348/http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=72974 |archive-date=2013-12-11 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

=== Deluxe edition ===
In 2021, For the 25th year anniversary, Green Day made a deluxe version of the album, which includes eight tracks from "Live in [[Prague]]".

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/insomniac-mw0000645577 |title=Insomniac – Green Day |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 27, 2012 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916210932/http://www.allmusic.com/album/insomniac-mw0000645577 |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/insomniac |title=Green Day – Insomniac |magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=June 22, 2010 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |last=Raub |first=Jesse |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100829201337/http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/insomniac |archive-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' 
| rev3Score = B<ref name=EW>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1995/10/20/insomniac |title=Insomniac |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=October 20, 1995 |access-date=September 27, 2012 |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412190650/https://ew.com/article/1995/10/20/insomniac-2/ |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Green Day: Insomniac (WEA) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96532835/the-guardian/|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=October 13, 1995 |last=Smith |first=Andrew|access-date=February 26, 2022|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' 
| rev5Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/POP-CDS-Janet-Rises-Above-Other-Jacksons-3022400.php |title=Green Day's Fourth More of the Same |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=October 15, 1995 |access-date=June 16, 2019 |last=Arnold |first=Gina |author-link=Gina Arnold}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="knoxnews">{{cite news |title=Music |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/775772655/?terms=Green%20Day&match=1 |access-date=4 June 2023 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=October 20, 1995 |page=10}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' 
| rev7Score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-08-ca-54498-story.html |title=Green Day: Something for All |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 8, 1995 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |last=Ali |first=Lorraine |author-link=Lorraine Ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113142853/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-08/entertainment/ca-54498_1_green-day |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' 
| rev8Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=RS>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/insomniac-19951102 |title=Insomniac |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 2, 1995 |access-date=February 26, 2012 |last=Coleman |first=Mark |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402184752/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/insomniac-19951102 |archive-date=April 2, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Green Day |last=Catucci |first=Nick |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/347 347–48]}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev10Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtbUh9Aju4IC&pg=PA118 |title=Green Day: Insomniac |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=11 |issue=9 |date=December 1995 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |last=Weisbard |first=Eric |page=118}}</ref>
| rev11 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev11Score = A−<ref name=Christgau>{{cite news |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1195-95.php |title=Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=November 14, 1995 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055019/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1195-95.php |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}<!--List Automatically Moved by DASHBot-->

''Insomniac'' did not have the big sales or airplay as the singles from ''Dookie'', but it was generally well received by critics. It earned three and a half out of five stars from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', which said "In punk the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets".<ref name=RS/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave the album a B with particular praise for Billie Joe Armstrong, stating that: "Fans needn't worry about Armstrong, a new father, rhapsodizing over the joys of changing diapers or whining about being a wealthy rock star. Once more, the songs relate the travails of a pathetic, self-loathing goofball whose sense of self-worth is continually reduced to rubble by sundry jerks, authority figures, and cultural elitists."

However, Green Day was slightly criticized for not progressing as much as their predecessors. ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated that: "''Insomniac'' does make you wonder about Green Day's growth, though. Between albums one and four, [[The Clash]], to take an old-school example, branched out from guitar crunch to reggae, dub, and Spectorized pop. By comparison, Green Day sound exactly the same as on their first album, albeit with crisper production and, ominously, a palpable degeneration in their sense of humor. The few hints of growth are fairly microscopic: a tougher metallic edge to a few of the songs ... and lyrics that are bleaker than ''Dookie'''s."<ref name=EW/>

[[AllMusic]] similarly noted that "they kept their blueprint and made it a shade darker. Throughout ''Insomniac'', there are vague references to the band's startling multi-platinum breakthrough, but the album is hardly a stark confessional on the level of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s ''[[In Utero (album)|In Utero]]''. ... While nothing on the album is as immediate as "Basket Case" or "Longview," the band has gained a powerful sonic punch, which goes straight for the gut but sacrifices the raw edge they so desperately want to keep and makes the record slightly tame. Billie Joe hasn't lost much of his talent for simple, tuneful hooks, but after a series of songs that all sound pretty much the same, it becomes clear that he needs to push himself a little bit more if Green Day ever want to be something more than a good punk-pop band. As it is, they remain a good punk-pop band, and ''Insomniac'' is a good punk-pop record, but nothing more."<ref name="allmusic"/> [[Robert Christgau]] opined "[Armstrong's] songs conceptualize his natural whine with a musicality that undercuts his defeatism."<ref name=Christgau/>

The album was included at number 8 on ''Rock Sound''{{'}}s "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time" list.<ref>Bird, ed. 2014, p. 73</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:InsomniacDeluxe.jpg|thumb|Alt cover for Insomniac's 25th anniversary deluxe edition.]] -->

==Legacy==
Despite being considered a commercial disappointment, Armstrong noted, "Insomniac did a lot better than I thought it was going to do...From the sound of it, we knew it wasn't going to sell as much as ''Dookie''."<ref name="Beyondpunk">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQoEAAAAMBAJ&q=green+day+good+riddance+acoustic&pg=PA11|title=Green Day Grows Beyond Punk On 'Nimrod'|last=Rosen|first=Craig|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|date=September 20, 1997|access-date=July 8, 2012}}</ref> The group embarked on an extensive world tour to promote ''Insomniac'' in early 1996, which saw the band performing in sports arenas that contrasted with the small clubs the group was accustomed to playing.  The members became increasingly uncomfortable with the level of stardom they had attained; Armstrong recalled, "We were becoming the things we hated, playing those big arenas. It was beginning to be not fun anymore."<ref name="Spitz123">Spitz, 2006, p. 123</ref>

Music journalist Andrew Earles referred to the album's third single "Brain Stew" as "one of the better [[mainstream radio]] moments" of the decade.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Earles |first1=Andrew |title=Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996 |date=September 15, 2014 |publisher=Voyageur Press |page=131 }}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_lyrics   = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]], except where noted
| all_music    = Green Day, except where noted
| total_length = 32:49
| title1   = Armatage Shanks
| length1  = 2:17
| title2   = Brat
| length2  = 1:43
| title3   = [[Stuck with Me]]
| length3  = 2:16
| title4   = [[Geek Stink Breath]]
| length4  = 2:15
| title5   = No Pride
| length5  = 2:19
| title6   = Bab's Uvula Who?
| length6  = 2:08
| title7   = 86
| length7  = 2:47
| title8   = Panic Song
| note8    = lyrics written by [[Mike Dirnt]] and Armstrong
| length8  = 3:35
| title9   = Stuart and the Ave.
| length9  = 2:03
| title10  = [[Brain Stew / Jaded|Brain Stew]]
| length10 = 3:13
| title11  = [[Brain Stew / Jaded|Jaded]]
| length11 = 1:30
| title12  = Westbound Sign
| length12 = 2:12
| title13  = Tight Wad Hill
| length13 = 2:01
| title14  = [[Walking Contradiction]]
| length14 = 2:31
}}
{{Track listing
| headline  = Japanese version
| total_length = 34:06
| title15  = I Want to Be on T.V.
| note15   = written by Sam McBride and Tom Flynn; originally performed by [[Fang (band)|Fang]]
| length15 = 1:17
}}
{{Track listing
| headline  = Australian tour Souvenir Edition live EP: Recorded Live at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg, Florida; March 11, 1994 (also known as the [[Live Tracks]] EP)
| total_length = 17:11
| title1  = [[Welcome to Paradise]]
| length1 = 4:06
|    note1 =live
| title2  = One of My Lies
| length2 = 2:25
|    note2 =live
| title3  = Chump
| length3 = 2:39
|    note3 =live 
| title4  = [[Longview (song)|Longview]]
| length4 = 3:30
|    note4 =live      
| title5  = Burnout
| length5 = 2:03
|    note5 =live
| title6  = 2000 Light Years Away
| length6 = 2:49
|    note6 =live
}}
{{Track listing
| headline  = 25th Anniversary Edition Bonus Vinyl: Live from Prague, March 26, 1996
| title1  = Armatage Shanks
| length1 = 2:27
| title2  = Brat
| length2 = 1:55
| title3  = Geek Stink Breath
| length3 = 2:07 
| title4  = Stuck with Me
| length4 = 2:12
| title5  = Brain Stew
| length5 = 2:56
| title6  = Jaded
| length6 = 1:32
| title7  = Walking Contradiction
| length7 = 2:27
| title8  = 86
| length8 = 4:26
| total_length = 20:36
}}

==Personnel==
'''Green Day'''
* [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] – lead vocals, guitar
* [[Mike Dirnt]] – bass, backing vocals
* [[Tré Cool]] – drums

'''Production'''
* [[Rob Cavallo]]; Green Day – [[Record producer|producers]]
* Kevin Army – [[Audio engineer|engineer]]
* [[Jerry Finn]] – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]
* [[Richard Huredia]]; Bernd Burgdorf – additional engineers
* [[Bob Ludwig]] – [[Mastering (audio)|mastering]]

'''Artwork'''
* [[Winston Smith (artist)|Winston Smith]] – cover art
* Dirk Walter – art direction<ref name="liner notes">''Insomniac'' liner notes. Retrieved 2011-10-13</ref>
* David Harlan – typographic design<ref name="liner notes"/>

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1995)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|5|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=March 4, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Austria|2|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|17|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|12|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
! scope="row"|[[Canadian Albums Chart|Canada Albums]] ([[The Record (magazine)|The Record]])<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dw0EAAAAMBAJ&q=hits+of+the+world&pg=PT43 |title=HITS OF THE WORLD |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=November 11, 1995 |access-date=December 21, 2018}}</ref>
| 2
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|22|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
! scope="row"|Europe ([[European Top 100 Albums]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-10-28.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716005429/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-10-28.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-16 |url-status=live|title=Eurochart Top 100 Albums - October 28, 1995|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=12|issue=43|page=23|date=October 28, 1995|access-date=November 18, 2021}}</ref>
| 5
|-
{{album chart|Finland|1|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|12|id=2173|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums ([[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|FIMI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/classifiche.kl#/charts/1/1995/42|title=Classifica settimanale WK 42 (dal 13.10.1995 al 19.10.1995)|publisher=[[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana]]|language=it|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
|align="center"|14
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|27|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
!scope="row"|Portuguese Albums ([[Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa|AFP]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-11-11.pdf|title= Top National Sellers - November 11, 1995|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=16|issue=49|page=14|date=November 11, 1995|access-date=December 8, 2021}}</ref>
| 5
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|12|date=19951015|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
! scope="row"|Spanish Albums ([[Productores de Música de España|AFYVE]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002|edition=1st|date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref>
| 14
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|5|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|8|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 13, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|8|date=19951015|rowheader=true|access-date=March 4, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|2|artist=Green Day|rowheader=true|access-date=March 4, 2021}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2021)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Hungary|6|year=2021|week=12|artist=Green Day|album=Insomniac|rowheader=true|access-date=April 1, 2021}}
|}

{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1995)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2839&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2839.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2839|title=Top Albums/CDs – Volume 62, No. 20, December 18 1995|work=RPM|date=18 December 1995|access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>
| 53
|-
!scope="row"|European Top 100 Albums (''Music & Media'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 23, 1995 |title=Year End Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums 1995 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-12-23-OCR-Page-0014.pdf#search= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126125601/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-12-23-OCR-Page-0014.pdf |archive-date=2020-11-26 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=14|access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>
| 57
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>
| 146
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1996)
! scope="col"| Position
|- 
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1996/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>
| 48
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Argentina|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|certref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP|title=Discos de Oro y Platino|publisher=[[Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]]|language=es|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP|archive-date=July 6, 2011|access-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref>}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Australia|artist=Green Day|title=Insomniac|award=Platinum|certyear=1995|relyear=1993|access-date=July 13, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|title=Insominiac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1998|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Gold|salesamount=21,350|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|certmonth=5|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Mexico|nocert=yes|salesamount=20,000|salesref=<ref name="Sales">{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pc5EAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA18&article_id=6874,1751659|title=¡Vaya con esta Gente!|date=December 8, 1995|access-date= 24 February 2024|language=es|page=18|newspaper=[[La Opinión (Argentina)|La Opinión]] }}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Platinum|source=radioscope|access-date=December 31, 2024|relyear=1995|certyear=2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Green Day|title=Insomniac|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1995|certyear=1996|certref=<ref>{{cite book |last=Salaverrie |first=Fernando |date=September 2005 |url=http://www.mediafire.com/file/pd758fesp2w7i7f/Spanish+Certifications+for+1996-1999.pdf |title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 |language=es |edition=1st |location=Madrid |publisher=Fundación Autor/SGAE |page=941 |isbn=84-8048-639-2 |access-date=October 3, 2019}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Platinum|relyear=1995|certyear=2008|access-date=March 5, 2020|id=3346-2001-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Insomniac|artist=Green Day|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1995|certyear=1996|access-date=March 5, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==In popular culture==
* The song "Westbound Sign" was used in the teaser trailer for the 2006 Disney/Pixar film ''[[Cars (film)|Cars]]''. and on the 2007 kiddie ride of Lightning Mcqueen
* The title "Bab's Uvula Who?" comes from a 1976 [[Saturday Night Live]] sketch with [[Gilda Radner]] and [[Chevy Chase]].<ref>[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75vuvula.phtml "SNL Transcripts: Elliot Gould: 05/29/76: Babs' Uvula"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230045547/http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75vuvula.phtml |date=2006-12-30 }}. snltranscripts.jt.org.</ref>
* "86" was featured in the 1996 [[MTV]] film ''[[Joe's Apartment]]''.
* The songs "Geek Stink Breath", "Brain Stew", and "Jaded" are featured in the music game ''[[Green Day: Rock Band]]''.
* A remix of the song "Brain Stew" was made for the soundtrack of the 1998 movie, ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]''.

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist|30em}}

'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|editor1-last=Bird|editor1-first=Ryan|title=The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time|journal=Rock Sound|date=September 2014|issue=191|publisher=Freeway Press Inc.|location=London|issn=1465-0185}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo6aG-353Cqk9T9JZ5JDBgnYnimU34q5q ''Insomniac''] at [[YouTube]] (streamed copy where licensed)

{{Green Day}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Green Day albums]]
[[Category:1995 albums]]
[[Category:Reprise Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Rob Cavallo]]
[[Category:Hardcore punk albums by American artists]]