"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" | ||||
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Single by Good Charlotte | ||||
from the album The Young and the Hopeless | ||||
Released | August 12, 2002 | |||
Genre | Pop punk [1] | |||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Eric Valentine | |||
Good Charlotte singles chronology | ||||
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"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte, written by Benji Madden, Joel Madden and Tim Armstrong for the band's second studio album The Young and the Hopeless . It was released as the lead single from the album in August 2002 and was the band's debut European single. [2] Upon its release, the song reached a peak of number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (their highest on that chart) and charted within the top 40 in several European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.
Composed in the key of C♭ major, the basic concept of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is the global obsession with fame and the way that celebrities are not appreciative of how fortunate they are.
The lyrics refer to a number of celebrities. Johnnie Cochran, a famous attorney who represented (amongst others) stars such as O. J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown, is mentioned in the lines "Well did you know if you were famous you could kill your wife / and there's no such thing as 25 to life / as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran?" A former mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry – who was convicted on drug charges – is also mentioned in the lyrics: "and did you know if you were caught and you were smokin' crack / McDonald's wouldn't even wanna take you back / you could always just run for mayor of D.C."
The Village Voice writer Anthony Miccio says that the song "cops Burundi drums from 'Lust for Life,' Marion Barry jokes from Chris Rock, and dub-echo effects from Def Leppard's Hysteria . If you like all three, the song will make you crap your drawers." [3]
The music video premiered in September 2002 on MTV. It features cameo appearances from Tenacious D's Kyle Gass, former 'N Sync singer Chris Kirkpatrick, and Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. All three musicians appear in the courtroom scene - Gass plays the prosecutor while Kirkpatrick plays the witness "Chadwick Merryweather Hardy… the Third". Watt plays the Jury foreman. The dog questioned in the video is Benji & Joel's dog, Ca$hdogg. The Southern California rock band Lefty, who had been touring with Good Charlotte also make a cameo appearance.[ citation needed ]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [28] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [29] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [30] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | August 12, 2002 | Alternative radio | [31] | |
Australia | September 9, 2002 | CD | [32] | |
Denmark | January 27, 2003 | [33] | ||
United Kingdom | February 3, 2003 | [34] |
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" won the "Viewer's Choice Award" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003. It also won the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
The Young and the Hopeless is the second studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte, released on October 1, 2002, by Epic and Daylight Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album (2000), the band met producer Eric Valentine and engaged him for their next album. Sessions took place at Barefoot Studios in Los Angeles, California and lasted from February to May 2002; Josh Freese of the Vandals served as a session drummer. Almost all of the songs on it were written by brothers Benji and Joel Madden; two of the tracks were co-written with Valentine and Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann. Before the album was released, Chris Wilson joined them as a permanent drummer, having been introduced to them in mid-2002. The Young and the Hopeless is a pop punk album that recalls the work of Blink-182, Green Day, and MxPx.
The Chronicles of Life and Death is the third studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte. Following the release of The Young and the Hopeless (2002), the group spent two years touring. By the second half of 2003, they had begun writing for the next album. With producer Eric Valentine, the band recorded at Barefoot Studios in Hollywood, California, between March and June 2004. Over half of the album's material was written by Benji and Joel Madden, with the remainder being co-written with Valentine, Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann or guitarist Billy Martin. Preceded by the single release of "Predictable", The Chronicles of Life and Death was released through Epic and Daylight Records on October 5, 2004. Two variations were made available: "Life" and "Death" versions which came with different cover artwork and a different bonus track.
"Blurry" is a song by American rock band Puddle of Mudd. It was released on October 16, 2001, as the second single from the band's debut album Come Clean (2001). It was 2002's most successful rock song in the United States, topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts as well as their year-end listings. "Blurry" also found success outside the US, reaching the top 20 in Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
"How You Remind Me" is a song by Canadian rock band Nickelback. With lyrics written by lead singer Chad Kroeger and music composed by the band, the track was released on July 17, 2001, as the lead single from their third studio album, Silver Side Up (2001). A "Gold Mix" was made for latter editions of the single, with the heavier guitars edited out of the chorus.
"Hella Good" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their fifth studio album, Rock Steady (2001). Written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal and the Neptunes, and produced by Nellee Hooper and the band, "Hella Good" was released as the album's second single on March 11, 2002, and received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who made comparisons to the work of a diverse range of artists such as Afrika Bambaataa and Madonna.
"Harder to Breathe" is the debut single of American band Maroon 5, released in May 22, 2002 as the lead single from the band's debut album, Songs About Jane (2002). Co-written by frontman Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael, the song expresses tension, having been written quickly under trying circumstances, and tells the story about a former relationship Levine was involved in. It was positively received by music critics, who praised the track's sound.
"Youth of the Nation" is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released on November 27, 2001, as the second single to come from their second major label album, Satellite. It was inspired in part by the school shootings at Santana High School and Columbine High School. "Youth of the Nation" became the band's only No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, their only single to reach the top 40.
"The Zephyr Song" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released as the second single released from their eighth studio album, By the Way (2002), on August 17, 2002. The song, as a single, was released in two parts. Both editions held two previously unheard-of B-sides, making it, collectively, hold four non-LP tracks. The single peaked at number six on the US Billboard Modern Rock chart, breaking the band's streak of three straight number-one hits.
"She Hates Me", originally titled "She Fucking Hates Me", is a song by American rock band Puddle of Mudd. It was written in 1993, and first recorded years later for band's major label debut studio album, Come Clean (2001). It was released as the album's fourth and final single by Flawless Records on July 29, 2002.
"Girls & Boys" is the third single taken from American rock band Good Charlotte's second studio album, The Young and the Hopeless (2002). The song was released in Europe on April 28, 2003, and was issued in the United States and Australia later in the year. "Girls & Boys" peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number six in the United Kingdom, receiving a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2018 for sales and streams exceeding 200,000 units. Elsewhere, the single reached the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"I Am Mine" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "I Am Mine" was released on October 8, 2002, as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .
"Predictable" is the lead single from American rock band Good Charlotte's third studio album, The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004). This was the first single released that featured Chris Wilson as the band's drummer. The song was also released in a Japanese version; in this version, only Benji Madden sings the Japanese part because he is the only one who knows Japanese.
"The Anthem" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte from their studio album, The Young and the Hopeless (2002). Members Joel Madden and Benji Madden originally wrote the song for a film soundtrack alongside John Feldmann, but it did not appear in the film. According to Joel Madden, the song is about "not living the way that you're supposed to live", and Benji Madden added that the song is about achieving one's goals.
"The Motivation Proclamation" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte. Vocalist Benji Madden and lead guitarist Joel Madden wrote the song while Don Gilmore produced it. The track, whose lyrics talking about moving on from distressing routines, was included on the band's self-titled debut album (2000).
"Here Without You" is a song by American rock band 3 Doors Down. The power ballad was released on July 28, 2003, as the third single from the band's second studio album, Away from the Sun (2002). The song reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 2003 and was certified six-times platinum in the US for shipping over 6,000,000 units. It was also successful around the world, peaking at No. 2 in Australia and reaching the top 10 in Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"When I'm Gone" is a song by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released on September 23, 2002, as the lead single from their second album, Away from the Sun. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 2003. The song also spent seventeen weeks atop the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart from November 2002 through March 2003, becoming one of the longest-running number-one singles on that chart. The song also peaked at number two on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart almost reaching number one by one spot from Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows" on the issue dated February 15, 2003. It spent one week atop the Top 40 Mainstream chart for one week on May 3, 2003, and also peaked at number three on the Adult Top 40 chart.
"Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte. It was first released on February 26, 2007, in Australia and is the fifth track on their fourth full-length studio album, Good Morning Revival (2007). The song was issued as the first single off the album Good Morning Revival in the United Kingdom and Australia. It was not released as a single in North America.
The discography of Good Charlotte, an American pop punk band, consists of seven studio albums, two live albums, two extended plays, 28 singles, 34 music videos and three music DVDs.
The discography of Foo Fighters, an American rock band formed in 1995 by Dave Grohl, consists of eleven studio albums, fourteen extended plays (EPs), six video albums, one live album, and 57 singles. The current Foo Fighters line-up consists of Grohl, Rami Jaffee (keyboard), Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Pat Smear (guitar) and Josh Freese (drums).
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