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The Better Life

This article is about the album by 3 Doors Down. For the Keith Urban song, see Better Life.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
Robert ChristgauC+[4]

The Better Life is the debut studio album by American rock band 3 Doors Down, released on February 8, 2000. It has become 7× Platinum since release. This is the only album on which lead singer Brad Arnold played drums. "Kryptonite", "Loser", and "Be Like That" all reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 3, No. 55, and No. 24, respectively. The Better Life sold over six million copies worldwide.[5]

It is the band's best-selling album to date, with sales of over 5,653,000 copies in the United States, as of July 2014.[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Brad Arnold.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Kryptonite"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
3:53
2."Loser"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
4:24
3."Duck and Run"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:52
4."Not Enough"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:16
5."Be Like That"
  • Arnold
  • Henderson
4:25
6."Life of My Own"
  • Arnold
  • Harrell
3:59
7."Better Life"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:05
8."Down Poison"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
4:22
9."By My Side"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
3:20
10."Smack"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
2:30
11."So I Need You"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:51
Total length:40:43
Best Buy edition
No.TitleLength
12."Loser" (live)5:28
13."Life of My Own" (live)4:37
14."Kryptonite" (live)3:49
Total length:54:39

Deluxe edition bonus CD

A deluxe edition with a second disc was released on September 18, 2007, and featured a live performance recorded at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[7]

3 Doors Down

  • Brad Arnold – lead vocals, drums
  • Matt Roberts – rhythm and lead guitars
  • Chris Henderson – rhythm and lead guitars
  • Todd Harrell – bass guitar

Additional musicians

  • Kevin Paige – keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 5)

Production

  • Paul Ebersold – producer, engineer
  • Matt Martone – engineer
  • Toby Wright – mixing
  • Mike Butler – mixing assistant
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Andrew Garver – digital editing

Singles

  • "Kryptonite" – 2000
    • Reached No. 3 on the US Hot 100[8]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Modern Rock (11 weeks)[9] and US Mainstream Rock (nine weeks)[10]
  • "Loser" – July 29, 2000
    • Reached No. 55 on the US Hot 100[8]
    • Reached No. 2 on the US Modern Rock[9]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (21 weeks)[10]
  • "Duck and Run" – 2000
    • Reached No. 11 on the US Modern Rock[9]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (three weeks)[10]
  • "Be Like That" – May 20, 2001
    • Reached No. 24 on the US Hot 100[8]
    • Reached No. 22 on the US Modern Rock[9]
    • Reached No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock[10]

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] 7× Platinum 5,653,000[6]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "The Better Life". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  4. ^ "CG: 3 doors down". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  5. ^ [1] Archived September 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b Grein, Paul (June 24, 2014). "USA: Top 20 New Acts Since 2000". Yahoo! Music.
  7. ^ The Better Life (booklet). Republic, Universal Records. 2000.
  8. ^ a b c "3 Doors Down Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d "3 Doors Down Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "3 Doors Down Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  15. ^ "3 Doors Down: The Better Life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.

External links

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