Life Is a Rollercoaster explained

Life Is a Rollercoaster
Cover:Ronan Keating - Life Is a Rollercoaster.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Ronan Keating
Album:Ronan
B-Side:
  • "Since 13"
  • "You"
  • "Thank God I Kissed You"
Studio:Fredonia International, Track Record (Hollywood, California)
Genre:Pop rock[1]
Length:3:56
Label:Polydor
Producer:
  • Gregg Alexander
  • Rick Nowels
Prev Title:These Days
Prev Year:1999
Next Title:The Way You Make Me Feel
Next Year:2000

"Life Is a Rollercoaster" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating from his debut solo album, Ronan (2000). The song was written and produced by New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander, and Rick Nowels, having originally been intended for the second New Radicals album which never came to fruition due to Alexander's decision to break up the band.

"Life Is a Rollercoaster" was released on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number one in the UK and Ireland, becoming Keating's second number-one single in both countries. In the UK, where the song was subject to a charting controversy, it became the 22nd-biggest-selling single of the year, and it has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 600,000 units. Worldwide, "Life Is a Rollercoaster" topped the music charts of the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Iceland and peaked within the top 10 in an additional nine countries.

Release and controversy

In the United Kingdom, Polydor Records released "Life Is a Rollercoaster" on 10 July 2000 across three formats: an enhanced CD single, a limited-edition CD single, and a cassette single.[2] The original version of the enhanced CD contains two B-sides—"Since 13" and "You"—as well as a CD-ROM interview with Ronan Keating. This caused an issue when the Chart Supervisory Committee (CSC) ruled the format ineligible to chart, discarding about 100,000 copies of the single that had already been sold.[3] [4]

Under the previous chart regulations, the enhanced section of a CD had to contain an enhanced version of an audio track that was on the same disc, to which CD1 of "Life Is a Rollercoaster" did not comply.[5] As a result, more pressings of the limited-edition CD were created while a new enhanced CD was rush-released.[3] This incident caused the CSC to add new rules regarding multimedia formats, which came into effect in late August 2000.[5] On its second week of release, the ineligible CD sold about 14,000 more copies during the first half of the week, which would have given "Life Is a Rollercoaster" a second week at number one on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Track listings

UK CD1 (original) and Japanese CD single[6] [7]

  1. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (radio edit)
  2. "Since 13"
  3. "You" (radio edit)
  4. Interview (CD-ROM)

UK CD1 (re-issue) and Australian CD single[8]

  1. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (radio edit)
  2. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (instrumental version)
  3. "Thank God I Kissed You"
  4. "When You Say Nothing at All" (acoustic version)
  5. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (CD-ROM video)

UK CD2[9]

  1. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (radio edit)
  2. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (karaoke version)
  3. "Thank God I Kissed You"

UK 7-inch and cassette single[10] [11]

  1. "Life Is a Rollercoaster" (radio edit)
  2. "Since 13"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Ronan album booklet.[12]

Studios

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000)Peak
position
Czech Republic (IFPI)[13] 1
Denmark (IFPI)[14] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 10
Iceland (Íslenski listinn Topp 40)[16] 1
Poland (Music & Media)[17] 1
Portugal (AFP)[18] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)Position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 50
Denmark (IFPI)[20] 16
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[21] 52
Germany (Official German Charts)[22] 59
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[23] 56
Ireland (IRMA)[24] 24
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[25] 87
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[26] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 57
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 72
UK Singles (OCC)[29] 22

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom10 July 2000Polydor
Japan25 October 2000CD[30]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Album Review: Ronan Keating – Twenty Twenty. Cooper. Kevin. UK Music Reviews. 12 September 2020. 27 April 2022.
  2. New Releases – For Week Starting July 10, 2000: Singles. Music Week. 23. 8 July 2000. 3 August 2021.
  3. Chart Commentary. Jones. Alan. Music Week. 15. 22 July 2000.
  4. Chart Commentary. Jones. Alan. Music Week. 13. 29 July 2000.
  5. CSC to Confirm Multimedia Rules After Keating Breach. Williams. Paul. Music Week. 4. 29 July 2000.
  6. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. UK CD1 single liner notes. Polydor Records. 561 935-2.
  7. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. Japanese CD single liner notes. Polydor Records. UICP-5001.
  8. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes. Polydor Records. 587 733-2.
  9. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. UK CD2 liner notes. Polydor Records. 561 936-2.
  10. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. UK 7-inch single vinyl disc. Polydor Records. 561 936-7.
  11. Life Is a Rollercoaster. Ronan Keating. 2000. UK cassette single sleeve. Polydor Records. 561 936-4.
  12. Ronan. Ronan (album). Ronan Keating. 2000. UK CD album booklet. Polydor Records. 549 103-2.
  13. Web site: Hitparadaradia2000. IFPI. cs. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20001002201422/http://www.ifpicr.cz/radio.htm. 2 October 2000. 21 July 2020.
  14. Billboard. Billboard (magazine). Billboard February 5, 2000. Billboard. 5 February 2000. 28 November 2010.
  15. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 17. 31. 7. 29 July 2000. 8 February 2020.
  16. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (26.8–2.9 2000). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 12. 25 August 2000. 7 October 2019.
  17. Major Market Airplay – Week 37/2000. Music & Media. 17. 37. 19. 9 September 2000. 16 February 2023.
  18. Top National Sellers. Music & Media. 17. 36. 13. 2 September 2000. 1 March 2020.
  19. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2000. ARIA. 9 October 2020.
  20. Web site: Års Hitlister 2000: IFPI Danmark: Singles Top 50. IFPI Danmark. Musik.org. da. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20011116233455/http://www.musik.org/publikationer/aarshitlister.htm#single. 16 November 2001. 8 April 2021.
  21. Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2000. Music & Media. 17. 52. 9. 23 December 2000. 8 February 2020.
  22. Web site: Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 2000. GfK Entertainment. de. 28 June 2019.
  23. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 100. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 10. 5 January 2001. 8 February 2020.
  24. Web site: Top 100 of 2000. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20040602112628/http://www.rte.ie/2fm/charts/top100_2000.html. 2 June 2004. 16 March 2022.
  25. Web site: Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2000. Dutch Top 40. 31 January 2020.
  26. Web site: End of Year Charts 2000. Recorded Music NZ. 8 February 2020.
  27. Web site: Årslista Singlar, 2000. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 21 July 2020.
  28. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000. de. 28 June 2019.
  29. Best Sellers of 2000: Singles Top 100. Music Week. United Business Media. London, England. 25. 20 January 2001.
  30. Web site: ライフ・イズ・ア・ローラーコースター ローナン・キーティング. Life Is a Rollercoaster Ronan Keating. Oricon. ja. 30 August 2023.

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