Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", originally titled "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" is a song written by Benji Madden
, Joel Madden
and Tim Armstrong
, and produced by Eric Valentine
, for Good Charlotte
's second studio album The Young and the Hopeless
. It was released as the first single from the album in late 2002 in the United States and in early 2003 for the worldwide market. Upon its release the single reached a peak position of number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and charted in the top 40 in a number of European countries.
The song has references to a number of celebrities within the lyrics. Johnnie Cochran
, a famous attorney who represented (amongst others) stars such as O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown. He is mentioned in the lines "Well did you know when you're famous you could kill your wife/ and there's no such thing as 25 to life/ as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran". A former mayor of Washington, D.C.
, Marion Barry
– who was convicted on drug charges – is also mentioned in the lyrics: "and did you know if you were caught and you were smokin' crack/ McDonald's wouldn't even wanna take you back/ you could always just run for mayor of D.C."
, a member of the bands Tenacious D
and Trainwreck
; former 'N Sync
singer Chris Kirkpatrick
; and Mike Watt
, the bass player for various bands. All three musicians appear in the courtroom scene - Gass plays the prosecutor while Kirkpatrick plays the witness "Chadwick Merryweather Hardy III". Watt plays the Jury foreman.
The dog questioned in the video is Benji & Joel's dog, Ca$hdogg.
This video premiered in September 2002 on MTV
.
early in the 2004 presidential election
season, but due to political differences with Good Charlotte, Beck was forced to replace the song with an edited version of Rage Against the Machine
's "Killing in the Name
" "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was heard on an episode of the American television show Drake and Josh in 2004, when Drake and Josh turned on the radio in their dune buggy, and the song's chorus was playing. Parody
band Apologetix
produced a version on the song based on the events in Luke Chapter 16 in the Bible
, named "Lifestyles of the Rich & Nameless".
Kanye West
and Pharell Williams later released a parody of the song entitled "Lifestyles of the Broke and Famous"
in 2003
.
Benji Madden
Benji Madden is an American guitarist and backup vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, which he co-founded with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden.-Early life:...
, Joel Madden
Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden is an American singer, record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte.-Early life:...
and Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
, and produced by Eric Valentine
Eric Valentine
Eric Valentine is an American record producer, who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride and has subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, Taking Back Sunday, Nickel Creek, Queens of the Stone Age, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth,...
, for Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
's second studio album The Young and the Hopeless
The Young and the Hopeless
The Young and the Hopeless is the second studio album by Good Charlotte, released on October 1, 2002. It was well received and contained their popular songs "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "The Anthem," and "Girls and Boys." It had sold 3,464,000 copies in the US up to October, 2010.The album...
. It was released as the first single from the album in late 2002 in the United States and in early 2003 for the worldwide market. Upon its release the single reached a peak position of number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and charted in the top 40 in a number of European countries.
Background and writing
The basic concept of the song is the global obsession with fame and the way that celebrities are not appreciative of how fortunate they are.The song has references to a number of celebrities within the lyrics. Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J...
, a famous attorney who represented (amongst others) stars such as O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown. He is mentioned in the lines "Well did you know when you're famous you could kill your wife/ and there's no such thing as 25 to life/ as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran". A former mayor of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Marion Barry
Marion Barry
Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...
– who was convicted on drug charges – is also mentioned in the lyrics: "and did you know if you were caught and you were smokin' crack/ McDonald's wouldn't even wanna take you back/ you could always just run for mayor of D.C."
Music video
The music video features cameo appearances from Kyle GassKyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass , also known as KG or Kage, is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is a member of the bands Tenacious D and Trainwreck. In Tenacious D , Gass plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy...
, a member of the bands Tenacious D
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
and Trainwreck
Trainwreck (band)
Trainwreck is an American rock band, a project of Kyle Gass' alter-ego, "Klip Calhoun". The band is described as being part of Tenacious D's family, in that Gass, Konesky and Spiker all play for Tenacious D. In addition, Jason Reed also played a fundamental role in Tenacious D's 2006-07 Tour...
; former 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
singer Chris Kirkpatrick
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan "Chris" Kirkpatrick is an American singer, dancer, entertainer, and voice actor who is best known as a founding member of the pop group 'N Sync in which he sang counter tenor. He has provided the voice for many kids shows, including the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly Odd...
; and Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, the bass player for various bands. All three musicians appear in the courtroom scene - Gass plays the prosecutor while Kirkpatrick plays the witness "Chadwick Merryweather Hardy III". Watt plays the Jury foreman.
The dog questioned in the video is Benji & Joel's dog, Ca$hdogg.
This video premiered in September 2002 on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Track listing
- "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
- "The Anthem" (Demo Version)
- "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (Live Acoustic Version)
- "Cemetery" (Live Acoustic Version)
Reception
In a largely negative review of The Young and the Hopeless, Sputnik Music called this particular song "the worst choice for a lead single that I have ever seen." The reviewer goes on to write "The terrible lyrics are totally contradictory to Good Charlotte's attitude. As kids, all they wanted to do was "make it" and become famous. And when they have their first taste of success, what do they do? They make a song about how shallow famous people are!". However the reviewer finished on a slightly more positive note by saying "The song's only saving grace is the tempo change in the music during the chorus after the bridge...but they ruin that by going back to the same pace for the last chorus."Charts
| Charts (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
17 |
| Austrian Top 75 | 24 |
| Belgian Top 50 | 37 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 22 |
| German Top 100 | 27 |
| Irish Top 50 | 21 |
| Swedish Top 60 | 14 |
| Swiss Top 100 | 19 |
| UK Top 75 | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Hot 100 Singles Sales The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the... |
22 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
38 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 11 |
Certifications
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
35,000 | Gold |
Use in popular culture
The song has appeared in various aspects of popular culture since its initial release. A version of the song was used as the theme music for the Glenn Beck ProgramGlenn Beck Program
The Glenn Beck Program is an American talk radio show hosted by commentator Glenn Beck on Premiere Radio Networks. Since its inception as a nationally syndicated show in 2002, the program has become one of the highest rated radio programs...
early in the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
season, but due to political differences with Good Charlotte, Beck was forced to replace the song with an edited version of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
's "Killing in the Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
" "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was heard on an episode of the American television show Drake and Josh in 2004, when Drake and Josh turned on the radio in their dune buggy, and the song's chorus was playing. Parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
band Apologetix
ApologetiX
ApologetiX is a Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The band was founded in 1992, and since then, has played in 44 states, released 17 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes 45,000 people. The band is currently composed of J...
produced a version on the song based on the events in Luke Chapter 16 in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, named "Lifestyles of the Rich & Nameless".
Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Pharell Williams later released a parody of the song entitled "Lifestyles of the Broke and Famous"
Awards
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" won the "Viewer's Choice Award" at the MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
in 2003
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
.