Better Life
Encyclopedia
"Better Life" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music
artist Keith Urban
. It was released in July 2005 as the fourth single from Urban's 2004 album, Be Here
. It spent six weeks atop Billboard's Hot Country Songs
chart and became Urban's seventh song to top that chart. The song also went to #44 on Billboard's Hot 100.
part set against a distinctive drum
pattern. The message of an optimistic future prevailing over current struggles pervades the lyrics, summarized by the chorus. Urban's electric guitar
playing further decorates the song, especially in its outro.
for "Better Life" portrayed Urban and his band playing the song in a Los Angeles
culvert, intercut with scenes of a struggling young pair of lovers having their ups and downs, and finally ending up in the culvert to watch Urban. In April 2006 Urban won the CMT Music Awards
Video of the Year for it. Urban closed that awards show with a live performance of the song, featuring a long interpolation of Bruce Springsteen
's "The Rising" and backing vocals from a large choir
consisting of displaced persons from the previous summer's Hurricane Katrina
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
. It was released in July 2005 as the fourth single from Urban's 2004 album, Be Here
Be Here
- Album :- Singles :- Certifications :- References :...
. It spent six weeks atop Billboard's Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart and became Urban's seventh song to top that chart. The song also went to #44 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Content
The mid-to-uptempo song is driven by a chugging banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
part set against a distinctive drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
pattern. The message of an optimistic future prevailing over current struggles pervades the lyrics, summarized by the chorus. Urban's electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
playing further decorates the song, especially in its outro.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Better Life" portrayed Urban and his band playing the song in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
culvert, intercut with scenes of a struggling young pair of lovers having their ups and downs, and finally ending up in the culvert to watch Urban. In April 2006 Urban won the CMT Music Awards
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
Video of the Year for it. Urban closed that awards show with a live performance of the song, featuring a long interpolation of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "The Rising" and backing vocals from a large choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
consisting of displaced persons from the previous summer's Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Chart performance
"Better Life" debuted at number 43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of July 30, 2005.| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
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