Guitar lesson: Basket Case by GreenDay

Basket Case is the third single of Dookie, which was the first studio album of Greenday band. It's one of the most known songs from this band which was world famous in 1995.


Video: Basket Case - Original song



This a great song the try power chords. There is another post just dedicated on power chords here

Before we see the video, it's worthy to mention that this song
combines fifth chords like C,G,A,etc with other like C#,G#,A#, etc variants half step down.

This is some of the fingering for G, A, D and E.

        G5     A5     D5     E5     G5     A5     D5     A5
E||----------------------------------------------(10)---(5)----|
B||--------------------------------(8)----(10)----10-----5-----|
G||------------------(7)----(9)-----7------9------7------2-----|
D||----(5)----(7)-----7------9------5------7-------------------|
A||-----5------7------5------7---------------------------------|
E||-----3------5-----------------------------------------------|

There are slight differences between E and E# or A5 and A#. A# is half step down than A5, E# is half step down than E,etc

        A#     A5     E#     E5     B#    B
E||-----------------------------------------
B||-----------------------------------------
G||------------------(8)----(9)-------------
D||----(6)----(7)-----8------9----(8)----(9)
A||-----6------7------6------7-----8----- 9
E||-----4----- 5-------------------6----- 7

So now you watch the video and use the previous as as a reference

Video: Basket Case - Guitar lesson



Basket Case - My notes

Chords

e# b# c g a# e# b#

This is the chorus

a# b# e# 
a# b# e#
a# b# e# d# c# a# b#

Riff
e# b#x2 cx2 b#x2 

In this case I play C in the 8th fret  as the transition is much easier from b#(in the 6th fret) to C( power chord with first string in the 8th fret)
You could play C chord as well in the 3rd fret (second string) 

Alternatives for C.

        C     C    
E||----------------
B||----------------
G||----(5)---------
D||---- 5----(10)--
A||-----3---- 10---
E||-----------8----

Other parts of the song are

a# b# many times

e# c a# e# b 

Lyrics

Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Am I just stoned?

I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
That's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause
It's bringing her down

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Uh, yuh, yuh, ya

Grasping to control
So I better hold on

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Am I just stoned?