Not what this old man would call Punk but good anyway... (The Young And The Hopeless - Good Charlotte)

Member Name: SimonCook

Product:	The Young And The Hopeless - Good Charlotte
Date:	19/06/03 (464 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well thought out album, Some good and catchy songs

Disadvantages: Not traditional punk

Coming from the era of Punk as I do, it is strange to see what it has developed into; what is now being branded as Punk is an entirely different sound and is something that is far more positive and less anarchistic than I would ever have imagined. On top of that, rather than the foul-mouthed, anti-establishment work of bands like ?The Sex Pistols?, you have a thought provoking and often a very intelligent rendition of this music.

A perfect example of the new generation of ?Punk? is Good Charlotte.

Their music is far more reachable than traditional Punk music, and for us older rock n roll people, is more akin to the heavier side of The Beatles, or the fast side of Led Zepplin. What is very prevalent in their music is the pain that these young men have suffered, and despite all of this, the powerful and positive message they portray through their music. They are, to a certain extent, anti-establishment, but more because of corruption than just for the sake of being different.

Their music has worldwide appeal, particularly to the 13-25 age group, however even oldies like me can appreciate their music and enjoy it.

The band is made up of five people. Benji and Joel Madden, identical twins are the leaders of the band, drawing on their own troubled childhood to produce cutting edge music. Having lived through an abused childhood, and also being abandoned at the age of sixteen led them down many paths, including a bout of alcoholism ? through thick and thin it is obvious that they have somehow found something positive in all this and with the help of God (From their album it is amazing to see how much God plays a part in their life) they have come through and bettered themselves. Billy Martin is the guitarist and Pault Thomas is the bassist. They also have an extremely shy drummer ? Chris Wilson ? for unknown reason he does not appear on any literature, and even during a concert seems to fade into the background.

Billy and Joel
are the driving force for all the songs on the album; taking moments from their life they have produced some pretty deep and interesting songs ? here are my comments on some of the better songs of the album:

*****A New Begginning*****

A lot of people will skip over this section, but it an interesting cornucopia that introduces the band. It is an instrumental that starts out quietly and then as the rhythm increases begins to get louder ? this may only appeal to the older generation though, as I know my kids skip this one ? they hate me when I play it.

*****The Anthem*****

This is perhaps their most famous song in the USA, but from what I hear was not released as a single in the UK. It immediately sets out the style and angst of the bad as they comment that you don?t have to conform to society, but can be different ? it seems to be a song directed at those people who dare to be different, and get criticized for this. This is a typical sounding song for Good Charlotte (GC) that pulls no surprises and is essentially a fast paced yet lyrical track.

It also has one of the most mis-heard lines of the whole album; many think that part of the song says:

?Another loser Anthem?

whereas it actually says:

?Never lose your Anthem?

*****Lifestlyes of The Rich And Famous*****

Perhaps one of their most popular tunes, this song has a go at ?the rich and famous?. Essentially it is commenting on how society is multi-faceted, and that if you have money you can buy anything. It is very political, and is perhaps aimed more at an American audience, as it comments about a Mayor in the US who was a Heroine addict, but because of his riches was let off ? it also comments about a certain Basketball star who paid for ?Cochran? to get him off a murder charge. It comments on the anger of the youth as they see the abuses of their ?elders? and how this simply isn?t right.

They also make a huge commen
t that many of the rich and famous couldn?t survive on the street ? the twins actually lived on the street for a short time and thus know what they are talking about.

The song is probably musically one of the best; it is fast paced, but has a very melodic melody that is catchy and makes you sing along. The song is fairly heavy, but has an interesting beat that is just about perfect. This was one of the better songs of the album.


*****Wondering*****

Allegedly written about their dog, this is an interesting song that could be read many different ways. Taken literally it comments on how a dog will always be there for you, ready to go for a walk etc. The Dog?s unquestioning love and loyalty almost seems displaced at times especially when an owner doesn?t return this trust. On a different level the song is making a profound statement about love and relationships, and how often the love can be one sided, and while one person will give everything, the other will not.

This is a very deep song if you really listen to it ? it is a mid paced rock song (I consider this type of music rock, or pop-punk, it is not as heavy as grunge rock, but is fast and pleasant). Heavy guitar is fairly prevalent, but as in most of their music, the production quality and the quality of their vocals seems to be very important to the band.



*****The Story Of My Old Man*****

This song is very powerful and emotive. It tells of the day their father left them, and how this affected them. This perhaps appeals to many kids (especially in America) as this is very prevalent. It is a sad statement on life and society. The lyrics are very straightforward, but very profound:

'Monday he woke up and hated life,
Drank until Wednesday and left his wife,
Thursday through Saturday lost everything,
Woke up on Sunday miserable again.'

This shows an immense amount of pain, but also a lot of courage as the twins t
ry and send a message to their audience. The song is perhaps one of the slower ones, and like many of the songs on the album has a very ?singable? tune. This song highlight the talent of the twins as it is a well made and well structured song. It is a combination of soft melodies and harder rock.

*****Girls and Boys*****

This is an interesting and popular song that comments on the way in which ?boys and girls? view relationship. It is interesting to see some young men commenting on how materialistic and shallow society has become, especially where relationships are concerned. They draw from their own personal experiences of their father to almost try and move people away from this materialistic way.

The song itself is very catchy, and probably is the one that most people will dance too. It has a very catchy chorus, and a fast paced, interesting body to the song. I don?t think it is the best song of the album, but it definitely is a fun and popular song.

*****My Bloody Valentine*****

Like most songs on the album this song is deep yet straightforward. It tells a story, but has an underlying message. This song comments about obsessive love and how dangerous this can be ? in this case leading to murder. Again it seems to be talking directly to teenagers and trying to comment that sometimes you have to let go and move on through life.

The song is one of the heavier songs of the album and may not appeal to most; it almost is a ?head-banging? song that is full of energy and passion.

*****Hold On*****

I recently took my daughter?s to a Good Charlotte concert. At one point Joel stood up to the mike and talked about ?suicide? ? he commented that it wasn?t worth it as the sun always rises and things do get better ? he reached out to his fans and told them to ?hang in there? ? I was amazed by this and gained an immense amount of respect for them. After this statement they began to sing the song ?Hold On? r>
The song itself is again directed at the audience ? it comments that if you hold on and continue to work hard, and not get down that things can and will get better. In a similar way to REMs ?Everybody Hurts? it explains that although you feel you are the only one in pain, there are millions of people just like you. This is a very powerful and evocative song.

The song isn?t particularly the best in terms of music; it?s a pretty standard rock song with a good baseline and interesting melodies; what makes it a ?stand-out? song is the content of the lyrics.

*****Riot Girl*****

This song is written for millions of girls that dare to be different. It sings about a girl who is free and is happy with herself despite the fact that she somehow causes trouble around her. Her main lot in life is to have fun and she will do anything to achieve this.

The song is an upbeat rock song that is very fast ? it is one of the harder songs to listen to and doesn?t really have any deep meaning or message aside from ?Live life the way you want to? ? it also comments on the type of girls the band likes!




*****The Young And The Hopeless*****

This song is the title track of the album. It is very fast paced and will probably be one of the favorites of the album. It is an interesting song that comments that be positive about life; although you may think you have sunk to new lows, if you are not positive then life cannot get better ? it also comments that you must do this yourself and not rely on others.

It has a very melodic chorus and generally is a good rock tune.


*****Conclusion*****

To an oldie like me it is very hard to define the type of music the band play. They can be classed as Punk as they are anti-establishment, but they do this in a positive way and as such are not like the traditional Punk band I am used to.

They are a skillful band that produce some very thought provo
king songs ? they are definitely talented, and assuming they have good management and they manage to change and progress, I feel they will be around for a long time.
I particularly like the way they care for their fans, and often go out of their way to thank their fans.

This album is definitely a very good album, and even though I am old I will steal it from my daughter?s occasionally.