Good Charlotte

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Good Charlotte
GoodcharlotteinKL.JPG
Good Charlotte in 2007. From left to right: Paul Thomas, Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Dean Butterworth, and Billy Martin.
Background information
Origin Waldorf, Maryland, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1995–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website goodcharlotte.com
Members
Past members

Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland, that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been vocalist Joel Madden, guitarist and vocalist Benji Madden, bassist Paul Thomas, guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin, while drummer Dean Butterworth has been a member of the band since 2005. After a four-year-long hiatus, the band announced its comeback on November 3, 2015.[1] The band has released six studio albums: Good Charlotte (2000), The Young and the Hopeless (2002), The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004), Good Morning Revival (2007), Cardiology (2010) and Youth Authority (2016), as well as two compilations: Greatest Remixes (2008) and Greatest Hits (2010).

History[edit]

Early years (1995–1999)[edit]

Each original member of the band attended La Plata High School in Maryland. The band made a name for itself in nearby Washington, D.C., playing the WHFS annual rock show HFStival in 1998 and 1999.[2] The band mainly played out small bars which soon earned the group attention. The band also released two demos and two EPs along their career.

Good Charlotte (2000–2001)[edit]

Good Charlotte's debut studio album Good Charlotte was released in 2000 and was the start of the band's music career. The album contains three singles: "Little Things", "Motivation Proclamation", and "Festival Song". Aaron Escolopio was the band's drummer for this album, but left the band before The Young and the Hopeless to join his brother's band Wakefield, and was replaced by Nate Foutz (drummer of the band Vroom).

The Young and the Hopeless (2002–2003)[edit]

2002's The Young and the Hopeless sold 4.9 million copies and thrust the band into mainstream popularity. The band's breakthrough single, titled "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", topped both pop and rock charts around the globe. Singles that were released from the album include "The Anthem", "Girls & Boys", "The Young and the Hopeless", and "Hold On". The band cited Rancid, Social Distortion, and The Clash as influences for the album.

The album eventually went on to receive triple platinum certification (three million copies sold) from the RIAA.[3] During the course of the album's success, Good Charlotte landed appearances on American Idol, CNN, and The Today Show, the covers of Rolling Stone and Alternative Press magazines, and were also featured in The New York Times. The band also became popular on MTV, where the band's music videos were played in heavy rotation on both MTV and MTV2. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" received the "Viewers Choice Award" at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

After a few months of touring, Nate Foutz (Vroom Drummer) returned to join his band for the band's summer tour. The band hired drummers during the recording, release and touring of The Young and the Hopeless due to former drummer Aaron Escolopio having left the band before its release. In 2003, the band added Chris Wilson as a drummer; he was introduced to the band through mutual friends from the group The Used.

The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004–2007)[edit]

Good Charlotte's third album, The Chronicles of Life and Death, was released by Epic Records in 2004. The album received mixed reactions from both the music press and Good Charlotte's fan base. The album sold 2.2 million copies. The album has been widely considered a departure from the band's previous two albums, mixing new elements such as lyrical topics into Good Charlotte's youthful sound. Singles released from the album include the two hits "Predictable" and "I Just Wanna Live", as well as "The Chronicles of Life and Death" and "We Believe". The only single from The Chronicles of Life and Death which managed to chart on the U.S. Hot 100 was the hit "I Just Wanna Live". All of the singles released from the album went top 30 in the UK, except for "We Believe". The band would then go on tour with Sum 41.

In May 2005, after much speculation from fans, it was officially confirmed that Chris Wilson had left the band citing personal health reasons. Benji also told Kerrang! magazine that, for him, "Chris leaving the band was the worst part of 2005."[citation needed] Chris then joined the pop/punk band The Summer Obsession until 2011. He currently plays drums for JMSN.

On Good Charlotte's "Noise to the World" Tour, performing with Simple Plan and Relient K, the band recruited Dean Butterworth (who had previously played for Morrissey) as the band's temporary drummer. Later, in March 2007, Butterworth was confirmed as the band's permanent drummer.

Benji Madden has claimed in interviews that he feels this record was not as successful as the previous record due to it being "too selfish."[4][better source needed]

Good Morning Revival (2007–2008)[edit]

Good Charlotte in 2007 on the group's float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Good Morning Revival is the fourth album by Good Charlotte and the follow-up to 2004's The Chronicles of Life and Death. It was officially released in March 2007, with the precise date varying by country.Good Morning Revival debuted in the top 10 of thirteen countries worldwide including the U.S., giving the band some of its highest international chart positions thus far, and went on to sell 4.5 million copies. At midnight, on January 23, 2007, the record was made available for pre-order on iTunes. When pre-ordered, the single "The River" could be downloaded immediately, while the rest of the album was queued to be downloaded on the release date. Pre-ordering on iTunes also provided the exclusive bonus acoustic version of the song. This album was suggested a different sound for the group apart from the group's pop punk roots.

The first single from the album, "The River", featuring Avenged Sevenfold's lead singer M. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates, appeared online on January 4, 2007, and was released as the first single from the album in North America. The music video for "The River" was added to UK music channels Kerrang! and Scuzz on April 13, 2007, making it the second single released from the album in the UK. The song charted at No. 108. "Keep Your Hands off My Girl" was released as the first single in the UK and Australia. "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" charted on the UK Singles Chart at No. 36 the first week of release through download sales and then climbed to No. 23 when released in stores. The second single released in North America was "Dance Floor Anthem", with which the band had scored a surprise hit, making it onto 11 different Billboard charts and peaking at No. 2 in Australia.[citation needed] The "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl" video was certified gold by MTV International in December 2007. It was played 3,000 times on over four continents during the first half of 2007.[5][6] On January 1, 2008, Good Charlotte was featured on Tila Tequila's New Year's Eve Masquerade on MTV, as the band was the second performance of the new year and performed its hit "Dance Floor Anthem".

The band made multiple U.S. and international TV appearances in support of the album. First, Good Charlotte appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 9, 2007, the Outdoor Stage on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 11, and on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on April 27. Joel and Benji Madden, Good Charlotte's lead singer and guitarist respectively, co-hosted the Australian MTV Video Music Awards with Fergie on April 29, 2007 where the band also won the "Viewers Choice Australia" award for "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl". In August 2007, the band embarked on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveShow tour, as Timberlake's opening act. Good Charlotte supported Timberlake throughout his second leg North American dates. The band was present for the show of August 16, 2007 in Madison Square Garden, which was taped for a HBO broadcast.

On November 25, 2008, Greatest Remixes was released. This compilation album includes 15 songs from previous Good Charlotte albums remixed by other artists such as Metro Station, Junior Sanchez, William Beckett from The Academy Is..., Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy, and The White Tie Affair featuring Mat Devine of Kill Hannah.

Cardiology and hiatus (2009–2014)[edit]

Good Charlotte performing in 2011.

Good Charlotte's fifth album, with the help of former Dear Christie lead singer Adam Markin, was released on November 2, 2010. The album, which was released nearly 6 weeks later than anticipated due to Markin's constant battle with HPV[clarify], was an immediate success. Describing the sound to MTV news, Joel Madden said it would sound a lot like Blink-182.[7][8] Joel Madden went on to say in the same MTV interview that "There's nothing dance-y on the record, though, at all, which is different from our last one,"[7] further implying a movement away from the sound of Good Morning Revival. On December 3, 2008 Kerrang! magazine announced that Good Charlotte would be releasing its fifth studio album, Cardiology in 2009. The title of which, according to Joel, comes from the lyrical content of the album, which he explained is "all connected to the heart". Madden also added that the band had already written 20 songs for the new album, and are said to be heading back to their pop-punk roots. On January 24, 2010 Good Charlotte announced that the band had finished the album, but were going to completely scrap it and record with a different producer, Don Gilmore, who also produced the band's first and fourth records, Good Charlotte and Good Morning Revival.[9][10]

The band released its first single "Like It's Her Birthday" featuring Tonight Alive[11] from the new album on August 24, 2010. The band posted the song online August 5, 2010, and wrote on its website that if the video of the song received more than 100,000 views, the band would post another song from the album. The video reached 100,000 views on August 15, 2010 and the band released "Counting the Days" as a video on its YouTube channel and announced that it will be the second single from the album. The music video for "Like It's Her Birthday" has cameos from The Maine's lead singer John O'Callaghan and guitarist Kennedy Brock and Boys Like Girls' lead singer Martin Johnson, and guitarist Paul DiGiovanni.

On November 5, 2010, Good Charlotte's former label, Sony Music, released a Greatest Hits compilation for Australia, spanning 16 singles from the band's four studio albums released on that label. The compilation was later released in the US on January 6, 2011, and in Japan on February 16, 2011.

On September 13, 2010, it was announced that Good Charlotte will be headlining the 2011 Kerrang! Relentless Tour, with supporting acts Four Year Strong, Framing Hanley, and The Wonder Years. On March 3, 2011, Good Charlotte went on tour with This Century and Forever The Sickest Kids throughout North America.[12] In June 2011 Good Charlotte set out on a U.S. tour co-headlining with Yellowcard and opening act Runner Runner. In June 2011 on an interview with Punkvideosrock.com Billy and Paul stated they were in the process of planning tours for the next 5 years.[13]

On September 1, 2011, Good Charlotte announced a hiatus via interview with Rolling Stone, but The Madden Brothers released a free mix tape in October 2011, Before — Volume One.[14] and their debut album Greetings From California was released in September 2014, which featured Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth as session performer.

Youth Authority and Generation Rx (2015–present)[edit]

On November 3, 2015 the band announced an end to the hiatus through Alternative Press.[15] On November 5, 2015, the band released a single, "Makeshift Love".[16][17] A music video for "Makeshift Love" featuring Mikey Way and John Feldmann was released on November 13, 2015.[18][19] The band performed its first show since its reformation on November 19, 2015, at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.[20][21] The band supported All Time Low on the UK and Ireland leg of the Back to the Future Hearts tour in 2016.

The group released their sixth studio album, Youth Authority, on July 15, 2016, with guest appearances from Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro. The album release date was announced on March 30, 2016, with the album title and art following several days later.[22][23]

On May 24th, 2018 the band announced a new album set for September 14, 2018 called Generation Rx[24] . This coincided with the release of a new single called 'Actual Pain'. They have also announced a tour for 2019 to promote the album [25].

The band played a surprise guest set on the final Vans Warped Tour on July 29th, 2018.

Musical style, legacy and influences[edit]

Good Charlotte has been mainly described as a pop punk band.[26][27][28][29] The band also has been described as alternative rock,[30][31] pop rock,[32] punk rock,[33] skate punk,[34] emo pop,[35] post-grunge,[29] and emo.[36] According to writer Bruce Britt, Good Charlotte combine "the hard-charging fury of skate-punk, the melodiousness of pop, and the spooky, mascara-smeared sensibilities of ’80s goth".[37] According to program director Robert Benjamin, Benji Madden told him Good Charlotte "wanted to be a combination of the Backstreet Boys and Minor Threat".[38] Good Charlotte cite Beastie Boys, Minor Threat, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Rancid, and Green Day as their influences.[38][39]

Activism[edit]

Billy Martin is a vegetarian, and won PETA's vegetarian of the year in 2012. In the past the band actively supported PETA's animal rights campaigns. Members of the group recorded a track, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", on PETA's Liberation CD and appeared at PETA's 25th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards Show.[40] Group members have also demonstrated against KFC's treatment of chickens.[41]

In 2012 and 2013, band members heavily promoted Kentucky Fried Chicken in a series of Australian television commercials, leading to charges of hypocrisy. The Madden Brothers appeared in an episode of Australia's Got Talent where their act was eating KFC to set a Guinness World Record.[42]

Band members[edit]

Timeline

Discography[edit]

Main article: Good Charlotte discography
Studio albums

Awards and nominations[edit]

Main article: List of Good Charlotte awards and nominations

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Good Charlotte". Good Charlotte. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. 
  2. ^ MacKenzie Wilson (October 27, 2000). "Good Charlotte". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  3. ^ "RIAA Certification Database". Riaa.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  4. ^ Maria Verso (July 22, 2008). "Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte deliver insincere sets". azcentral.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013. (Subscription required (help)). From the moment Good Charlotte took the stage with The Anthem – "It's a new day but it all feels old." You remember, right? – you realized that Good Charlotte is the Soundtrack of Your Summer if that summer happened to be 2002. Steering clear of The Chronicles of Life and Death, the 2004 album that Benji Madden later said was not successful because it was "too selfish," the band mostly stuck to The Young and Hopeless game plan with a smattering of new songs from last year's less glum Good Morning Revival.  (30 day free access without a subscription)
  5. ^ Good Charlotte band (December 5, 2007). "Keep Your Hands Off My Girl – Video Certified GOLD by MTV International". Goodcharlotte.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. 
  6. ^ James Welsh (December 4, 2007). "MTV launches global video play awards". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014. Gold (more than 3000 plays) ... Good Charlotte – 'Keep Your Hands Off My Girl' 
  7. ^ "Believe in Zero". Goodcharlotte.com. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  8. ^ "Don Gilmore credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2014. 
  9. ^ "Cardiology Update Stu Deeeee Ooohhhhh Studio". Good Charlotte. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Good Charlotte – Like it's her Birthday FEAT: Tonight Alive". YouTube. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012. 
  11. ^ "Cardiology Tour". Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011. 
  12. ^ "Good Charlotte Interview w/ Robert Herrera". Punkvideosrock.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Good Charlotte announce plans to go on hiatus | News". NME. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  14. ^ Sharp, Tyler (November 6, 2015). "Good Charlotte Are Back! #WelcomeBackGC". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015. 
  15. ^ Hingle, James (November 6, 2015). "Good Charlotte Return, Announce New Single". Kerrang.com. Kerrang. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015. 
  16. ^ Sharp, Tyler. "Good Charlotte to Stream Makeshift Love Single Today!". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015. 
  17. ^ Hingle, James (November 13, 2015). "The New Good Charlotte Music Video Features Mikey Way". Kerrang.com. Kerrang!. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015. 
  18. ^ Hall, Mackenzie (November 13, 2015). "Good Charlotte Release Music Video for "Makeshift Love"". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015. 
  19. ^ Sharp, Tyler (November 19, 2015). "This is the Anthem: Live Updates from Good Charlotte's Comeback Show!". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Retrieved November 20, 2015. 
  20. ^ Sharp, Tyler (November 6, 2015). "Good Charlotte Announce Comeback Show!". AltPress.com. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015. 
  21. ^ Sharp, Tyler (March 30, 2016). "Good Charlotte to drop comeback album days before Warped Tour headlining shows". Alternative Press. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016. 
  22. ^ Greenwald, Morgan (March 14, 2016). "Good Charlotte Announces Mini-Tour, Sixth Album After Six-Year Hiatus". Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016. 
  23. ^ "Good Charlotte return with new album, single and 2019 tour details". 
  24. ^ Spanos, Brittany (May 25, 2018). "Hear Good Charlotte Preview New LP With Dark New Song 'Actual Pain'". 
  25. ^ Wilder, Darcie (July 19, 2016). "How I Learned To Love Good Charlotte Again". MTV. 
  26. ^ Lewis, Catherine P. (October 23, 2006). "Being Good With Good Charlotte". The Washington Post. 
  27. ^ Azerrad, Michael (January 4, 2004). "Punk's Earnest New Mission". The New York Times. 
  28. ^ a b Wilson, MacKenzie. "Good Charlotte | Biography & History". AllMusic. 
  29. ^ Carter, Brooke (March 16, 2017). "When happened to Benji Madden". The Gazette Review. 
  30. ^ Graff, Gary (February 10, 2007). "The Young and the Hopeful". Billboard. Vol. 119 no. 6. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510. 
  31. ^ Devoe, Noelle (November 4, 2015). "Good Charlotte is Back With New Music — Listen Now!". Seventeen. 
  32. ^ Cassidy, Austin (December 3, 2014). "The 10 best Good Charlotte songs". AXS. 
  33. ^ "Get your skate punks on". Hot Press. December 17, 2002. 
  34. ^ Brown, Eric Renner (November 5, 2015). "Good Charlotte share snippet of new music, hint at return". 
  35. ^ Fores, Betsi (March 26, 2013). "'I'm not okay': 10 great emoments in honor of My Chemical Romance [SLIDESHOW]". The Daily Caller. 
  36. ^ Britt, Bruce (May 19, 2004). "Good Charlotte Makes Great Music". Broadcast Music, Inc. 
  37. ^ a b Wartofsky, Alona (November 12, 2000). "Mastering the Geek Tragedy". The Washington Post. 
  38. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (September 15, 2004). "How Green Day's Dookie Fertilized A Punk-Rock Revival". MTV. 
  39. ^ "PETA's 25th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards Show". Peta2.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  40. ^ "Good Charlotte Take On KFC". Peta2.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 
  41. ^ Daniel Burt (December 12, 2012). "Sold out for a poultry sum". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2012. 

External links[edit]

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