• Source: Dilemma (Green Day song)

"Dilemma" is a song by the American rock band Green Day, released as a third single from the band's fourteenth studio album Saviors (2024). A music video was released alongside the single on December 7, 2023. The song received a nomination for Best Rock Song at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.




Background and release


"Dilemma" was inspired by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's struggles with alcoholism. Following an onstage meltdown during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Armstrong first entered rehab for his alcohol addiction; however, after five years of sobriety, he noted how he gradually began to drink excessively again, and struggled to receive help due to loneliness and him feeling unable to receive help through organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous due to being a celebrity. Armstrong noted on The Howard Stern Show how he wrote the song while drinking, and has called it one of the most honest songs he had ever written.
Alongside other songs from Saviors, "Dilemma" was recorded at RAK Studios in London after the band learned the Liam Gallagher recorded his studio album C'mon You Know there. The band teased the single release on December 4, 2024 through a "festive" social media post featuring a photo booth image strip and the text "A Very Green Day Holiday!". On December 7, "Dilemma" was made available for digital download and streaming as the third single off Saviors, and an accompanying music video was simultaneously released to the band's YouTube channel.




Composition and lyrics



"Dilemma" is a "punk bossa nova" song which stylistically draws from power pop, doo-wop,, and '50s rock. The song begins with a slow, "nostalgic-sounding" introduction containing only an electric guitar for instrumentation. Afterwards, the introduction finishes with an open cadence, before a drum hits and the song transitions into a heavier sound more reminiscent of "classic Green Day". Dana Poland of Slant commented on the song's "bright, Beach Boys-esque guitar tones", which complemented its "bursts of pop-punk energy". Marko Djurdjić of Exclaim! stylistically compared "Dilemma" to songs by the Menzingers, while Kory Grow of Rolling Stone noted that the song was likely inspired by Ramones.
Lyrically, "Dilemma" focuses on Armstrong's struggles with alcoholism and mental health. Armstrong explained that the lyric "I was sober, now I'm drunk again" from the chorus could be seen as both a celebratory statement for having gotten drunk, or as a representation of "someone that’s fallen". Armstrong also acknowledged how the first line of the song, "Welcome to my problems, it’s not an invitation", was designed to be self-pitying akin to a Facebook post, however commented that people should interpret the lyric how they want.




Music video


The music video for "Dilemma", directed by Ryan Baxley, was released on December 7, 2023 to coincide with the single release. The video begins in black-and-white, with Armstrong waking up on a floor and remembering a night out at a bar and a Christmas party. However, towards the end of the video, it changes to full color and reveals that, in reality, Armstrong was making a large mess while intoxicated. According to Baxley, the video represents the "personal, honest side" of the band, and is the third video in a cycle where color was gradually introduced — the video for "The American Dream Is Killing Me" was entirely in black-and-white, while that of "Look Ma, No Brains!" was black-and-white with pink accents. The music video for "Dilemma" was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, losing to the music video for "Human" by Lenny Kravitz.




Live performances


Green Day played the live debut of "Dilemma" during their performance as part of the 2024 edition of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The band then performed an acoustic version of "Dilemma" on January 16, 2024 in a New York City subway station with Jimmy Fallon, as part of a segment for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; while the performance did not air, it was uploaded to the show's YouTube channel on January 18. The song was included in the setlist of their January 18, 2024 show at Irving Plaza, as part of the Small Stages Series by Sirius XM. On April 3, 2024, the band played the song at the Fillmore during a charity concert for the United Nations Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance.
"Dilemma" is included in the setlist of the Saviors Tour, the ongoing concert tour in support of Saviors which began on May 30, 2024. On July 26, 2024, the band played "Dilemma" during their appearance on Good Morning America's televised "Summer Concert Series". The band also played the song during their appearance on the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special on October 6, 2024.




Credits and personnel


Credits are adapted from iTunes.

Green DayAdditional personnel




Charts






Release history






References

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