The Better Life

''The Better Life'' is the debut studio album by American rock band 3 Doors Down, released on February 8, 2000. It has become 7× Platinum since release. This is the only album on which lead singer Brad Arnold played drums. "Kryptonite", " Loser", and " Be Like That" all reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at  3, No. 55, and No. 24, respectively. ''The Better Life'' sold over six million copies worldwide.

It is the band's best-selling album to date, with sales of over 5,653,000 copies in the United States, as of July 2014.

Background

In 1997, 3 Doors Down released a self-titled demo CD that garnered attention locally. Only 2,000 copies of the demo are known to exist and its track listing is mostly shared with ''The Better Life''. Six songs from the demo were later re-recorded and polished for commercial viability on ''The Better Life''. The final demo track, "Sarah Yellin' 86," was re-recorded as "Sarah Yellin'" on the band's second studio album, ''Away from the Sun'', in 2002. Studio recordings of two tracks from the demo, "Dead Love" and "Man In My Mind," were produced, but never released. Five songs, "Duck and Run," "Not Enough," "Be Like That," "Better Life," and "So I Need You," were added for ''The Better Life'' after the band had been picked up by Universal Records.

In 2007, a two-disc version of the album, ''The Better Life: Deluxe Edition'', was released and included an audio recording of a 2003 concert. In 2021, a remaster of the album, ''The Better Life: 20th Anniversary Edition'', was released on CD, vinyl, and digital download; all three versions include the band's eponymous 1997 demo, with the ten songs being listed as the "Escatawpa Sessions." The CD and digital releases of the ''20th Anniversary Edition'' also include acoustic versions of "Kryptonite" and "Be Like That," along with "The Better Life (XX Mix)" and the studio recording of "Wasted Me" as bonus tracks.

Track listing

''Deluxe Edition'' bonus CD

On September 18, 2007, the ''Deluxe Edition'' with a bonus second disc was released, which features a live performance recorded in 2003 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.

3 Doors Down
* Brad Arnold – lead vocals, drums
* Matt Roberts – rhythm and lead guitars
* Chris Henderson – rhythm and lead guitars
* Todd Harrell – bass guitar

Additional musicians
* Kevin Paige – keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 5)

Production
* Paul Ebersold – producer, engineer
* Matt Martone – engineer
* Toby Wright – mixing
* Mike Butler – mixing assistant
* Stephen Marcussen – mastering
* Andrew Garver – digital editing

Singles

* "Kryptonite" – 2000
** Reached No. 3 on the US Hot 100
** Reached No. 1 on the US Modern Rock (11 weeks) and US Mainstream Rock (nine weeks)
* "Loser" – July 29, 2000
** Reached No. 55 on the US Hot 100
** Reached No. 2 on the US Modern Rock
** Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (21 weeks)
* "Duck and Run" – 2000
** Reached No. 11 on the US Modern Rock
** Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock (three weeks)
* "Be Like That" – May 20, 2001
** Reached No. 24 on the US Hot 100
** Reached No. 22 on the US Modern Rock
** Reached No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Life
2000 debut albums
3 Doors Down albums