The Better Life

The Better Life
Studio album by 3 Doors Down
Released	February 8, 2000
Recorded	1999 in New York City
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
Length	40:43
Label	Republic
Producer	Paul Ebersold
3 Doors Down chronology
The Better Life (2000) Away from the Sun (2002)
Singles from The Better Life
"Kryptonite" Released: December 1, 1999 "Loser" Released: July 29, 2000 "Duck and Run" Released: January 15, 2001 "Be Like That" Released: June 11, 2001

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[2]
Robert Christgau	C+[3]

The Better Life is the debut studio album by American rock band 3 Doors Down, released on February 8, 2000. It has become 6 times 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 charts, peaking at No. 3, No. 55, and No. 24, respectively. The Better Life sold over 6 million copies worldwide.^[4]

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.^[5]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Brad Arnold. 

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Kryptonite"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell	3:56
2.	"Loser"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell	4:24
3.	"Duck and Run"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell, Henderson	3:52
4.	"Not Enough"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell, Henderson	3:16
5.	"Be Like That"	Arnold, Henderson	4:25
6.	"Life of My Own"	Arnold, Harrell	3:59
7.	"Better Life"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell, Henderson	3:05
8.	"Down Poison"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell	4:22
9.	"By My Side"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell	3:20
10.	"Smack"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell	2:30
11.	"So I Need You"	Arnold, Roberts, Harrell, Henderson	3:51
Total length:			40:43

Best Buy Edition
No.	Title	Length
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

A Deluxe Edition with second disc was released in 2007, and featured a live performance recorded at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Singles

• "Kryptonite" - 2000
  • Reached No. 3 on "U.S. Hot 100"
  • Reached No. 1 on "U.S. Modern Rock" (11 weeks) and "U.S. Mainstream Rock" (9 weeks)
• "Loser" - July 29, 2000
  • Reached No. 55 on "U.S. Hot 100"
  • Reached No. 2 on "U.S. Modern Rock"
  • Reached No. 1 on "U.S. Mainstream Rock" (21 weeks)
• "Duck And Run" - 2000
  • Reached No. 11 on "U.S. Modern Rock"
  • Reached No. 1 on "U.S. Mainstream Rock" (3 weeks)
• "Be Like That" - May 20, 2001
  • Reached No. 24 on "U.S. Hot 100"
  • Reached No. 22 on "U.S. Modern Rock"
  • Reached No. 10 on "U.S. Mainstream Rock"

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Year Chart Position 2000 Top Heatseekers 1 Billboard 200 7 Canadian RPM Albums 6 End of decade charts Chart (2000–2009) Position U.S. Billboard 200 46

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Canada (Music Canada)[6] 2× Platinum 200,000 United States (RIAA)[7] 6× Platinum 5,653,000[5] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Personnel

3 Doors Down

• Matt Roberts – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals
• Chris Henderson – rhythm and lead guitars
• Todd Harrell - bass guitar
• Brad Arnold – drums, lead vocals

Additional musicians

• Kevin Paige - keyboards (2, 3, 5)

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Entertainment Weekly review
3. "CG: 3 doors down". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
4. Archived September 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
5. Grein, Paul (June 24, 2014). "USA: Top 20 New Acts Since 2000". Yahoo! Music.
6. "Canadian album certifications – 3 Doors Down – The Better Life". Music Canada.
7. "American album certifications – 2 Doors Down – The Better Life". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• The Better Life at MusicBrainz (list of releases)