"Wonderful" is a song by the band Everclear, released as the first single from their 2000 album Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile, reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[edit] 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 his parents fight as he tries to block it out, remembering what it was like before his parents began to fight. The second verse describes the child going to school and pretending to his friends that everything is all right at home, despite what is heard in the first verse. The bridge describes the child lashing out at his parents, not wanting to comprehend that his parents have begun to grow apart and date other people.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Appearances in other 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" and the episode "Wonderful" from Mysterious Ways. It has also been featured in the movies Pay It Forward, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and Saving Silverman. It is also a track on Now That's What I Call Music! 5.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] CD Single
- "Wonderful"
- "Father of Mine" (remix)
- "I'm On Your Time"
[edit] Charts
[edit] Peak positions
[edit] Year-end charts
| Chart (2000) |
Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] |
54 |
[edit] References
