Wonderful (Everclear song)

"Wonderful" is a song by the band Everclear, released as the first single from their 2000 album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile. It reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To date, this song is the band's only top 40 hit on the Hot 100. Outside the United States, the song reached number 12 in Iceland, number 13 in Canada, number 21 in New Zealand, number 36 in the United Kingdom and number 38 in Australia. In Canada the song reached number one on the RPM Top 30 Rock Report.

"Wonderful"
Single by Everclear
from the album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile
ReleasedMay 22, 2000
FormatCD
Recorded2000
GenreAlternative rock, post-grunge
Length4:41 (Album Version)
4:32 (Edit)
LabelCapitol, EMI
Songwriter(s)Art Alexakis, Greg Eklund, Craig Montoya
Producer(s)Art Alexakis, Lars Fox, Neal Avron
Music video
"Wonderful" on YouTube

Meaning

The song tells the story of a divorce as perceived by a child. Each verse of the song corresponds to a different stage of the divorce. The first verse describes the child hearing their parents fight as they try to block it out, remembering what it was like before their parents began to fight. The second verse describes the child going to school and pretending to their friends that everything is all right at home, despite what is heard in the first verse. The bridge describes the child lashing out at their parents, not wanting to comprehend that their parents have begun to grow apart and date other people.

In an October 2003 interview with Songfacts, Alexakis said about "Wonderful":

I was a child of a broken marriage, my daughter was the child of a broken marriage, and it was hard to watch it happen to her. (This song) was me trying to make sense of it. ... It's one of those songs where I take my experiences as a kid, some experiences of some friends of mine, and kind of put myself into this kid's place. It's not really autobiographical but it's coming from a place that I understand very well. My characters tend to have aspects of my personality. It wouldn't be real if it didn't have a part of my reality.[1]

Music video

The music video follows two children's stories interlaced with the band singing. The children are shown happy initially but as time passes their parents fight and eventually break up. At school the kids act normal, mirroring the song. The video ends with kids jumping and happy while the band plays, sometimes in the middle of the kids. The two kids the video is about are split into two people, with each one going a different directions assumingly toward each divorced parent. The kids leave school with a smile. Frontman Alexakis could also be seen wiping a tear from his eye near the end of the video.

Track listing

CD single

  1. "Wonderful"
  2. "Father of Mine" (remix)
  3. "I'm On Your Time"

Charts

Appearances in media

The song has been featured in several TV series, including the Scrubs episode "My Fifteen Minutes", the Cold Case episode "Dog Day Afternoons", the Jericho episode "Why We Fight", the Daria episode "Sappy Anniversary", and the episode "Wonderful" from Mysterious Ways. It has also been featured in the movies Pay It Forward, 40 Days and 40 Nights, Cheats, and Saving Silverman.[17][18]

References
  1. "Art Alexakis of Everclear". Songfacts. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  2. "Australian-charts.com – Everclear – Wonderful". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  3. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7188." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  4. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9957." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  5. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (31.9–6.10 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). October 6, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  6. "Charts.nz – Everclear – Wonderful". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  7. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  9. "Everclear Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  10. "Everclear Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  11. "Everclear Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  12. "Everclear Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  13. "Everclear Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  14. "Everclear Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  15. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 5, 2001. p. 10. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  16. "Billboard Top 100 – 2000". Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  17. "Everclear". IMDb. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  18. Warner Movies On Demand (2011-05-06), Pay It Forward - Trailer, retrieved November 23, 2018
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