A Review of the Album "The Chronicles of Life and Death" by American Pop Punk Band Good Charlotte
About The Chronicles of Life and Death and Versions of the Album
Good Charlotte is an American pop and punk band from Maryland that is known for having twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden in the group. Their 2004 studio album called The Chronicles of Life and Death discusses lyrical themes such as birth, life, death, relationships, and even religion. The album has two versions the “life” version and the “death” version each having a different bonus track at the album’s conclusion.
How Does the Album The Chronicles of Life and Death Begin?
The album begins with the track called “Once Upon a Time: The Battle of Life and Death” which has some choir style singing and orchestration. The title track is a very accurate description of what happens when a baby is born and goes into his or her mother’s arms. At the end of life, we will all end up in the same place eventually. As the saying goes, “such is life.” There is life and unfortunately death.
The Chronicles of Life & Death Continued
As the song says “we all end up the same.” The meaning of that we come into this world and we go out the same way which is when we die. It is one of those morbid subjects that few of us want to think about.
Walk Away (Maybe) is a song about happens when we are afraid to face the things that we fear the most. Sometimes we feel like walking away from everything. “S.O.S.” is a song about calling out for help in life when we feel like we are stuck in a no-win situation. However we wonder whether people are listening to us when we call.
When times get really tough for some people, they feel like giving up on themselves. That’s just reacting to outside circumstances which is not advised. Never give up on your life no matter how bleak circumstances may be.
I Just Wanna Live and Ghost of You Are Two More Outstanding Songs In This Album
“I Just Wanna Live” is a catchy rock tune about just wanting to live life the way that we want it but life can get hectic. “Ghost of You” has some pretty good melodic singing and this song about someone that has lost the person that he loves. The only trace of her that he has left at night is just a memory to hold onto.
"S.o.s."
The Chronicles of Life and Death the Songs Predictable & The Truth
"Predictable" is a song about a relationship that is dysfunctional. Some relationships are just filled with lies, excuses, and people that are in the relationship to suit their own needs.
It is like we knew all along that the person that we were dating was predictably deceitful and wanted to use us.
“The Truth” sounds like a passionate ballad song about a man that wants to know the truth of why his lover let him down so many times.
The Chronicles of Life and Death...the Other Songs
“The World Is Black” is a song about the fact that this world is rotting and dying every day. Or is it really? Much of how we view the world is based on our perception. The song “We Believe” is influenced by what the Maddens were watching on CNN. The album ends with the awesome song called “Meet My Maker” which is on the “death” version of the album.
The song is about someone that feels that their life on Earth is just about to end. The person knows that he has made his share of mistakes but he has tried to live the right way. He thinks that he will meet his maker tonight. The Chronicles of Life and Death is a sold pop and punk rock kind of album with powerful vocals and songs that can help many put things in perspective. The strongest songs in this album are many including I Just Wanna Live, Ghost of You, Predictable, and The Truth.
"I Just Wanna Live"
© 2019 Ara Vahanian
