Billie Joe Armstrong has said that the original concept was to create a song whose lyrics were made up of all signs and labels and, the idea grew from there. The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, although it appeared on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The single also made it into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom. The bass riff is adapted from the song "Picture Book" by The Kinks from the album The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society.