Better Days (Goo Goo Dolls song)

"Better Days"
Single by The Goo Goo Dolls
from the album Sounds of the Season and Let Love In
Released September 20, 2005
Format CD/7" vinyl
Genre Rock
Length 3:35
Label Warner Bros. 101641
Writer(s) John Rzeznik
The Goo Goo Dolls singles chronology
"Give a Little Bit"
(2005)		 "Better Days"
(2005)		 "Stay with You"
(2006)

Music video
"Better Days" on YouTube

"Better Days" is the title of a song recorded by the Goo Goo Dolls. It was released in September 2005 as the first single off the album, Let Love In. The song peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and also rose up to number 3 on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart.[1] The music video for the song was filmed in Malibu, California. [2]

Contents

Content

The song was originally performed for a Target store-branded Christmas album; the song, in a rare occurrence for a general pop song, makes several references to Christmas, including a direct reference to "the one poor Child who saved this world."

In popular culture

During the time that Katrina had been televised, ABC and by CNN used it as their theme for the Katrina coverage. The song was featured on the pilot episode of CBS' 2006 TV series, Jericho. The song also featured as the theme of WWE Tribute to the Troops 2006, a special broadcast of WWE Raw which aired on Christmas night 2006. During a special "After the Storms" episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Goo Goo Dolls performed this song for the residents of Sabine Pass, TX, which was hit by Hurricane Rita in September 2005. It was also used in many tributes following the Virginia Tech Massacre that occurred on April 16, 2007.

Canadian journalist and politician Michael Ignatieff used an altered version of the song for his campaign video at the Liberal Party of Canada's 2006 Leadership Convention. The version of the song featured in his video had some altered lyrics, and contained a verse in French.[3] When speaking at the convention, Ignatieff began his speech by saying "Tonight is the night the Liberal party begins again", mimicking a lyric from Better Days.[4]

A great song for tough times, "Better Days" was chosen as the theme song for the Buffalo Sabres 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs run, and General Electric features the song in its spring, 2009, television ad campaign. In 2008, the police drama series Cold Case featured it as the first of six songs played throughout its fifth season finale "Ghost of My Child". It was used in the trailer for the 2009 film Love Happens and it is the theme song for the NBC show, Who Do You Think You Are?.

Track listings

Initial pressing

  1. "Better Days" - 3:35
  2. "We'll Be Here (When You're Gone) (Acoustic)" - 3:24

Alternate pressing

  1. "Better Days" - 3:35
  2. "Iris" - 4:51
  3. "Better Days (Acoustic)" - 3:31
  4. "Better Days" (Video)

Vinyl pressing

  1. "Better Days" - 3:35
  2. "We'll Be Here (When You're Gone) (Acoustic)" - 3:24

Charts

Chart (2005-2006) Peak
positions
Canadian Singles Chart 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 36
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 3

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRyjFfHowOw&ob=av2e
  3. ^ "Liberal hopefuls don't deliver big laughs". December 1, 2006. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061201/libs_humour_061201?s_name=I&no_ads=. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  4. ^ "Liberal hopefuls don't deliver big laughs". December 1, 2006. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061201/libs_humour_061201?s_name=&no_ads=. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
Goo Goo Dolls
Studio albums
Extended plays
Live albums
Compilations
Videography
Singles
"There You Are" · "I'm Awake Now" · "We Are the Normal" · "Only One" · "Flat Top" · "Name" · "Naked" · "Long Way Down" · "Lazy Eye" · "Iris" · "Slide" · "Dizzy" · "Black Balloon" · "Broadway" · "Here Is Gone" · "Big Machine" · "Sympathy" · "Give a Little Bit" · "Better Days" · "Let Love In" · "Stay with You" · "Before It's Too Late (Sam and Mikaela's Theme)" · "Real" · "Home" · "Notbroken" · "All That You Are"
Tours
Related material