The Good Life (Three Days Grace song) explained

The Good Life
Type:single
Artist:Three Days Grace
Album:Life Starts Now
Released:February 9, 2010
Genre:Hard rock
Length:2:53
Label:Jive
Producer:Howard Benson
Prev Title:Break
Prev Year:2009
Next Title:World So Cold
Next Year:2010

"The Good Life" is a song by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, Life Starts Now and was serviced to radio airplay on February 9, 2010.[1] It charted at number 85 on the Canadian Hot 100 before becoming a single. The song hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks[2] and Rock Songs chart and number four on the Alternative Songs chart matching "Break".[3] It was the second most played song on the Active Rock format in 2010.[4]

Background and composition

"The Good Life" was written by Adam Gontier and was produced by Howard Benson. Gontier described the track as a "simple song" and stated, "It's a grass greener kinda thing. You look at somebody else's life and wanting what they have, which again brings you back to the ego - it doesn't matter how good your life looks from the outside, there's always things you want."[5]

The song was also performed during a concert of Three Days Grace along series of concerts during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on February 15, 2010.

Critical reception

AXS.com listed "The Good Life" as one of the "top 10 best Three Days Grace songs." Patricia Jones of AXS praised the song for its "incredibly bouncy" and "infectious" sound. She stated, "The springy chords and compelling drums make it an easy choice for listening, jamming, and dancing."[6]

Music video

The band shot the video with director Michael Maxxis on March 23, 2010.[7] The video was released on April 27, 2010.[8] The video consists of the band performing in a garage, with Adam Gontier wearing a Citizen Cope outfit, with clips of people performing activities, both recreational and with violent overtones. The video ends with a man kissing his wife and leaving for work. In contrast to the clean and professionally shot look of previous music video for "Break", this video is filmed with a handheld camera in a messy, real world environment and makes heavy use of video editing effects and colour grading to look rough and visually vibrant.

Accolades

Accolades for "The Good Life"
PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
AOL RadioUnited States"Top Alternative Songs of 2009"[9] 20091
Alternative Addiction"Song of the Year"[10] 201039

Personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United StatesFebruary 9, 2010Alternative radioJive
Mainstream rock[12]

Use in media

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Future Releases - Alternative. All Access Mediabase. https://web.archive.org/web/20100208184242/https://www.allaccess.com/alternative/future-releases. February 8, 2010. July 18, 2022.
  2. Three Days Grace Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay). Billboard. June 23, 2022.
  3. Three Days Grace Chart History (Alternative Airplay). Billboard. June 23, 2022.
  4. Web site: Three Days Grace - About. threedaysgrace.com. June 23, 2022.
  5. Web site: The Good Life by Three Days Grace. Songfacts. July 7, 2023.
  6. Web site: The top 10 best Three Days Grace songs. AXS. Patricia Jones. May 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161026212803/http://www.axs.com/the-top-10-best-three-days-grace-songs-83093. October 26, 2016. November 18, 2022.
  7. Web site: BOOKED: Three Days Grace - Michael Maxxis, director. VideoStatic.
  8. Web site: The Good Life Video Premiere. Threedaysgrace.com. April 28, 2010. July 7, 2023.
  9. Web site: Top Alternative Songs of the 2009 - AOL Radio Blog . Boonsri . Dickinson . February 4, 2010. December 22, 2009. AOL Radio.
  10. Web site: The Best of Alternative Addiction 2010 | Top 50 Songs. Alternative Addiction. https://web.archive.org/web/20110124011702/http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/bestof/bestof2010/results/top50.asp. January 24, 2011. August 3, 2022.
  11. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2010. Billboard. October 30, 2021.
  12. Web site: Available for Airplay Archive: 2010 – February. FMQB. March 2, 2024. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111125210945/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16698. November 25, 2011.
  13. Web site: Three Days Grace rocking X Games coverage. ESPN. Lynn Hoppes. January 28, 2010. June 20, 2022.
  14. Web site: The Good Life Opens the 2010 ACC College Basketball Tournament. Threedaysgrace.com. February 25, 2010. July 7, 2023.
  15. Web site: Hear The Good Life in the NFL Draft on ESPN. Threedaysgrace.com. April 22, 2010. July 7, 2023.
  16. Web site: Blue Crush 2 (2011 Video) - Soundtracks. IMDb. December 17, 2022.