"The Anthem"
Single by Good Charlotte
from the album The Young and the Hopeless
B-side
  • "If You Leave"
  • "Acquiesce" (live)
  • "Complicated"
ReleasedJanuary 13, 2003 (2003-01-13)
StudioBarefoot (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length2:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Eric Valentine
Good Charlotte singles chronology
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
(2002) 		"The Anthem"
(2003) 		"Girls & Boys"
(2003)

"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 Anthem" was released on January 13, 2003, as the second single from The Young and the Hopeless and charted in several countries, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song has received gold certifications in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The second disc of the UK CD single features a live cover of the song "Acquiesce" by Britpop band Oasis.

Background and composition

When lead vocalist Joel Madden was 19, he went out to Los Angeles for the first time and met up with producer John Feldmann, and they went surfing together. Feldmann told Joel that a movie was looking for a soundtrack song, and Joel wrote an appropriate one with his brother Benji Madden and Feldmann that turned into "The Anthem". The movie ended up not wanting the song, but it became a charting hit for the band in several countries when they released it. Despite the title, Joel said, "I honestly didn't think 'The Anthem' would even be a big song."[4]

In 2003, Joel described the lyrics:

[It's] a song about not living the way that you're supposed to live. Like I guess that in America everybody kinda looks at, to be successful you gotta go to college, get a job, a house, two cars, a wife and some kids. That's the American Dream or whatever. It's like, well, I could never go to college or whatever. I'm kinda proud of being looked down on because we've made something happen. We didn't have the most opportunities growing up.[5]

"To us," added guitarist Billy Martin in the same interview, "it's a song saying that whatever goal you have, try and reach it."[5] Composed in the key of D major, "The Anthem" is written in common time with a driving rock tempo.[6]

Release and reception

"The Anthem" was serviced to American alternative radio on January 13, 2003, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in late March 2003.[7][8] The song then crossed over to contemporary hit radio, to which the song was released on March 3, 2003.[9] Appearing as the Billboard Hot 100's "Hot Shot Debut" at number 56 later the same month, "The Anthem" took three more weeks to peak at number 43 on the listing, becoming Good Charlotte's second top-50 hit in the US.[10][11][12] The song also charted on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, where it reached number 11 in May 2003.[13] On December 12, 2005, the song received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 500,000 digital copies in the US.[14]

"The Anthem" was released in Australia as a CD single on March 3, 2003.[15] The following week, the song debuted at number 14, its peak, on the ARIA Singles Chart and spent a second week at number 14 in April 2003 before descending the chart, totaling 18 weeks in the top 50.[16] The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded the song a gold disc in 2003 for shipping over 35,000 copies in Australia.[17] In New Zealand, the song first appeared on the RIANZ Singles Chart on March 16, 2003, and climbed to number 27 two weeks later, spending seven weeks on the chart.[18] The track was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2003, when it debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart to become Good Charlotte's third top-10 hit in the UK, and it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2021 for sales and streams exceeding 400,000 units.[19][20][21] Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached number 28 in Sweden, number 34 in Ireland, and number 52 in Germany.[22][23][24]

Variety ranked it as one of the best emo songs of all time in 2022.[25]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD1 liner and disc notes.[27]

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[17] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 13, 2003 Alternative radio
[7]
Australia March 3, 2003 CD [15]
United States Contemporary hit radio [9]
April 1, 2003 Digital download [14]
United Kingdom August 18, 2003
  • CD
  • cassette
 [19]

References

  1. ^ "20 Essential Pop Punk Tracks Everyone Should Know". NME. June 2, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  2. ^ The 20 Best Pop Punk Songs of the 2000s - Chron
  3. ^ "The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time". Variety. October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  4. ^ Ableson, Jon (October 1, 2012). "Ten Years On: Good Charlotte – The Young and the Hopeless". Alter the Press. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b McGrath, Ken (2003). "Meeting the Kids". Sorted. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Anthem by Good Charlotte – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1486. January 10, 2003. p. 23. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Good Charlotte Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1493. February 28, 2003. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Hot 100: Week of March 29, 2003". Billboard. March 29, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Hot 100: Week of April 19, 2003". Billboard. March 29, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Good Charlotte Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Good Charlotte Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "American single certifications – Good Charlotte – The Anthem". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 3rd March 2003" (PDF). ARIA. March 3, 2003. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2003. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Good Charlotte – The Anthem". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Good Charlotte – The Anthem". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 16, 2003. p. 27. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Good Charlotte: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "British single certifications – Good Charlotte – The Anthem". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Good Charlotte – The Anthem". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Irish-charts.com – Discography Good Charlotte". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Good Charlotte – The Anthem" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  25. ^ "The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time". Variety. October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  26. ^ The Anthem (US CD single liner notes). Good Charlotte. Epic Records, Daylight Records. 2003. 34K 79932.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ a b The Anthem (UK CD1 liner and disc notes). Good Charlotte. Epic Records, Daylight Records. 2003. 674255 2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ^ The Anthem (UK CD2 liner notes). Good Charlotte. Epic Records, Daylight Records. 2003. 674255 5.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ The Anthem (European CD single liner notes). Good Charlotte. Epic Records, Daylight Records. 2003. EPC 674394 1.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ The Anthem (Australian CD single liner notes). Good Charlotte. Epic Records, Daylight Records. 2003. 673602.2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  32. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  33. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003". ARIA. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  34. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 14.
  35. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Modern Rock Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 43.
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