No Fun Mondays
2020 compilation album by Billie Joe Armstrong
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No Fun Mondays is a compilation album of cover songs by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, released on November 27, 2020. The project consists of 14 cover songs released during quarantine for the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the "No Fun Mondays" series of songs in which Armstrong would release a cover song onto the Green Day YouTube channel every so often, usually on a Monday as the title suggests.[3]
| No Fun Mondays | ||||
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | March–September 2020 | |||
| Studios | Jingletown Studios, Oakland, California | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 40:21 | |||
| Label | Reprise[3] | |||
| Producer | Billie Joe Armstrong | |||
| Billie Joe Armstrong chronology | ||||
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| Singles from No Fun Mondays | ||||
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Recording and release
On March 23, 2020, Billie Joe Armstrong released the first song of the series, "I Think We're Alone Now", on the Green Day YouTube channel, announcing the series at the same time.[4] The description of the video reads "Dear friends.. While we've all been in quarantine I've been reflecting on the things that matter the most in my life. Family, friends and of course music. I recorded a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells "I think we're alone now" in my bedroom. I figure if we have to spend this time in isolation at least we can be alone together. Love BJ." The following week, a cover of "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" was released and, a week after that, a cover of "Manic Monday" featuring a video appearance from Susanna Hoffs. On October 6, it was announced the series would be released as a 14-track album.[5]
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, No Fun Mondays received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls the album "a bit of a lark, unexpected in its energy but not its contents".[7] Clash editor Robin Murray calls it "a real blast",[8] and Julie River of Punknews.org calls it "a pop-rocking good time".[10] At NME, editor Andrew Trendell says "Armstrong paints a pretty spot-on portrait of what it’s like to be alive in 2020, told through the hidden gems of his record collection and delivered with the heart and energy that you’ve always known him for."[9] Rolling Stone calls the album "a batch of fun covers".[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Think We're Alone Now" | Ritchie Cordell | Tommy James and the Shondells | 2:15 |
| 2. | "War Stories" |
| The Starjets | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Manic Monday" | Prince | The Bangles/Prince | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Corpus Christi" |
| Avengers | 3:24 |
| 5. | "That Thing You Do!" | Adam Schlesinger | The Wonders | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Amico" | Don Backy | 2:28 | |
| 7. | "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" | Johnny Thunders | Johnny Thunders | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Kids in America" | Kim Wilde | 3:09 | |
| 9. | "Not That Way Anymore" | Stiv Bators | 2:53 | |
| 10. | "That's Rock 'n' Roll" | Eric Carmen | Eric Carmen | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Gimme Some Truth" | John Lennon | John Lennon | 2:48 |
| 12. | "Whole Wide World" | Eric Goulden | Wreckless Eric | 3:19 |
| 13. | "Police on My Back" | Edmond Grant | The Equals | 3:11 |
| 14. | "A New England" | Billy Bragg | Billy Bragg | 2:09 |
| Total length: | 40:21 | |||
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of No Fun Mondays.[12]
Musicians
- Billie Joe Armstrong – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, and drums
- Chris Dugan – drums (tracks 4, 8, 9, and 11)
- Bill Schneider – bass guitar (track 8)
- Jason White – guitar (track 8)
Technical personnel
- Billie Joe Armstrong – production, engineering (including track 11), mixing (track 14), front cover photo
- Chris Dugan – mastering, mixing, engineering (tracks 4, 8, 9, 11)
- Chris Bilheimer – design
- Greg Schneider – design
- Stephen Walker – design
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[13] | 20 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[14] | 71 |
| UK Album Sales (OCC)[15] | 62 |
| UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)[16] | 41 |
| UK Physical Albums (OCC)[17] | 66 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[18] | 36 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[19] | 17 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] | 32 |