What does Whatsername mean?

Green Day: Whatsername Meaning

Album cover for Whatsername album cover

Whatsername Lyrics

Thought I ran into you down on the street
Then it turned out to only be a dream
I made a point to burn all of the photographs
She went away and then I took a different path
I remember the face but I can't recall the name
Now I wonder how...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    marihuana
    click a star to vote
    Apr 30th 2006 !⃝

    I would describe this song as one of the most romantic songs on the album American Idiot because it talks about a man who has broke up with his girlfriend. He still loves her but he wants to frget her so he burns all of the photographs and takes a different path so he starts a different way of life. After a few years, he starts wondering whether his ex has a family, but on that point he persuades himself to forget her and generally forget everything from the past and not to regret for whatever he has done.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 25th 2007 !⃝

    This is the WHOLE story.

    STORY TIME!!

    1) Starts out with this teenager (Jesus of Suburbia) He's in this rough area and has a rough home life. In this area and the environment around him, all of these things are the norm and are accepted: drugs, alcohol, and sex. He's in that crowd and starts to feel empty in this place. It's leading him nowhere. It's the "city of the damned" .

    The only thing that is making him feel real is another girl. (i'm getting this from the music video) She makes him feel real. but she, sadly, is really big into the stupid stuff in the town. She cheats on Jesus of Suburbia a lot. Finally she says to his face (though he probably knew it) that's she's been screwing another guy. Jesus of Suburbia says (to try and hurt her because he's been hurt) "I never loved you" once she was out of the picture, he had no more reason to stay in the town. So he leaves.

    2) Jesus TRANSFORMS into Saint Jimmy. Now Saint Jimmy just doesn't care anymore. He is almost in every complete illegal thing in the world. He's dealing drugs, doing them, and is basically running in another bad crowd. He's "the tennage assasain executing some fun" and "the resident leader of the lost and found"

    3) Jesus meets a girl. In SHE'S A REBEL. Her name is whatsername. She is a rebel, but a relatively still good girl. Saint Jimmy falls for her. He is head over heals. They have a relationship. Jimmy is really in love with her.

    4) Everything turns bad. I think whatsername can't take jimmy's life style. So she's always crying and is truly unhappy. They break up.

    5) Saint Jimmy kills himself. (not literally) and he turns back into Jesus of Suburbia. He's changing his life around. He has a job and he's cleaned himself up. He's on his feet.

    6) I think he's going to go see whatsername (in the song whatsername). He still thinks about her all the time and he misses her. He hopes that they have a chance again because he's fixed himself. He's nervous and he's remonissing on the car ride to see her. (that's what I picture)

    THE END

    never says if they get back together or anything

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 26th 2013 !⃝

    If you follow me "Azaan" from my post on homecoming then you'll need to know how this happens based off of the story on Homecoming.

    Basically before he dies (the bullet is coming at him) he thinks about whatsername and how on the way to the bay he thinks he sees her on the street. As part of his treatment he burn all of the photographs they had together, he remembers her face but he doesn't know her real name. But before he can try to think if she told him his real name, he dies

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 13th 2012 !⃝

    I think it's about Jason Andrew Relva's (J.A.R) sister the girl he loved before he married Adrienne. I always thought the line "Forgetting you but not the time" could be taken as it's read or as 'for getting you, but not the time' as in he understood her, nothing happened between them. It's fucking amazing and brilliant no matter what it means and the American Idiot record is one of the best records ever made

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 24th 2011 !⃝

    He loved a girl a long time ago. She left him and he completely moved on. One day, she crosses his mind. He rememberes everything about the break-up, the relationship, and the girl...everything except her name. The pain, sadness, and anger is all gone. Now he's curious..."How did life turn out for her"?

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 10th 2011 !⃝

    Whatsername is the last song on the Album because its in remembrance of St.Jimmys years growing up and the lasting memory he had that he valued most was this girl he came to call whatsername. St Jimmy had put all his eggs in whatsername's basket in hopes that it was real as she was all he had to believe in. But as quickly as she came in to fulfill his life she left just as quickly as she came, "disappearing without a trace" It became apparent in the end that there was another guy she fell in love with shortly after their separation, that's why St Jimmy had to repress the memories of her by burning her photographs, the only real thing he could do to get away from it all. There are allot of sentimental attachments he has towards her, seemingly he cared allot more about her then she did for him and St Jimmy is aware of this now and he remembers everything, even though it seemed like forever ago. He wish he could bring himself to regret it but, he knows in the end it wouldn't change anything. No matter what he does he occasionally cant help but think of her, even in the darkest of nights and lowest points in his life, from the moment he puts his head down on the pillow until he falls asleep, she even follows into his dreams some nights. As much as St Jimmy wished he could go back and relive times he had with her, reality solemnly says it could never happen, St Jimmy is a dreamer. Whatsername remains a broken fragment of his heart forever, he will never forget her face even though he had to repress the technicalities, being, her name from his memory in order to keep his sanity.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 24th 2010 !⃝

    To me it's basically the Jesus Of Suburbia-person thinking about Whatsername, the times they had before they broke up. "Forgetting you, but not the time" could refer to the fact that the memory of Whatsername is still in his mind, although he doesn't love her anymore. He's wondering how the girl he loved is doing, does she have a family etc. He remembers her and misses her, but still doesn't regret anything.

  8. EvilEye1245
    click a star to vote
    May 14th 2010 !⃝

    Jesus of Suburbia loses connection to Whatsername.

  9. anonymous
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    Oct 31st 2009 !⃝

    I think it's about a guy ho let th girl he loved get away and he's nowwonderinghow she is now and what would have happened if he'd told her how much he loves her.

    "Thought I ran into you down on the street
    Then it turned out to only be a dream
    I made a point to burn all of the photographs
    She went away and then I took a different path
    I remember the face but I can't recall the name
    Now I wonder how whatsername has been"

    He thinks he sees this girl that he loves on the street, but it's not really her. Then it reveals that they used to be friends or even going out, bu henever told her how he really felt about her and she left, so he's trying to forget about her. It's been so long that he can't remember her name, but the face has always been haunting him, and he's still thinking about her, woderng how he life is now.

    "Seems that she disappeared without a trace
    Did she ever marry old what's his face?"

    I think maybe they were good friends,and though she was with someone else that he did't really know he still loved her. But she just left one day with What's His Face without saying a proper goodbye.

    "Remember, whatever
    It seems like forever ago
    Remember, whatever
    It seems like forever ago
    The regrets are useless
    In my mind
    She's in my head
    I must confess
    The regrets are useless
    In my mind
    She's in my head
    From so long ago "

    This section is just bsically saying I remember her from long time ago, but regretting not telling her I love her is useless beause she's not here anymore, she's only in my head. And he's confessing that he still thinks about her lot.

    "And in the darkest night
    If my memory serves me right
    I'll never turn back time
    Forgetting you, but not the time.

    When the pain of losing her is the worst, he tries to remember the good times they had. He realizes that he doesn't get another chance to tell her, so he's trying to forget her, without forgetting what might have been some of the best years of his life.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 16th 2009 !⃝

    ok this is mainly the end of the jesus of suburbia story (however there are a few songs from 21st century breakdown about JoS). JoS is mainly at a "behind the desk job" and randomly thinks of the character whatsername-aka the beginning of the song he is day dreaming and thinks of her. the whole "she went away and then i took a different path" is about how in the end she probably saved him in the long run even though it hurt real bad when she left him. then it gets to the "forgetting you but not the time" JoS had a good time during that part of his life, but hes not going to brood on the fact she left him. and saint jimmy is a seperate character from JoS, they are deffinately not the same.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. blackparade
    click a star to vote
    Mar 16th 2007 !⃝

    I think this song is about losing somebody or something. I usually listen to this song when I'm depressed or feeling emo.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 13th 2006 !⃝

    Ok this song is the ending to the story american idiot makes up a story of the jesus of suburbia turning into st.Jimmy and taking on the life of sex,drugs,and rock 'n roll.He meets a girl and ultimatly she dumps him because of the life he lives,they love each other but because of that she can't be with him.The song 'letterbomb' is a letter from her to him,and in the song 'homecoming' he decides to commit mental suicide,and go straight because of the letter from her.In the song 'whatshername' he's remembering her,almost mourning her and decides to forget her,forget the mistakes and move on,because "the regrets are useless".Also I think it's about a guy who's thinking back on someone he used to care for,wondering if she's got a family and is happy,he knows he has to move on and forget the past,the mistakes,and her.

  13. marihuana
    click a star to vote
    Apr 30th 2006 !⃝

    this song talks about the big loves of our lives which we can never forget so a boy has broken up with his girlfriend and he cannot forget her even though he tries to burn photographs or change th way he is living his life this girl is stuck in his mind[if only it would be me]after a few years he remembers again her face and he wonders how is she and whether she got married but suddenly he persuades himself to forget about her and to generally forget everything about past and not to regret for whetever he has done


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