"Nice Guys Finish Last" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It is the opening track and the fourth and final single released from their fifth studio album, Nimrod (1997). The use of the song in the movie Varsity Blues helped propel it to hit status and earned it a nomination for an MTV Movie Award for best song from a movie in 1999.[3][4]
| "Nice Guys Finish Last" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Green Day | ||||
| from the album Nimrod and Varsity Blues soundtrack | ||||
| Released | March 23, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Conway (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:48 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Composer(s) | Green Day | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Billie Joe Armstrong | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Green Day singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Nice Guys Finish Last" on YouTube | ||||
Track list
editAU single/Japanese EP:
- "Nice Guys Finish Last"
- "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (live)
- "The Grouch" (live)
- "She" (live)
Tracks 2-4 were recorded live at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Reception
editPopMatters listed "Nice Guys Finish Last" as the tenth best Green Day song, commenting "Blessed with a driving insistency and an acerbic, infectious chorus, "Nice Guys Finish Last" should've been way bigger than it actually was."[5]
Music video
editThe music video features the band as a mock football team (parodying the Green Bay Packers with Green Day). The stage set up for them is portrayed as analogous to a football playing field, and in the video, a number of concert scenes are shown in ways that simulate football game action; lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong is tackled by a fan, Mike Dirnt sprains his ankle when jumping, and a coach motivates them in a locker room midway during the song. The video itself, directed by Evan Bernard, humorously extends the analogy with a voice-over emulating that of legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda.
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | 80 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[7] | 31 |
References
edit- ^ Raub, Jesse (June 22, 2010). "Green Day – Nimrod". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ Travers, Paul (14 May 2020). "Green Day's 15 best music videos, ranked in order of greatness". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "MTV Movie + TV Awards (1999)". IMDb. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ "Green Day - Nice Guys Finish Last". Desitara. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ AJ Ramirez. "Nice Guys Finish Last: The Top 15 Green Day Songs". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.