18 and Life

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“18 and Life”
“18 and Life” cover
Single by Skid Row
from the album Skid Row
Released 1989
Genre Heavy metal, glam metal
Length 3:51
Label Atlantic Records
Writer(s) Rachel Bolan, Dave Sabo
Producer Michael Wagener
Certification Gold
Skid Row singles chronology
"Youth Gone Wild"
(1989)
"18 and Life"
(1989)
"I Remember You"
(1989)

"18 and Life" is a single from Skid Row's debut album, Skid Row. The song was released in 1989 and written by bandmates Rachel Bolan and Dave "the Snake" Sabo. It is about a young man and the hard life he goes through (see below).

The song was to be the band's biggest hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, but only reaching #11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which was previously their biggest market.

This song also appears on Skid Row's greatest hits compilation, 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row. Lead singer of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach, released a live version of this on his solo album Bring 'Em Bach Alive!. It is also a playable song on the video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "18 & Life"
  2. "Midnight Tornado"
  3. "Here I Am" (Live)

[edit] Chart performances

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 4
US Mainstream Rock Tracks 11

The song was also MTV's most played video in 1989.[citation needed]

[edit] Meaning

Skid Row guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo wrote this song after reading in a local newspaper about an 18-year-old boy who shot his friend by accident. He thought the gun wasn't loaded, and eventually ended up in prison for life.

[edit] References