18 and Life

{{For|the Canadian television series with a similar name|18 to Life}}

{{Infobox song

| name = 18 and Life

| cover = Skid Row 18 and Life.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Skid Row

| album = Skid Row

| B-side = Midnight/Tornado

| released = {{start date|1989|6|16}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = *Glam metal{{Cite web|last=McPadden|first=Mike|date= September 25, 2015|title=The Hair Metal 100: Ranking the '80s Greatest Glam Bands—The Final 20!|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/9y8tt7/the-hair-metal-100-part-5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629182417/https://www.vh1.com/news/9y8tt7/the-hair-metal-100-part-5|url-status=live|archive-date=June 29, 2022|access-date=February 27, 2021|website=VH1 News}}

| length = 3:51

| label = Atlantic

| writer = Rachel Bolan, Dave Sabo

| producer = Michael Wagener

| prev_title = Youth Gone Wild

| prev_year = 1989

| next_title = I Remember You

| next_year = 1989

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|Ghd2bkIadG4|"18 and Life"}}}}

}}

"18 and Life" is a song by American heavy metal band Skid Row. It was released in June 1989 as the second single from their self-titled debut album. The power ballad{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/skid-rows-atlantic-years-from-wild-youth-to-burst-bubbles|title=Skid Row's Atlantic years: from wild youth to burst bubbles|first=Neil|last=Jeffries|date=December 8, 2021|website=Louder Sound}} is the band's biggest hit, reaching {{abbr|No.|Number}} 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 13, 1989, when it sold 500,000 copies. The song also charted at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 6 in Canada, and No. 5 in Ireland.

In April 2015, Skid Row released a new version of the song with then-lead vocalist Tony Harnell.{{Cite web|date=April 15, 2015|first=Chad |last=Bowar|title=Skid Row Re-Record '18 and Life' With New Songer Tony Harnell|url=https://loudwire.com/skid-row-18-and-life-new-vocalist-tony-harnell/|access-date=August 7, 2021|website=Loudwire|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=April 14, 2015|title=Skid Row's Re-Recording of "18 and Life" is the Dumbest Thing Since Sebastian Bach|url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2015/04/14/skid-rows-re-recording-18-life-dumbest-thing-since-sebastian-bach/|access-date=August 7, 2021|website=MetalSucks|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=April 13, 2015|title=Skid Row Records New Version of '18 And Life' With Tony Harnell|url=https://search.blabbermouth.net/news/skid-row-re-records-18-and-life-with-tony-harnell/|access-date=August 7, 2021|website=Blabbermouth.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210807155402/https://search.blabbermouth.net/news/skid-row-re-records-18-and-life-with-tony-harnell/|archive-date=2021-08-07}}

Theme

The title of the song alludes to its subject, 18-year-old Ricky, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment for the murder of another teen.Wilbur R. Miller, The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia (2012), p. 1172. The song paints Ricky's youth as his undoing. It was believed for a long time that guitarist Dave Sabo got the idea from a newspaper article about an 18-year-old named Ricky who was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his friend with a gun that, due to alcohol, he most likely guessed was not loaded. However, in an interview with the Professor of Rock,{{Cite AV media |title=Haunting 80s Murder Song Was Censored by MTV..Still Scaled the Top of the Charts |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV616FvWFys |date=2022-09-06 |last=Reader |first=Adam |type=Podcast interview |language=en |publisher=Professor of Rock |series=Revelations |via=YouTube |others=Dave "The Snake" Sabo (interviewee) |time=06:34-08:15}} Sabo states that the original inspiration was his brother Rick's life after coming home from Vietnam. The writing process eventually led the song to being about an accidental murder. The music video also alludes to this.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media described single as "a dramatic hard rock ballad complete with raw vocals and spicy guitars" and left a verdict: "Powerful stuff."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-11-04.pdf#page=13|title=Previews: Singles: Skid Row – "18 and Life"|magazine=Music & Media|date=4 November 1989|page=24|volume=6|issue=44|location=Amsterdam|publisher=European Music Report BV|access-date=1 May 2025|via=World Radio History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121122408/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-11-04.pdf#page=13|archive-date=21 January 2025}}

Charts

=Weekly charts=

Chart (1989–1990) !Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{single chart\|Canadatopsingles\|6\|chartid=6585\|rowheader=true\|access-date=July 20, 2022}}
scope="row"\|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine\|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles\|magazine=Music & Media\|volume=7\|issue=7\|page=V\|date=February 17, 1990}} \|30
{{single chart\|Ireland2\|5\|song=18 and Life\|rowheader=true\|access-date=July 20, 2022}}
{{single chart\|New Zealand\|50\|artist=Skid Row\|song=18 and Life\|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart\|Sweden\|17\|artist=Skid Row\|song=18 and Life\|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart\|UK\|12\|date=19900210\|rowheader=true\|access-date=August 23, 2020}}
{{single chart\|Billboardhot100\|4\|artist=Skid Row\|rowheader=true\|access-date=August 23, 2020}}
{{single chart\|Billboardmainstreamrock\|11\|artist=Skid Row\|rowheader=true\|access-date=August 23, 2020}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

Chart (1989)

!Position

scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6684&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6684.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6684|title=Top Singles Singles of '89|magazine=RPM|via=Library and Archives Canada|date=December 23, 1999|access-date=November 22, 2017}}

|80

scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|title=1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles|magazine=Billboard|volume=101|issue=51|page=Y-22|date=December 23, 1989}}{{cite web|url=http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/1989|title=Billboard Top 100 – 1989|access-date=October 3, 2016}}

|61

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Skid Row|title=18 and Life|award=Gold|relyear=1989|certyear=1989|access-date=July 20, 2022|refname="riaa"}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"\|Region !scope="col"\|Date !scope="col"\|Format(s) !scope="col"\|Label(s) !scope="col"\|{{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row"\|United States \|June 16, 1989 \|{{hlist\|7-inch vinyl\|cassette}} \|rowspan="3"\|Atlantic \|
scope="row"\|Japan \|July 10, 1989 \|Mini-CD \|{{cite web\|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/92521/products/4324/1/\|title=エイティーン・アンド・ライフ {{!}} スキッド・ロウ\|trans-title=Eighteen and Life {{!}} Skid Row\|publisher=Oricon\|language=ja\|access-date=September 4, 2023}}
scope="row"\|United Kingdom \|January 22, 1990 \|{{hlist\|7-inch vinyl\|12-inch vinyl\|CD}} \|{{cite magazine\|title=New Singles\|magazine=Music Week\|page=57\|date=January 20, 1990}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row"|United States

|June 16, 1989

|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|cassette}}

|rowspan="3"|Atlantic

scope="row"|Japan

|July 10, 1989

|Mini-CD

|{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/92521/products/4324/1/|title=エイティーン・アンド・ライフ {{!}} スキッド・ロウ|trans-title=Eighteen and Life {{!}} Skid Row|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=September 4, 2023}}

scope="row"|United Kingdom

|January 22, 1990

|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD}}

|{{cite magazine|title=New Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=57|date=January 20, 1990}}