The Anthem (Good Charlotte song)

When lead vocalist Joel Madden was 19, he went out to Los Angeles for the first time and met up with producer John Feldmann, and they went surfing together. Feldmann told Joel that a movie was looking for a soundtrack song, and Joel wrote an appropriate one with his brother Benji Madden and Feldmann that turned into "The Anthem". The movie ended up not wanting the song, but it became a charting hit for the band in several countries when they released it. Despite the title, Joel said, "I honestly didn't think 'The Anthem' would even be a big song."{{cite web|url=http://www.alterthepress.com/2012/10/ten-years-on-good-charlotte-young-and.html|title=Ten Years On: Good Charlotte – The Young and the Hopeless|last=Ableson|first=Jon|website=Alter the Press|date=October 1, 2012|access-date=June 13, 2021}}

In 2003, Joel described the lyrics:

{{quote|[It's] a song about not living the way that you're supposed to live. Like I guess that in America everybody kinda looks at, to be successful you gotta go to college, get a job, a house, two cars, a wife and some kids. That's the American Dream or whatever. It's like, well, I could never go to college or whatever. I'm kinda proud of being looked down on because we've made something happen. We didn't have the most opportunities growing up.{{cite web|url=http://sortedmagazine.com/Features.php3?nID=438|title=Meeting the Kids|last=McGrath|first=Ken|website= Sorted|date=2003|access-date=June 13, 2021}}}}

"To us," added guitarist Billy Martin in the same interview, "it's a song saying that whatever goal you have, try and reach it." Composed in the key of D major, "The Anthem" is written in common time with a driving rock tempo.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0095700|title=The Anthem by Good Charlotte – Digital Sheet Music|publisher=Musicnotes|access-date=September 30, 2021}}

American trade magazine Variety ranked "The Anthem" as one of the best emo songs of all time in 2022.{{Cite web|date=October 18, 2020 |title=The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time|url=https://variety.com/lists/best-emo-songs-my-chemical-romance-paramore/|access-date=October 18, 2022 |website=Variety}}

"The Anthem" was serviced to American alternative radio on January 13, 2003, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in late March 2003. The song then crossed over to contemporary hit radio, to which the song was released on March 3, 2003. Appearing as the Billboard Hot 100's "Hot Shot Debut" at number 56 later the same month, "The Anthem" took three more weeks to peak at number 43 on the listing, becoming Good Charlotte's second top-50 hit in the US.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2003-03-29?rank=56|title=The Hot 100: Week of March 29, 2003|magazine=Billboard|date=March 29, 2003|access-date=September 4, 2021}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2003-04-19?rank=43|title=The Hot 100: Week of April 19, 2003|magazine=Billboard|date=March 29, 2003|access-date=September 4, 2021}} The song also charted on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, where it reached number 11 in May 2003. On December 12, 2005, the song received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 500,000 digital copies in the US.

"The Anthem" was released in Australia as a CD single on March 3, 2003. The following week, the song debuted at number 14, its peak, on the ARIA Singles Chart and spent a second week at number 14 in April 2003 before descending the chart, totaling 18 weeks in the top 50. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded the song a gold disc in 2003 for shipping over 35,000 copies in Australia. In New Zealand, the song first appeared on the RIANZ Singles Chart on March 16, 2003, and climbed to number 27 two weeks later, spending seven weeks on the chart. The track was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2003, when it debuted and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart to become Good Charlotte's third top-10 hit in the UK, and it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2024 for sales and streams exceeding 600,000 units. Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached number 28 in Sweden, number 34 in Ireland, and number 52 in Germany.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

US CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=The Anthem|others=Good Charlotte|year=2003|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=Epic Records, Daylight Records|id=34K 79932}}

1. "The Anthem"
2. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"

UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=The Anthem|others=Good Charlotte|year=2003|type=UK CD1 liner and disc notes|publisher=Epic Records, Daylight Records|id=674255 2}}

1. "The Anthem" – 2:55
2. "If You Leave" – 2:43
3. "The Motivation Proclamation" (live acoustic) – 3:42
4. "The Anthem" (video) – 2:55

UK CD2{{cite AV media notes|title=The Anthem|others=Good Charlotte|year=2003|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Epic Records, Daylight Records|id=674255 5}}

1. "The Anthem" – 2:55
2. "Acquiesce" (live on BBC 3) – 3:50
3. "Complicated" – 2:49

{{col-2}}

European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=The Anthem|others=Good Charlotte|year=2003|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Epic Records, Daylight Records|id=EPC 674394 1}}

1. "The Anthem" – 2:55
2. "If You Leave" – 2:43

Australian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=The Anthem|others=Good Charlotte|year=2003|type=Australian CD single liner notes|publisher=Epic Records, Daylight Records|id=673602.2}}

1. "The Anthem" – 2:55
2. "Riot Girl" (acoustic version) – 2:22
3. "The Young and the Hopeless" (acoustic version) – 3:34
4. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (acoustic version) – 3:23

{{col-end}}

Credits are adapted from the UK CD1 liner and disc notes.

Studio

• Recorded at Barefoot Studios (Los Angeles)

Personnel

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• Benji Madden – writing
• Joel Madden – writing
• John Feldmann – writing

{{col-2}}

• Eric Valentine – production, engineering, mixing
• Ken Allardyce – engineering
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2003|access-date=March 12, 2019|refname="aria"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=The Anthem|artist=Good Charlotte|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2003|certyear=2024|id=14778-755-1|access-date=May 3, 2024|refname="bpi"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=The Anthem|artist=Good Charlotte|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2005|access-date=March 12, 2019|refname="riaa"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Good Charlotte}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthem, The}}

Category:2002 songs

Category:2003 singles

Category:Daylight Records singles

Category:Epic Records singles

Category:Good Charlotte songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Eric Valentine

Category:Songs written by Benji Madden

Category:Songs written by Joel Madden