Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Good Charlotte song)

"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
Single by Good Charlotte
from the album The Young and the Hopeless
ReleasedAugust 13, 2002
GenrePop punk[1]
Length3:10
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Eric Valentine
Good Charlotte singles chronology
"Festival Song"
(2001) 		"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
(2002) 		"The Anthem"
(2003)

"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.

Composition and writing

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]

Music video

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]

Charts

Certifications

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.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 13, 2002 Alternative radio
[citation needed]
Australia September 9, 2002 CD [31]
Denmark January 27, 2003 [32]
United Kingdom February 3, 2003 [33]

Awards

"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.

References

  1. ^ Rose, Ethan. "Best Early 2000s Pop Punk Songs". Rant Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. ^ Masteron, James (February 9, 2003). "Week Ending February 15th 2003". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Miccio, Anthony (November 19, 2002). "Sk8ter Bois". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  5. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  6. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. ^ "Top 50 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 9, 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 11. March 8, 2003. p. 11. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Top Digital Download.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Good Charlotte" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  13. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Top 40 Singles.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Singles Top 100.
  17. ^ "Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". Swiss Singles Chart.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002". ARIA. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  25. ^ "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 44.
  26. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 14.
  27. ^ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Modern Rock Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 43.
  28. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  29. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Good Charlotte; 'Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  30. ^ "British single certifications – Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 9th September 2002" (PDF). ARIA. September 9, 2002. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  32. ^ "Nye Udgivelser" [New Releases] (in Danish). Sony Music Denmark. Archived from the original on March 1, 2003. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  33. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 February 2003: Singles". Music Week. February 1, 2003. p. 20.