Kryptonite (3 Doors Down song)

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This article is about the song by 3 Doors Down. For the song by the Purple Ribbon All-Stars, see Kryptonite (I'm on It).
"Kryptonite"
Song

"Kryptonite" is a song by the American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was originally released as a demo for local play by 97.9 WCPR-FM in Biloxi, Mississippi.[2] It charted well internationally and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was also featured in the music video game Guitar Hero 5 and Rock Band Unplugged.

Composition and inspiration

The song was written by drummer/vocalist Brad Arnold in a mathematics class when he was fifteen and was one of the first songs he ever wrote.[3]

In terms of the song's meaning, Arnold has said:

"That song seems like it's really just kind of like asking a question. Its question is kind of a strange one. It's not just asking, “If I fall down, will you be there for me?” Because it's easy to be there for someone when they're down. But it's not always easy to be there for somebody when they're doing good. And that's the question it's asking. It's like, “If I go crazy, will you still call me Superman?” It's asking, “If I'm down, will you still be there for me?” But at the same time, “If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?” That's kind of asking, “If I'm doing good, will you be there for me? Will you not be jealous of me?” That's the basic question that song's asking, and maybe throughout the years of singing that song, I might have come up with more meanings for it than it actually might have originally had."[3]

Music video

Directed by Dean Karr, the music video presents an old man who was a big-time action hero on 1950s TV. The scene cuts between the band hanging around on the roof of the apartments where the old man lives, spying on a man harassing a woman. When the man drags her away, the old man dons his trusty suit and follows. In between shots of the old hero chasing the bad guy and failing to protect himself against a group of goths, the band is shown playing in a club with several other elderly people dressed as caricatures of comic villains. The video comes to a close when the old man dives through the skylight and catches the bad guy off guard, possibly knocking him out by falling on top of him. The video ends with the old man smiling, giving a thumbs up to the camera.

Release and reception

After the song's release, it began to garner significant radio play. This allowed it to reach its high position in the charts and give 3 Doors Down their breakthrough hit. As a result of the popularity of the single, along with the fame of the other less known singles, The Better Life went on to sell over six million copies. The song still remains 3 Doors Down's most well known song to this day, and many fans consider it to be their signature song. The song plays during the freestyle of Superman monster truck at Monster Jam events. The song first charted on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart hitting number one for 9 weeks, then it hit the Modern Rock Tracks also hitting number one at an outstanding 11 weeks being one of the longest-running songs on the chart. It also hit number one on the Pop Songs chart for 5 non-consecutive weeks, it hit number 4 on the Adult Top 40 chart and hit number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart being the band's highest-charting single there.

Track listing

U.S. version
  1. "Kryptonite" (Top 40 Edit) – 3:44
  2. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:54
U.S. version enhanced
  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" (Previously unreleased) – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (Video) – 3:53
UK version
  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Smack" (LP version) – 2:30
AUS version enhanced
  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (Video) – 3:53
German version
  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Life of My Own" (Live from Atlanta) – 4:36
  4. "Kryptonite" (Acoustic)
Dutch version enhanced
  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (Video) – 3:53

Charts

Preceded by Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single
April 8, 2000 – June 3, 2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single
May 20, 2000 – July 29, 2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one single
September 30, 2000 – October 21, 2000
November 4, 2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative 30 number-one single
May 8, 2000 – June 5, 2000
June 26, 2000 – July 24, 2000 		Succeeded by

See also

References

  1. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - 3 Doors Down Gold & Platinum Singles, riaa.com, accessed July 3, 2009
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), p. 633.
  3. ^ a b "Brad Arnold from 3 Doors Down : Songwriter Interviews". songfacts.com.
  4. ^ "3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  5. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "3 Doors Down – Kryptonite" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  7. ^ "3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". Top 40 Singles.
  8. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

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