Better Life
{{About|the Keith Urban song|the album by 3 Doors Down|The Better Life}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Better Life
| cover = Keith Urban - Better Life.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Keith Urban
| album = Be Here
| released = 25 July 2005
| recorded = 2004
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Country|bluegrass}}
| length = 4:42 (album version)
3:49 (radio edit)
| label = Capitol Nashville
| writer = {{hlist|Richard Marx|Keith Urban}}
| producer = {{hlist|Dann Huff|Keith Urban}}
| prev_title = Making Memories of Us
| prev_year = 2005
| next_title = Tonight I Wanna Cry
| next_year = 2005
}}
"Better Life" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released on 25 July 2005 as the fourth single from his 2004 album Be Here. The song became Urban's seventh number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and spent six weeks at that position. It also peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. Urban wrote this song with Richard Marx.
Content
The mid-to-uptempo song is driven by a chugging banjo 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.
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Better Life" was directed by Chris Hicky. It shows Urban and his band performing the song in a Los Angeles culvert (filmed at the Los Angeles River bridge, where several music videos across many different music genres have been filmed at), 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 perform. In April 2006, Urban won the CMT Music Awards Video of the Year for the video. 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.
Chart performance
"Better Life" debuted at number 43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of 30 July 2005.
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (2005) !align="center"|Peak |
| align="left"|Canada Country (Radio & Records){{cite web |title=Canada Country Top 30 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2005/RR-2005-10-21.pdf |website=Radio & Records |access-date=30 December 2019 |page=46 |date=21 October 2005}}
|align="center"|1 |
| {{singlechart|Billboardhot100|44|artist=Keith Urban|artistid=241828|accessdate=April 10, 2011}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|1|artist=Keith Urban|artistid=241828|accessdate=April 10, 2011}} |
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| scope="col"|Chart (2005)
!scope="col"|Position |
|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard){{Cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2005/hot-country-songs| title=Best of 2005: Country Songs | magazine=Billboard | publisher=Prometheus Global Media | date=2005| access-date=June 16, 2012}}
| align="center" | 29 |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Keith Urban|title=Better Life|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2005|certyear=2019|accessdate=August 24, 2019}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Keith Urban singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Music videos directed by Chris Hicky
Category:Song recordings produced by Dann Huff
Category:Songs written by Richard Marx