Released March 23, 1999 Recorded 1997 Length 2:48 | Format CD single Genre Punk rock, pop punk Label Reprise | |
"Nice Guys Finish Last" is a song by American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the fourth and final single from their fifth album, Nimrod. 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.
Contents
Track list
AU 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
PopMatters 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."
Music video
The 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.