She

She
Written by:	Billie Joe Armstrong
Song length:	2:14
Release date:	May 5, 1995
Album:	Dookie
Produced by:	Rob Cavallo
Single chronology
Previous single:	"When I Come Around"
Next single:	"J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)"
Album chronology
Previous song:	"Basket Case"
Next song:	"Sassafras Roots"

"She" is the eighth song on Dookie, following after "Basket Case" and before "Sassafras Roots". It is also the fifth and last single of Dookie. This is one of Billie Joe Armstrong's favorite songs, and one he makes sure is included in every Green Day show. "I will play 'She' for the rest of my life," he told Rolling Stone in 2014. "It has aged well with me."

It was written by Billie for a former girlfriend who showed him a feminist poem with an identical title. At first, Billie wanted to drop "She" from the album. But the former girlfriend convinced him to release it after all, after she moved to Ecuador {citation needed}. The same ex-girlfriend is the topic of the songs “Sassafras Roots”, “Chump”, and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”.

Song meaning

"She" is about becoming a person you don't want to be. The narrator got herself carried away by the rest and adapted to what other people want her to be like (All her doubts were someone else's point of view). Now she's in a life she doesn't feel comfortable in and feels like she's completely useless (Are you locked up in a world that's been planned out for you / Are you feeling like a social tool without a use). She's so frustrated that she can't keep quiet anymore and tries to find her old self again. The phrase Scream at me until my ears bleed/I'm taking heed just for you could refer to the narrator listening to all this frustration from someone.

You could view "She" as a very feminist song, as the broader meaning could also be about the struggles all young (adolescent) women go through. Trying to adapt to a world that has certain expectations about them and tells them what to do, trying to fit and feel accepted as well as they can. Many women therefore struggle to find thir own identity, which leads up to frustrations later on in their life when they have to make their own decisions.

Lyrics

Main article: She/lyrics