The Better Life

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.[9]

This article is about the album by 3 Doors Down. For the Keith Urban song, see Better Life.
The Better Life
Studio album by
3 Doors Down
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2000
Recorded1999
StudioNew York City, New York, U.S.
Genre
Length40:43
Label
ProducerPaul Ebersold
3 Doors Down chronology
The Better Life
(2000)		 Away from the Sun
(2002)
Singles from The Better Life
  1. "Kryptonite"
    Released: January 18, 2000[2]
  2. "Loser"
    Released: June 26, 2000[3]
  3. "Duck and Run"
    Released: January 9, 2001[4]
  4. "Be Like That"
    Released: May 29, 2001[5]
  5. "Better Life"
    Released: 2020
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[7]
Robert ChristgauC+[8]

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.[10]

Background

In 1997, the band released an eponymous demo EP that garnered attention locally. Only 2000 copies of the original tape are known to exist. Its track listing is mostly shared with The Better Life, with "Duck and Run," "Be Like That," "Not Enough," "Better Life" and "So I Need You" being added after being picked up by Universal Records. The tracks were re-recorded and polished for commercial viability. "Sarah Yellin" was eventually featured on their next album Away from the Sun (2002), while studio versions of "Man In My Mind," "Wasted Me," and "Dead Love" were produced, but never released.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Brad Arnold.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Kryptonite"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
3:54
2."Loser"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
4:25
3."Duck and Run"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:51
4."Not Enough"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
3:14
5."Be Like That"
  • Arnold
  • Henderson
3:58
6."Life of My Own"
  • Arnold
  • Harrell
3:08
7."Better Life"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
  • Henderson
4:22
8."Down Poison"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
3:16
9."By My Side"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
2:30
10."Smack"
  • Arnold
  • Roberts
  • Harrell
3:50
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

September 18, 2007, a deluxe edition with a bonus second disc was released, which features a live performance recorded at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Bonus Disc – U.S. edition (Universal Republic Records – B0008991-02)
No.TitleLength
1."Duck and Run" (live)4:44
2."The Road I'm On" (live)3:50
3."Kryptonite" (live)4:20
4."Father's Son" (live)4:32
5."Better Life" (live)3:20
6."Away from the Sun" (live)4:15
7."Be Like That" (live)4:40
8."Runnin' Out of Days" (live)3:40
9."Sarah Yellin'" (live)3:30
10."It's Not Me" (live)3:30
11."When I'm Gone" (live)4:52
12."Here Without You" (live)5:06
13."Loser" (live)5:44
Total length:56:03

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[11]

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[12]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Modern Rock (11 weeks)[13] and US Mainstream Rock (nine weeks)[14]
  • "Loser" – July 29, 2000
    • Reached No. 55 on the US Hot 100[12]
    • Reached No. 2 on the US Modern Rock[13]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (21 weeks)[14]
  • "Duck and Run" – 2000
    • Reached No. 11 on the US Modern Rock[13]
    • Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (three weeks)[14]
  • "Be Like That" – May 20, 2001
    • Reached No. 24 on the US Hot 100[12]
    • Reached No. 22 on the US Modern Rock[13]
    • Reached No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock[14]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[32] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] 7× Platinum 5,653,000[10]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "The Better Life". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  2. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1333. January 14, 2000. pp. 101, 105, 115.
  3. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1356. June 23, 2000. pp. 100, 104.
  4. "Active Rock: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1382. December 22, 2000. p. 86.
  5. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1403. May 25, 2001. pp. 87, 114, 125, 129, 140, 146.
  6. Allmusic review
  7. Entertainment Weekly review
  8. "CG: 3 doors down". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  9. Archived September 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Grein, Paul (June 24, 2014). "USA: Top 20 New Acts Since 2000". Yahoo! Music.
  11. The Better Life (booklet). Republic, Universal Records. 2000.
  12. "3 Doors Down Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  13. "3 Doors Down Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  14. "3 Doors Down Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  15. "Australiancharts.com – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  17. "Ultratop.be – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  18. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  20. "3 Doors Down: The Better Life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  22. "Charts.nz – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  23. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  24. "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2000". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  25. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  26. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2001". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten 2001". Ultratop. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  28. "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  29. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  30. "The Decade in Music - Charts - Top Billboard 200 Albums" (PDF). Billboard. December 19, 2009. p. 162. Retrieved November 14, 2021 – via World Radio History. Digit page 166 on the PDF archive.
  31. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  32. "Canadian album certifications – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Music Canada.
  33. "American album certifications – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
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