Semi-Charmed Life

"Semi-Charmed Life" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Stephan Jenkins. The song was released in May 1997, as the lead single from the band's self-titled debut album.[1][2][3] "Semi-Charmed Life" was a major hit, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100,[4] number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks in the US, number 2 in Canada, and making the Top 40 in the UK. VH1 named the song the 34th best of the 1990s.[5]

"Semi-Charmed Life"
Single by Third Eye Blind
from the album Third Eye Blind
B-side"Tattoo of the Sun"
ReleasedMay 10, 1997 (1997-05-10)
Format
Studio
  • Toast Studios (San Francisco)
  • Skywalker Ranch (San Francisco)
  • H.O.S. (San Francisco)
Genre
Length4:29
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Third Eye Blind singles chronology
"Semi-Charmed Life"
(1997)		 "Graduate"
(1997)
Music video
"Semi-Charmed Life" on YouTube

Writing and inspiration
"In terms of the dark lyrics and the catchy tune, I was just messing with whatever the paradigm was – I’ve always had a mischievous nature in that way. I’m not a formulaic writer – I don’t have some cookie cutter method. It’s whatever is provoking me at the moment."[6]

—Stephan Jenkins talking to Kerrang! about the writing process.

"Semi-Charmed Life" was written solely by frontman Stephan Jenkins. Jenkins intended to write a song that acted as a San Francisco response to Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side", with the "doo, doo, doot" chants present throughout the song being directly inspired by Reed's song.[7] In regards to the style of the song, Jenkins explained that it is meant to reflect changes that were occurring in the San Francisco music scene, particularly a growing interest in hip-hop. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jenkins said that the concept of the song was developed through his observations of friends using crystal meth at a Primus concert.[8] The juxtaposition of the music and lyrical content was intentional, as Jenkins intended to illustrate the "bright, shiny feeling" one gets when using crystal meth.[9] However, Jenkins maintains that the meaning of the song more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life.[6] He further explained the meaning of the song:

It’s about living in the lower Haight [in San Francisco] and all the machinations that were going on at a time where my friend group was finally out of the [educational] institutions that we’d been in our whole lives – because we’d all been in school since kindergarten and everybody now was in their early 20s and out of college. And then probably underneath that, also the weight of coming to terms with the kind of agony that your life is always about to change and never be reliable.[6]

Jenkins was initially against the decision to release "Semi-Charmed Life" as the lead single from Third Eye Blind, as he did not believe that it was representative of the work as a whole.[10] Guitarist Kevin Cadogan was concerned with the explicit lyrical content of the song, as he had fears that radio stations would refuse to play the song.[11] Elektra Records suggested that the band release "Semi-Charmed Life" as their debut single as opposed to "Losing a Whole Year", then prompting the release of several radio edits of the song.[12] Upon the song's success, Jenkins explained that he felt most listeners misinterpreted the song to simply be a "happy summertime jam".[9]

Recording and mixing

"Semi-Charmed Life" was one of six demos first recorded for Third Eye Blind. Jenkins recorded several iterations of the song before settling on the final version, as he faced difficulty in getting the "groove" right.[12] These recording sessions for "Semi-Charmed Life" took place in and around San Francisco at Toast Studios, Skywalker Ranch, and H.O.S.[13] According to co-producer and engineer Eric Valentine, the song was recorded without assistance from computers, rather being recorded directly on to tape machines.[12] Valentine would then cut and edit the tape, with "no fixing or changing anything".[12] The song features multi-layered guitar textures using an Epiphone Casino, Hamer electric, Gibson J-200 acoustic, and a Gretsch Country Gentleman, all of which were centrally provided by Kevin Cadogan.[14] An assortment of amps were also used in the recording process, including a Matchless 30 into a Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinet, a Mesa/Boogie Heartbreaker head, a Vox AC30 and a 69 Marshall plexi Super Lead head into a Marshall 4x12 loaded with 25-watt Greenback speakers.[14] Brad Hargreaves used a Peal Export snare drum in the composition of the track.[14] Reverb, wah-wah, tremolo and flange are also employed throughout the song in order to add "extra texture and sonic diversity".[14]

Valentine was also responsible for the mixing of the track, which was made at The Site, H.O.S, and Toast Studios.[13] Ted Jensen mastered the track at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[13]

Composition

"Semi-Charmed Life" is an alternative rock song,[15] composed with a rap-influenced singing style.[16] It incorporates "shoegazer and big guitar-chord soundscape musicality", as described by Gil Kaufman from Billboard.[12] Other musical instruments used are brushes and a drum machine.[12]

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 104 beats per minute.[17] Jenkin's vocal range spans three octaves, from G3 to C6.[17] The lyrics of "Semi-Charmed Life" carry a message of crystal meth addiction, inspired by the drug addictions that Jenkin's witnessed from several of his friends. Jenkins explained in Billboard magazine that the juxtaposition between the instrumental and lyrics were intentional, as it was meant to represent "the seductiveness of speed".[18] Regarding the title, Jenkins explained, "[it] refers to a life that's all propped up. You know, the beautiful people who lead bright and shiny lives that on the inside are all fucked up."[19]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called "Semi-Charmed Life" evidence that Third Eye Blind can "craft a naggingly memorable hook".[20] David Grad of Entertainment Weekly praised the radio friendly sound of the song, calling it a "nice taste of Third Eye Blind's formula".[21]

At the 1997 Billboard Music Awards, "Semi-Charmed Life" garnered Third Eye Blind a win in the Modern Rock Track category.[22]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Semi-Charmed Life" debuted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the issue dated July 5, 1997.[23] The song peaked at number 4 on the chart for the issue dated August 9, 1997, spending a total of 43 weeks on the chart.[24] The song also reached number 1 on both Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Top 40 charts. Almost four months after its release, "Semi-Charmed Life" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of five hundred thousand. The song holds the position of number 53 on the all-time Mainstream Top 40 chart.

In Canada, "Semi-Charmed Life" peaked at number 2 on the Canada Top Singles chart, while peaking at number 3 on the Canada Rock/Alternative chart. The song also received considerable airplay in the country, with Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) confirming that "Semi-Charmed Life" peaked at number 13 on the Canada Adult Contemporary chart.

"Semi-Charmed Life" was also a success in Australia and the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number 49 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and ascended to the number eight position nine weeks later. The song spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart in the country. "Semi-Charmed Life" was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for the shipment of 35,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, "Semi-Charmed Life" spent five weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 33 on September 27, 1997.

Music video

Background

The music video was directed by Jamie Morgan in San Francisco, California.[12] Morgan was recruited to direct the video after Third Eye Blind watched his work on Bush's "Swallowed" music video.[12] Regarding the idea behind the music video, the band strived to capture an idealistic visual of San Francisco. In an interview with Billboard, Morgan explained that the ending shot was a reference to the MTV moon man logo.[12] Morgan further expanded on the video's concepts stating,

I found the scooter kids [for the video] driving around San Fran, and the same with the studio shots. [The band] told me they had friends, but when I arrived from London they didn't really have any, so I had to find them from the streets of San Francisco. They loved my first video [for Bush's "Swallowed,"] so that was the starting point for the two-day shoot. They just wanted me to come and shoot the San Francisco vibe, so I just made it up as we went along, and responded to the cast I found on the streets.[12]

Synopsis

The video features many scenes with motor scooters and a 1960 Chevrolet Impala filmed around San Francisco.[25]

Live performances

The song was performed at the Billboard Music Awards on December 8, 1997.[26]

Other versions

"Semi-Charmed Life" had several radio edits released in order to censor explicit lyrical content. A "radio edit" and "clean radio edit" were released on the CD singles.[27][28] Both versions omit the majority of the song's bridge, although the latter also removes the lyrics "crystal meth will lift you up until you break" through backmasking.[29] The music video also omits a different portion of the bridge than the radio edits.

The song was remastered and reissued on Third Eye Blind's first greatest hits album A Collection.[30] On June 9, 2017, a new remastered version of "Semi-Charmed Life" was included on the 20th anniversary edition of Third Eye Blind in addition to the demo version of the song.[31] A live recording of the song was featured on the band's live album Summer Gods Tour Live 2017.[32]

Cultural impact

Usage in media

"Semi-Charmed Life" has been used in various media including film, television shows, and video games. The song was prominently featured in the films Contact (1997), Excess Baggage (1997), Wild Things (1998), Dirty Work (1998), American Pie (1999), Gigli (2003), A Lot Like Love (2005), Game Night (2018), and The Lovebirds (2020). The song is featured in the 2019 episode "Story Tank" of Henry Danger. In regards to video games, the song was featured in Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) and as downloadable content in Rock Band (2009) and Rocksmith 2014 (2014).

Cover versions

Singers and bands of various genres have covered the song in their own style. American rock band Four Year Strong recorded a cover of the song for their cover album Explains It All (2009).[33] Panic! at the Disco performed a cover of "Semi-Charmed Life" at Waterloo Records in February 2014. In March 2017, American pop rock band Imagine Dragons performed a cover version of the song on a RTL2 broadcast. American pop-rap duo Timeflies heavily sampled "Semi-Charmed Life" in their song "Semi-Charmed", which was released in November 2017.[34] American rock band XEB, which consists of three of the founding members of Third Eye Blind, performed "Semi-Charmed Life" in January 2017. American rock band Dance Gavin Dance included a cover of "Semi-Charmed Life" on their compilation album Songs That Saved My Life (2018).[35] The same year, Tigers Jaw performed a cover of the song at Scranton Cultural Center.

American musical comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic included the song in the polka medley "Polka Power!" from his album Running with Scissors (1999).[36] In 2018, American singer-songwriter Cassadee Pope referenced "Semi-Charmed Life" in her song "How I Feel Right Now".[37] Pope sings: "I just wanna drive, and listen to that red album of Third Eye Blind, soak in the semi-charmed life".

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from Semi-Charmed Life CD single liner notes.[44]

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[66] Gold 35,000^
United States (RIAA)[67] Gold 600,000[68]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
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