"Kryptonite" is a song by the American rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....

. It was originally released as a demo for local play by 97.9 WCPR-FM

WCPR-FM

WCPR-FM is a radio station licensed to Wiggins, Mississippi, and its transmitter is located in Saucier, Mississippi, on a 466-foot tower at 50,000 watts of power. WCPR plays all new rock alternative and some active rock from the 1980s and 1990s but mostly new rock...

 in Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....

.

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.

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."

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 best known song to this day, and many fans consider it to be their signature song

Signature song

A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

. The song plays during the freestyle of Superman monster truck at Monster Jam

Monster Jam

Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world...

 events.

In September 2009 "Kryptonite

Kryptonite

Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...

" was included on the setlist for the music video game Guitar Hero 5

Guitar Hero 5

Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...

. Users on the Guitar Hero website have voted the song as the most popular from the game's main setlist. It was also released at Downloadable Content for "Rock Band

Rock Band

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

".

Music video

Directed by Dean Karr

Dean Karr

Dean Karr is an American photographer and music video, commercial, and film director.-Official biography:Director/Photographer Dean Karr's signature style, often copied but never...

, the music video

Music 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...

 presents an old man who was either a big time action hero on TV, or possibly a real hero in his heyday (it is never specified). 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

Villain

A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...

 and failing to protect himself against a group of goth

Goth subculture

The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...

s, the band is shown playing in a club with several other elderly people dressed as caricature

Caricature

A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...

s 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.

Track listing

U.S. version

1. "Kryptonite" (Top 40 Edit) - 3:44
2. "Kryptonite" (Album 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

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" (Album 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

Peak positions

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	8
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	6
Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative Chart	1
German Singles Chart	85
Netherlands Singles Chart	21
New Zealand Singles Chart	13
UK Rock Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40	4
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	15