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Meant to Live

{{Short description|2003 single by Switchfoot}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox song

| name =

| cover = Meant to Live single cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Switchfoot

| album = The Beautiful Letdown

| released = {{start date|2003|1|27}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Post-grunge{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/list/best-post-grunge-songs/|title=50 Best Post-Grunge Songs|last=Graves|first=Wren|website=Consequence|date=May 20, 2024|access-date=April 1, 2025}}

| length = 3:27

| label = * Columbia

| writer = * Jon Foreman

| producer = John Fields

| prev_title = You Already Take Me There

| prev_year = 2000

| next_title = More Than Fine

| next_year = 2003

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|OXcrEVFZOXs|"Meant to Live"}}}}

}}

"Meant to Live" is a single by alternative rock band Switchfoot. "Meant to Live" was released to radio on January{{nbsp}}27, 2003. The song peaked at number five on the US Modern Rock chart and U.S. Adult Top{{nbsp}}40 chart, number six on U.S. Top{{nbsp}}40 radio, and number{{nbsp}}18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot{{nbsp}}100, becoming the band's first entry to chart and second-highest charting song. On October{{nbsp}}22, 2004, the song was certified gold in the United States by the RIAA.

"Meant to Live" is the first track on the group's 2003 major-label debut album The Beautiful Letdown. The single is generally regarded as the song that helped the band achieve mainstream success.

The song was also featured in the UK version of the soundtrack for the film Spider-Man 2. In 2023, an orchestral version of the song featuring vocals by singer-songwriter Jon Bellion was released under the title "Meant to Live (Jon Bellion Version)" and included on the reissue The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version).

Background

Lyrically, "Meant to Live" was inspired by T. S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men". Singer/writer Jon Foreman has said, "Maybe the kid in the song is me, hoping that I'm meant for more than arguments and failed attempts to fly. Something deep inside of me yearns for the beautiful, the true. I want more than what I've been sold; I want to live life."{{cite web|url=http://christianmusic.about.com/od/trivia/a/aaSFbtsTBL.htm|title=Switchfoot – Behind the Songs – The Beautiful Letdown|author=Kim Jones|work=About.com Entertainment|access-date=July 8, 2006|archive-date=June 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618134227/http://christianmusic.about.com/od/trivia/a/aaSFbtsTBL.htm|url-status=dead}} According to Foreman, this song was also inspired by U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".[http://www.kenphillipsgroup.com/Phillips/sfguitarworld2.htm Ken Phillips Publicity Group – Switchfoot] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021025333/http://www.kenphillipsgroup.com/Phillips/sfguitarworld2.htm |date=October 21, 2007}}

This track refers to C.S. Lewis's novel Out of the Silent Planet with the lyric "Maybe we're bent and broken."

It also refers to John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, in the lyric "Dreaming about Providence and whether mice or men have second tries."

Composition

"Meant to Live" is an alternative rock song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and twenty seconds.{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0046541|title=Switchfoot 'Meant To Live' Sheet Music in B Minor – Download & Print|author=Foreman, Jonathan|author-link=Jon Foreman|work=Musicnotes.com|publisher=Capitol Christian Music Group}} According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Capitol CMG, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a heavy, moderately slow rock tempo of 76 beats per minute. "Meant to Live" is composed in the key of B minor, while Jon Foreman's vocal range spans one octave and three notes, from a low of D3 to a high of G (musical note).

The song has a incensed post-grunge riff driven by heavy guitars.

Critical reception

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that the song "has its cake and eats it too, musically and lyrically speaking{{nbsp}}... [its] sympathetic, idealistic (not preachy) viewpoint, combined with its powerful guitars, make[s] the song successful as both an alternative CCM and [a] modern rock single."{{cite web |author=Maginnis, Heather |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/meant-to-live-mt0005844617|title=Switchfoot Meant to Live – Song Review by Heather Phares|website=AllMusic |date=February 25, 2003}}

Music videos

There were three music videos made for this song. The first video features live performance footage, the second is a concept video depicting the band playing inside a house while the walls and insides are slowly being torn down, showing a resemblance to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, which the "Meant to Live" video has been compared to, and a third video is mixed into clips from Spider-Man 2, and was released exclusively in the UK.

The first two videos featured audio mixed a key higher than the album version.

Awards

In 2005, the song was nominated for a Dove Award for Song of the Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards.[http://christianmusic.about.com/od/doves/a/aa36dovenoms.htm 2005 Dove Awards – 36th Annual Dove Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220045050/http://christianmusic.about.com/od/doves/a/aa36dovenoms.htm |date=December 20, 2007 }} on About.com; Jones, Kim

Track listing

UK CD single

  1. "Meant to Live" (album version)
  2. "On Fire" (live)
  3. "The Beautiful Letdown" (live)
  4. "Meant to Live" (video)

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

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

|+Weekly chart performance for "Meant to Live"

!Chart (2003–2004)

!Peak
position

{{single chart|Australiapandora|52|url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20041019140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20041020-0000/issue760.pdf|urltitle=Issue 760|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen BDS){{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040812024950/http://www.jamshowbiz.com:80/JamMusicCharts/BDS_1.html|title=The Hits Charts (Airplay) : Top 100 singles|access-date=January 12, 2025}}

|15

scope="row"|Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-07-23.pdf|title=R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1565|page=25|date=July 23, 2004|access-date=October 15, 2020}}

|20

scope="row"|Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-04-16.pdf|title=RR Canada Rock Top 30|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1551|page=59|date=April 16, 2004|access-date=October 6, 2019}}

|1

{{single chart|Dutch100|92|artist=Switchfoot|song=Meant to Live|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Scotland|29|date=20040814|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|UK|29|date=20040814|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|18|artist=Switchfoot|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|5|artist=Switchfoot|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardalternativesongs|5|artist=Switchfoot|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|37|artist=Switchfoot|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardpopsongs|6|artist=Switchfoot|rowheader=true|access-date=October 15, 2020}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

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

|+2003 year-end chart performance for "Meant to Live"

!Chart (2003)

!Position

scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Modern Rock Songs|magazine=Airplay Monitor|volume=11|issue=51|page=43|date=December 19, 2003}}

|53

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

|+2004 year-end chart performance for "Meant to Live"

!Chart (2004)

!Position

scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=http://billboardtop100of.com/2004-2/|title=Billboard Top 100 – 2004|website=billboardtop100of.com|access-date=November 6, 2021}}

|51

scope="row"|US Adult Top 40 (Billboard){{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2004/atftitl.jsp|title=Year-End Charts – Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks – 2004|website=Billboard.biz|year=2004|access-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009071806/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2004/atftitl.jsp|archive-date=October 9, 2012}}

|21

scope="row"|US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1BMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA35|title=Year in Music & Touring|magazine=Billboard|volume=116|issue=52|page=YE-75|date=December 25, 2004|access-date=December 19, 2023}}

|18

scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Modern Rock Songs|magazine=Billboard Radio Monitor|volume=12|issue=51|page=29|date=December 17, 2004}}

|29

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Meant to Live"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Switchfoot|title=Meant to Live|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2004|accessdate=September 2, 2021|refname="RIAA"|access-date=February 20, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Release dates and formats for "Meant to Live"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

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

scope="row" rowspan="3"|United States

|January 27, 2003

|Alternative radio

|rowspan="3"|{{hlist|Columbia|RED Ink}}

|align="center"|{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-01-24.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1488|page=30|date=January 24, 2003|access-date=May 19, 2021}}

June 16, 2003

|{{hlist|Mainstream rock|active rock radio}}

|align="center"|{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-06-13.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1508|page=26|date=June 16, 2003|access-date=May 19, 2021}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16771|title=FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock|publisher=Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424132036/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16771|archive-date=April 24, 2013|access-date=October 30, 2016}}

February 2, 2004

|Hot adult contemporary radio

|align="center"|{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-01-30.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1540|page=23|date=January 30, 2004|access-date=June 14, 2021}}

scope="row"|Denmark

|July 12, 2004

|rowspan="3"|CD

|rowspan="3"|Columbia

|align="center"|{{cite web|url=http://130.227.53.55/pdf_katalog/sony_music_dk_28_33.pdf|title=Uge 28+33|trans-title=Week 28+33|publisher=Sony Music Denmark|page=8|language=da|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041123205948/http://130.227.53.55/pdf_katalog/sony_music_dk_28_33.pdf|archive-date=November 23, 2004|access-date=November 12, 2023}}

scope="row"|Australia

|July 26, 2004

|align="center"|{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/issue752.pdf|title=The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 26/07/2004|publisher=ARIA|page=28|date=July 24, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040806140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20040807-0000/issue752.pdf|archive-date=August 6, 2004|access-date=May 19, 2021}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

scope="row"|United Kingdom

|August 2, 2004

|align="center"|{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meant-Live-Switchfoot/dp/B0002GSO9G|title=Meant to Live|publisher=Amazon|access-date=July 2, 2021}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{YouTube|OXcrEVFZOXs|"Meant to Live" Music video}}

{{Switchfoot}}

{{Spider-Man films}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Switchfoot songs

Category:2003 singles

Category:2004 singles

Category:Songs written by Jon Foreman

Category:Songs written by Tim Foreman

Category:Post-grunge songs

Category:2003 songs

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by John Fields (record producer)

Category:Spider-Man (2002 film series)

Category:Songs from Spider-Man films