Cigarettes and Valentines
Encyclopedia
Cigarettes and Valentines was an unreleased studio album from punk rock
band Green Day
that would have been the proper follow-up to 2000's Warning
. In the summer of 2003, the album was nearly finished when the master recording
s of 20 tracks were stolen from the studio. Instead of re-recording the album, the band decided to start from scratch, leading to the creation of American Idiot
.
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong
said the album's material was "good stuff." Musically, the material on Cigarettes and Valentines was hard, "quick-tempoed punk" songs in the vein of Green Day's Kerplunk and Insomniac. This sound would have contrasted the group's previous two studio albums, Nimrod and Warning
, which displayed more rock
/ska
and folk punk
genres respectively. Bassist Mike Dirnt
described the band's decision of returning to the sound found on their older albums, stating, "We've had a nice break from making hard and fast music and it's made us want to do it again." However, Green Day would later call the theft a "blessing in disguise," believing the album wasn't "maximum Green Day". Dirnt admitted that backups of the tapes were made but claims that "it just wasn't the same as the originals." Cigarettes and Valentines was never even roughly mixed, according to various interviews with the band, hence no "legitimate" versions of songs, track lists, artwork etc exist.
The Network
's album Money Money 2020
was speculated by some fans as being a re-recording of the album, or to contain aspects of it. But in various interviews, Armstrong has denied any connection between the two projects.
The title song "Cigarettes and Valentines" was first played live at the concert in Greenwood Village, Colorado
on August 28, 2010, during the band's concert at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre while on their 21st Century Breakdown World Tour
. This show was being filmed to eventually contribute to the forthcoming live album, leading to speculation that some of the songs from the Cigarettes and Valentines sessions would eventually be released. During the same performance Green Day also performed the song "Olivia", which also originates from these unreleased sessions. These songs were also performed during other dates on the same tour. "Cigarettes and Valentines" saw an official release on Awesome as Fuck
.
On February 14, 2011, the official lyric video for the song was released on Green Day's official YouTube
channel. On February 18, 2011 the official video for the song was released on their YouTube channel. A live promo single was released on February 21, 2011 containing 2:43 of the performance in Phoenix, Arizona (the shots of the crowd are from the concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina.)
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
that would have been the proper follow-up to 2000's Warning
Warning (Green Day album)
Warning is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on October 3, 2000 through Reprise Records. Building upon its predecessor, Nimrod , the album eschewed the band's trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic and pop rock elements...
. In the summer of 2003, the album was nearly finished when the master recording
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
s of 20 tracks were stolen from the studio. Instead of re-recording the album, the band decided to start from scratch, leading to the creation of American Idiot
American Idiot
American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records and was produced by longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo. In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album entitled Cigarettes and Valentines...
.
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
said the album's material was "good stuff." Musically, the material on Cigarettes and Valentines was hard, "quick-tempoed punk" songs in the vein of Green Day's Kerplunk and Insomniac. This sound would have contrasted the group's previous two studio albums, Nimrod and Warning
Warning (Green Day album)
Warning is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on October 3, 2000 through Reprise Records. Building upon its predecessor, Nimrod , the album eschewed the band's trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic and pop rock elements...
, which displayed more rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and folk punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
genres respectively. Bassist Mike Dirnt
Mike Dirnt
Michael Ryan Pritchard is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Rock band Green Day. While at school, he would play "air-bass." While pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt"...
described the band's decision of returning to the sound found on their older albums, stating, "We've had a nice break from making hard and fast music and it's made us want to do it again." However, Green Day would later call the theft a "blessing in disguise," believing the album wasn't "maximum Green Day". Dirnt admitted that backups of the tapes were made but claims that "it just wasn't the same as the originals." Cigarettes and Valentines was never even roughly mixed, according to various interviews with the band, hence no "legitimate" versions of songs, track lists, artwork etc exist.
The Network
The Network
The Network is a six-piece New Wave band. They released their debut album Money Money 2020 on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. A re-release of the album, with two bonus tracks, followed in 2004. The band has not played a live performance since about late 2004 and is believed to have disbanded...
's album Money Money 2020
Money Money 2020
Money Money 2020 is the debut album by the new wave band The Network. It was released on September 30, 2003 through Adeline Records.The album came with a DVD that featured six music videos for songs on the CD directed and produced by Roy Miles of AntiDivision. It was re-released by Reprise Records...
was speculated by some fans as being a re-recording of the album, or to contain aspects of it. But in various interviews, Armstrong has denied any connection between the two projects.
The title song "Cigarettes and Valentines" was first played live at the concert in Greenwood Village, Colorado
Greenwood Village, Colorado
The city of Greenwood Village is a prominent suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States...
on August 28, 2010, during the band's concert at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre while on their 21st Century Breakdown World Tour
21st Century Breakdown World Tour
21st Century Breakdown World Tour was a concert tour by American punk trio Green Day in support of the group's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, which was released in May 2009....
. This show was being filmed to eventually contribute to the forthcoming live album, leading to speculation that some of the songs from the Cigarettes and Valentines sessions would eventually be released. During the same performance Green Day also performed the song "Olivia", which also originates from these unreleased sessions. These songs were also performed during other dates on the same tour. "Cigarettes and Valentines" saw an official release on Awesome as Fuck
Awesome as Fuck
Awesome as Fuck is a live album by the American punk rock band Green Day, released March 22, 2011 through Reprise Records...
.
On February 14, 2011, the official lyric video for the song was released on Green Day's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel. On February 18, 2011 the official video for the song was released on their YouTube channel. A live promo single was released on February 21, 2011 containing 2:43 of the performance in Phoenix, Arizona (the shots of the crowd are from the concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina.)