Brain Stew / Jaded

"Brain Stew / Jaded"
Song

"Brain Stew/Jaded" are two songs by the American punk rock band Green Day. They were released as the third single from their fourth album, Insomniac. The two songs were released as one single, as the songs are transitional, "Brain Stew" ending and moving right into "Jaded" without the music stopping. They are tracks 10 and 11 on both Insomniac (the band's second major-label album, and fourth overall) and the 2001 greatest-hits album, International Superhits!.

Track listing

CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Brain Stew"/"Jaded" (Medley)	4:44
2.	"Do Da Da"	1:33
3.	"Good Riddance" (original version)	2:02
4.	"Brain Stew" (Clean Radio Edit Faded Ending)	3:13

Vinyl Box Set

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Brain Stew"/"Jaded" (Medley)	4:44
2.	"Walking Contradiction"	2:30

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Brain Stew"/"Jaded" (live at Sporthall, Prague on 26th March 1996)	4:27
2.	"No Pride"	2:20

Composition

The composition of "Brain Stew" is relatively simple. The song contains only five power chords, five bass notes, and a relatively simple drum pattern. Many of Green Day's fans consider it to be one of their first songs to appear in the repertoire of many garage bands. Billie Joe Armstrong has stated that he used as many as 10 guitar overdubs to achieve the scratchy dissonant sounds in the latter part of the song. The song's chords have been said to have been modeled after the song "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago.

The intro to "Panic Song" is often played in between "Brain Stew" and "Jaded" at live performances, although the key is changed to be relevant with the songs.

"Brain Stew"/"Jaded" was one of Green Day's most popular singles, and was one of the biggest nineties rock hits. It is still played regularly on modern rock radio stations.

Other versions

"Brain Stew"

• A live version featured on Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking. (recorded March 26, 1996 at Sporthalle, Prague, Czech Republic)
• Another live version on Bullet in a Bible.
• A remix was made for the soundtrack of the Godzilla movie released in 1998.
• The band Weezer did a cover of the song for their EP called Happy Record Store Day

"Jaded"

• A live version found on Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking. (recorded March 26, 1996 at Sporthalle, Prague, Czech Republic)
• A live version was performed during the Milton Keynes concert recorded for "Bullet in a Bible" but was omitted from the CD/DVD

Live performances

The "Brain Stew" part of the song has been played at almost every single one of Green Day's concerts since its release. There have been several notable performances of this song. For instance, when they played it in front of 130,000 fans at the Milton Keynes National Bowl for their live DVD–CD Bullet in a Bible. Another notable performance was when they performed it at Goat Island, where Armstrong mixed up the verses by accident.

Music videos

The "Brain Stew/Jaded" single was accompanied by a visually striking video which received heavy airplay on MTV which was split into two different halves that contrasted visual:

"Brain Stew"

The music video for "Brain Stew" is all in sepia for the "Brain Stew" part and shows the band lying on a couch being pulled through a landfill by a bulldozer. Several strange things appear, such as Hawaiian Hula dancers and an old lady with a chalkboard (both in the construction site). The video is meant to depict the effects that insomnia has on the brain, most likely with regard to the use of methamphetamine (for example, the hallucinations experienced, which correlate with Billie Joe admitting to being high during the filming to give the correct feel to the video).

"Jaded"

When the song transitions into "Jaded", the color comes back and shows the band playing the song in a fast-cut, wobbly-camera style.

Both videos were directed by Kevin Kerslake.

Chart positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	35
Canadian RPM Alternative 30	1
UK Singles Chart	28
US Modern Rock Tracks	3
US Mainstream Rock Tracks	8