Good Charlotte (album)

Good Charlotte
Studio album by Good Charlotte
Released September 26, 2000
Recorded May–June 2000
Studio Encore Studios, NRG Studios and Larrabee West, Los Angeles, California; Battery Studios, New York City
Genre Pop punk
Length 45:12
Label Epic, Daylight
Producer Don Gilmore
Good Charlotte chronology
GC EP
(2000)GC EP2000		 Good Charlotte
(2000)		 The Young and the Hopeless
(2002)The Young and the Hopeless2002
Singles from Good Charlotte
  1. "Little Things"
    Released: March 1, 2001
  2. "The Motivation Proclamation"
    Released: August 7, 2001
  3. "Festival Song"
    Released: 2002

Good Charlotte is the self-titled debut studio album by American pop punk band Good Charlotte. The group formed in 1996 by twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden with the former on vocals and the latter on guitar. They were joined by guitarist Billy Martin on guitar, Paul Thomas on bass and Aaron Escolopio on drums. A demo of "Little Things" was receiving airplay from two radio stations, and by early 2000, the group had signed to major label Epic Records. Recording sessions for their debut album took place in four studios across California and New York with producer Don Gilmore. Released on September 26 through Epic and Daylight Records, the album undersold expectations. Despite receiving favourable reviews, the album charted number 185 on the Billboard 200. "Little Things" reached the top 30 on both the Mainstream Top 40 and Alternative Songs charts.

A music video for "Little Things" started getting airplay in November. In March 2001, "Little Things" was released as a single, which was followed by a music video for "The Motivation Proclamation". Between March and May, the group went on tour with MxPx and appeared at HFStival. While at the festival, a music video was shot for "Festival Song". After this, Escolopio left the group and was replaced by Nate Foutz of Vroom. Foutz remained with the group for six weeks before being replaced by Dusty Bill. The group participated in Warped Tour between June and August. Also in August, "The Motivation Proclamation" was released as a single, followed by "Festival Song" in 2002. The album was subsequently certified silver in the UK and gold in the US.

Background

After watching a Beastie Boys show in 1995, twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden formed Good Charlotte in Waldorf, Maryland in 1996 with the former on vocals and the latter on guitar.[1] Following the brothers' graduation in 1997, they passed on going to college, preferring to take the band full-time.[2] They then focused on getting signed, reading books and magazines that would aid them in that goal.[3] They made promotional packages that would be sent to record labels.[2] Joel Madden learned that the girl he took to homecoming had a brother Paul Thomas who could play bass. Thomas met the brothers at a house and was unimpressed with their performance skills.[4] Soon afterwards, they recruited high-school colleague Aaron Escolopio on drums,[1] and began playing clubs in the D.C. metro area.[4] The Madden brothers moved to Annapolis, Maryland and performed acoustic shows.[5]

Guitarist Billy Martin went to one of these shows at the insistence of Jimi HaHa of Jimmie's Chicken Shack.[3] Martin became friends with the Madden brothers, and let them move in with him after they were evicted from their apartment.[5] After the trio learned they had a shared interest in Silverchair,[6] and the break up of Martin's band Overflow, Martin joined Good Charlotte. They spent time writing new songs, recording demos and performing when they could.[7] The band began building a buzz by performing at the WHFS-hosted HFStival in 1998,[1] and earning support slots for Blink-182, Lit and Bad Religion.[8] In 1999, the group opened for Save Ferris in Philadelphia. After the performance, they left a demo of "Little Things" that soon began getting airplay on local radio station Y100.[3] Benji Madden was adamant on the song's potential hit status with its high school-centric theme and the reality of its lyrics.[2]

A Sony Music employee passed along the band's demo to regional promotion manager Mike Martinovich. He was impressed by the group's writing ability and the autobiographical nature of the songs.[2] He contacted talent manager Steve Feinberg, who flew Annapolis to witness the group perform. He subsequently began working with them.[7] Around the same time, WHFS also began playing the demo.[2] As the track became a hit in the area, record labels began showing interest in the group.[3] By the end of the year, the group went on a east coast tour with Lit. At the New York City show of the tour, representatives from several major labels in attendance.[9] Starting in 2000, the group became a full-time touring act with support slots for Lit, Goldfinger, Sum 41 and Mest.[10] Following a showcase in New York City,[3] the group meet with people in the music industry.[11] David Massey, executive vice president of A&R at major label Epic Records, signed the band to the label in May.[12]

Recording and composition

Recording for Good Charlotte took place mainly at Encore Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Don Gilmore. Gilmore, who also acted as engineer, was assisted by engineer Bob Jackson and Mauricio Iragorri. Additional engineering was done by John Ewing Jr. Drums and bass were recorded at NRG Studios in Los Angeles, California with assistance from Matt Griffen[13] in May 2000.[14] Guitar and vocals were recorded at Battery Studios in New York City with assistance from Paul Oliveira[13] in June.[14] Martin, Thomas and Escolopio sung additional vocals on "Little Things", while HaHa contributed additional vocals on "The Motivation Proclamation".[13]

These vocals were recorded at Larrabee West, Los Angeles, California with assistance from Pete Novack. Gilmore mixed almost of the songs, bar "Little Things", "Change" and "Seasons", at Encore Studios. He mixed "Little Things" at Battery Studios. "Change", "Seasons" and "Thank You Mom" were mixed by Tom Lord-Alge at South Beach Studios in Miami, Florida. Vlado Meller mastered all of the tracks, except for "Little Things", at Sony Music Studios in New York City. "Little Things" was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City.[13]

All of the songs were written by the Madden brothers. Josh Ian wrote additional lyrics for "Seasons" and "Let Me Go".[13] Musically, the album has been classified as pop punk.[15] "Little Things" makes reference to the Madden brothers' upbringing with their parents. One of the lines mentions their dad abandoning them, which made Joel Madden uncomfortable. Benji Madden reasoned that it worked within the context of the song. "Waldorfworldwide" is about the brothers' ambition and frustration. According to Joel Madden, it was written during a period they were broke.[2] According to Martin, "The Motivation Proclamation" talks about "breaking out of a cycle if you're depressed on something... getting over it and going on."[16] Joel Madden wrote "Festival Song" about attending HFStival, a festival he grew up with.[17]

Release

Good Charlotte was released on September 26, 2000[18] through Epic and Daylight Records.[13] The Japanese edition included "The Click", a cover of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "If You Leave" and a live acoustic version of "The Motivation Proclamation" as bonus tracks.[19] Sales did not meet the label's expectations, and the group were nearly dropped from the label.[20] In October and November, the group went on a US tour with Fenix TX,[21] followed by a US tour with MxPx until the end of the year.[22] Also in November, a music video for "Little Things" began receiving airplay from MTV.[2] The video was directed by Nigel Dick[23] and filmed in Canada. It featured the band as a group of troublemakers in high school. It starts with Joel Madden breaking into the principle's office and talks into a microphone[24] addressing "Waldorf High School", a stand-in for high school the members attended, La Plata High.[2] The principle soon finds out and is angry with the band. He follows the microphone cable into the gym in order to learn who is causing trouble. The group are seen walking down a halfway and performing on a golf cart. Singer Mandy Moore, who acts as Madden's girlfriend in the video, is then seen.[25] The clip concludes with an impromptu concert in the gym.[26]

In December, the group appeared at HFSmas, the winter version of HFStival.[27] On March 1, 2001, "Little Things" was released as a single in Australia.[28] The CD version included "The Click" and "Thank You Mom" as B-sides.[29] Despite the lack of success for "Little Things", the group's label allowed them to make another video, which was for "The Motivation Proclamation".[30] It was directed by Webb,[23] and features the band members on the ground, waking up one-by-one and starting to performing. Scenes from Undergrads were incorporated by being played on a TV.[31] Between March and May, the group supported MxPx on their headlining US tour.[32] In April, the video for "The Motivation Proclamation" was receiving airplay from video outlets.[8] While on the MxPx tour, the album was consistently selling 3,000 copies per week. As a result, the group wanted to make a live music video.[33] At the end of May, the group performed at HFStival. During their set, a music video was filmed for "Festival Song",[17] directed by Marc Webb.[23] The video ended up being a mini-documentary on the day.[34] Members of Mest, New Found Glory and Linkin Park appear in the video.[35]

Sometime afterwards, Escolopio left the group[1] to join his brother's band Wakefield.[36] He was replaced by Nate Foutz of Vroom. However, Foutz left the group after six weeks due to Vroom getting a major label deal.[37] Two days before the band went on tour,[38] Dusty Bill was enlisted to play drums.[36] They gave him a copy of the album, and the following day, began practicing with him.[38] Between June and August, the group appeared on the Warped Tour.[39] In between dates, the group performed at Y100 FEZtival.[40] On August 7, "The Motivation Proclamation" was released as a single.[41] Following this, the band supported Blink-182 on their US tour, before embarking on a tour of Australia in October.[42] The group closed the year with a US headlining tour, dubbed Uniting the States Tour, with support from Mest and The Movielife.[43] In 2002, "Festival Song" was released as a single.[44] In September 2004, the album was reissued as a two-CD package with The Young and the Hopeless (2002).[45] It was reissued again in January 2010 in a box set alongside The Young and the Hopeless, The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004) and Good Morning Revival (2007).[46]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[47]
Chart AttackFavorable[48]
Entertainment WeeklyA-[49]
Melodic [50]
The Morning CallUnfavorable [51]

Critical reception

AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann said the drum "beats come fast and furious, the simple guitar chords noisily" occupy the mid-range, and the vocals "are sung with snotty belligerence".[47] He said the lyrics touch upon "standard-issue stuff" with the only exception "an occasionally expressed religious interest."[47] Chart Attack wrote that the group sounds "so much" like a cross between Eve 6 and Lit that it was "frightening."[48] They said the album was "energized" and called the lyrics "cynical".[48] David Hiltbrand of Entertainment Weekly said that "crosscurrents of anger and optimism" appear throughout the group's debut.[49] He said the band has an "astringent punk style" combined with "crafty pop underpinnings."[49]

Melodic writer Johan Wippsson praised Gilmore's "very nice" production and called the record a "very nice punk-pop album with no really bad song".[50] His only complaint was the lyrics, which he found to be a "little bit to teenaged" at times.[50] The Morning Call reviewer Joe Warminsky said the group "spares nothing in its effort" to join its contemporaries "of lame pop-rock bands that populate non-hip-hop radio."[51] He said the album "wears thin quickly", saying the majority of the songs were "just plain shameless".[51]

Commercial performance and legacy

Good Charlotte charted at number one on the Catalog Albums chart,[52] number 13 on the Heatseekers Albums chart[53] and number 185 on the Billboard 200.[54] It also reached number 12 in New Zealand[55] and number 194 in the UK.[56] It was later certified silver in the UK[57] and gold in the US.[58] "Little Things" charted in the US at number 23 on both the Mainstream Top 40[59] and Alternative Songs charts.[60] It charted in Australia at number 61.[61] "The Motivation Proclamation" charted in Australia at number 78.[62]

Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 46 on their list of the 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums.[63] In 2016, Benji Madden said of the album: "We were young and excited kids who were full of dreams and still trying to figure out our musical identity."[64] Later that year, Joel Madden said: "[W]e didn’t over-think the pre-chorus, we didn’t think how we could make the bridge bigger, we wrote the songs until they were done. It’s more raw; the hope, the vibe and the spirit of that hopefulness has returned to the music."[65]

Track listing

All songs written by Benji and Joel Madden. Additional lyrics on "Let Me Go" and "Seasons" by Josh Ian.[13]

No.TitleLength
1."Little Things"3:23
2."Waldorfworldwide"3:21
3."The Motivation Proclamation"3:36
4."East Coast Anthem"2:27
5."Festival Song"3:00
6."Complicated"2:49
7."Seasons"3:15
8."I Don't Wanna Stop"2:41
9."I Heard You"2:43
10."Walk By"2:42
11."Let Me Go"3:01
12."Screamer"3:36
13."Change" (includes hidden track "Thank You Mom")8:38
Total length:45:12

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[13]

Charts and certifications

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, MacKenzie. "Good Charlotte | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wartofsky, Alona (November 12, 2000). "Mastering the Geek Tragedy". The Washington Post. Fred Ryan. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hoard, Christian (May 1, 2003). "Good Charlotte: The Polite Punks". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Tuccillo 2007, p. 80
  5. 1 2 Small 2003, p. 16
  6. ↑ Small 2003, p. 17
  7. 1 2 Freedom du Lac, J. (March 18, 2007). "A Loser Fairy Tale". The Washington Post. Fred Ryan. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  8. 1 2 D'Angelo, Joe (April 13, 2001). "Good Charlotte Off To A Good Start". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ Small 2003, p. 21
  10. ↑ Small 2003, p. 22
  11. ↑ Sherman, Maria (December 10, 2015). "Good Charlotte's Second Act: Inside Madden Brothers' Pop-Punk Reawakening". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ Small 2003, p. 23
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Good Charlotte (Booklet). Good Charlotte. Epic/Daylight Records. 2000. EK 61452.
  14. 1 2 Little Things (Sleeve). Good Charlotte. Epic Records. 2000. ESK 15175.
  15. ↑ Beringer, Drew (March 16, 2007). "Good Charlotte - Good Morning Revival - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  16. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 13:49–55
  17. 1 2 Nome, Valerie (May 29, 2001). "Staind, Green Day, Tantric, More Rock D.C.'s HFStival". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ Good Charlotte (Booklet). Good Charlotte. Epic Records. 2001. EICP 210.
  20. ↑ Rock Sound (November 2012). "Hall of Fame: Good Charlotte, The Young & The Hopeless". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Shows". Good Charlotte. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. ↑ Small 2003, p. 37
  23. 1 2 3 Video Collection (Sleeve). Good Charlotte. Epic/Daylight Records. 2003. EPC 201883 9.
  24. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 5:07–16
  25. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 5:24–26, 5:30–44, 6:19–20, 6:43–44
  26. ↑ Small 2003, p. 28
  27. ↑ Tripwire (December 14, 2000). "HFSmas Nutcracker 2000 Review". The Fader. Andy Cohn. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  28. ↑ "News". Good Charlotte. Archived from the original on August 14, 2003. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Good Charlotte - Little Things". Australian-charts. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  30. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 12:55–13:07
  31. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 14:04, 14:08–12, 15:26–41
  32. ↑ Small 2003, p. 38
  33. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 19:23–30, 19:45
  34. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 20:34–35
  35. ↑ Good Charlotte 2003, event occurs at 22:56–23:02
  36. 1 2 McGuire, Colin (December 10, 2007). "Young and Hopeful: An Interview With Good Charlotte". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  37. ↑ Wells, Brent (June 27, 2012). "Former Vroom and Good Charlotte drummer finds new niche in Hill City". The News & Advance. Bob MacPherson. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  38. 1 2 Small 2003, p. 42
  39. ↑ Vanhorn, Teri (March 13, 2001). "Warped Tour Adds Rollins Band, Lists Dates, Cities". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  40. ↑ Tripwire (June 6, 2001). "Y100 Locks Down FEZtival 2001 Lineup". The Fader. Andy Cohn. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Motivation Proclamation - Good Charlotte | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  42. ↑ Small 2003, p. 44
  43. ↑ Small 2003, p. 46
  44. ↑ Festival Song (Sleeve). Good Charlotte. Epic Records. 2002. ESK-16790.
  45. ↑ "Good Charlotte/The Young & the Hopeless - Good Charlotte | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Good Charlotte - Special Edition - Good Charlotte Box: Good Charlotte / The Young And The Hopeless / The Chronicles Of Life And Death / Good Morning Revival". Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  47. 1 2 3 Ruhlmann, William. "Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  48. 1 2 3 Chart Attack (March 27, 2001). "Good Charlotte — Good Charlotte". Chart Attack. Channel Zero. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  49. 1 2 3 Hiltbrand, David (October 13, 2000). "Music Review: 'Good Charlotte' Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  50. 1 2 3 Wippsson, Johan (March 25, 2002). "Good Charlotte - s/t". Melodic. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  51. 1 2 3 Warminsky, Joe (October 7, 2000). "Good Charlotte". The Morning Call. Robert York. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  52. 1 2 "Good Charlotte Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  53. 1 2 "Good Charlotte Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  54. 1 2 "Good Charlotte Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  55. 1 2 "Charts.org.nz – Good Charlotte – Good Charlotte". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  56. 1 2 "Chart Log UK: Gina G – GZA". Zobbel. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  57. 1 2 "British album certifications – Good Charlotte – Good Charlotte". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Good Charlotte in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  58. 1 2 "American album certifications – Good Charlotte – Good Charlotte". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  59. ↑ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Mainstream Top 40)". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Good Charlotte Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  61. ↑ "Pandora Archive" (PDF). Pandora.nla.gov.au. August 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2002. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  62. ↑ "Pandora Archive" (PDF). Pandora.nla.gov.au. August 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2002. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  63. ↑ Viruet, Pilot (November 15, 2017). "50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums: 46. Good Charlotte, 'Good Charlotte' (2000)". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  64. ↑ Travers 2016, p. 29
  65. ↑ Dhindsa, Jasleen (July 14, 2016). "Good Charlotte: "It's kind of like riding a bike, we do what we do"". Upset. The Bunker Publishing. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.

Sources

  • Good Charlotte (2003). Video Collection (DVD-V). Epic Music Video/Daylight Records. EPC 201883 9.
  • Small, Doug (2003). The Story of Good Charlotte. New York: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-8256-2871-7.
  • Travers, Paul (February 27, 2016). McMahon, James, ed. "All Time High". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1608). ISSN 0262-6624.
  • Tuccillo, Frank (Spring 2007). "Grown-Up, Rich & Famous". YRB NYC. New York City, NY: Yellow Publications. ISSN 1547-433X. Archived from the original on 2007-02-23.
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