Young And The Hopeless, The [ECD] - Good Charlotte > Reviews > 'Young', yet far from 'Hopeless'

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	-
Disadvantages:	-

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

With the release of Good Charlotte’s mediocre third album ‘The Chronicles Of Life And Death’ showing the band in a more mature (yet musically weaker) state, memories come flooding back of when they were the most popular band on the planet, releasing albums that went to the top and stayed there. Debuting with ‘Good Charlotte’ in 2000, the band rapidly ascended to the top of the punk-rock ladder, leaving only Green Day as their elders. That early promise however, was nothing compared to the success that their sophomore record ‘The Young And The Hopeless’ would bring them from 2002 onward. Being a largely unknown entity this side of the pond, it took their breakthrough single ‘Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous’ to destroy the mainstream top 40 and let all others know that the next big thing was in town, being latched onto by millions in the process. Their brand of punk-rock is imitated by many, yet rarely with such results - Good Charlotte truly are the fans band, and this is the fans album…….

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Twins Benji and Joel Madden have had far from a comfortable upbringing. Their father walked out on them on Christmas Eve, leaving them to fend for themselves and their mother in a state of emotional distress. It’s these such emotional scars that influenced them to form the band, hence helping their fans through the very same things that they suffered at that age. Call it teen angst, call it ‘fake’ if you will, but Good Charlotte genuinely care about their fans and appreciate that were it not for them, then they’d most likely be in the 9-5 jobs that their songs so profess against. At 25, the twins can still relate to the way the teen world works, whilst doing their best to have their music as an output for their fans to seek solace with, a quality that not many bands can claim to share. Despite being a fan myself, I was able to criticise their ‘new’ album for what it is - a pretty poor effort - but I will go to equal lengths to praise their undoubted success story, ‘The Young And The Hopeless’ as the brilliant record that it is, encapsulating what modern punk-rock is all about.

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The main fact here is that the band don’t pretend to be something they aren’t, they know who they are and they know their fans like that. Their music is honest and to the point and it’s easy to relate to the subject matter and the topic in question, something that other bands (blink 182) cannot do for the listener. Whether it be the cheesy ‘Girls And Boys’, the punky ‘Anthem’, or the downright fun of ‘Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous’, there’s a song to suit all moods. The bands stance on personal subjects, i.e. suicide, is something that they openly talk about, yet it’s the track ’Hold On’ that speaks more than any words could ever do. Having seen loved one’s do such in the past, they know it’s paramount that none of their fans become mixed up in a world of self hate and pain, and that’s where their music does the talking.

Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking you're one step closer
Don't stop searching its not over
Hold on

It’s a song that helped me personally in the past, making me see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and if you tough it out you’ll get there and everything will be fine, a sentiment echoed by other fans throughout the last couple of years. Another of the bands more negative stances, is toward their father. Having left the Madden twins in the lurch on Christmas Eve, the twins seemingly saw him for who he was, anything but a fit father. ‘Emotionless’ is the result of these feelings, encapsulating their feelings through the course of three minutes of pure emotion. Again, it’s a sentiment echoed by fans that have suffered similar heartache at such an age, and a track that will make them see who their father’s really are, enforcing Good Charlotte’s reputation as a true ‘fans band’. Their strengths lye in their lyrics, yet the three chord infusion of racket is an extremely welcome accompaniment to the negative lyrics.

It’s been a long hard road without you by my side
Why weren’t you there all the nights that we cried?
You broke my mother‘s heart, you broke your children for life
It’s not ok but we’re alright

The bands deeper side is accompanied by a side of a playful nature that is all about having fun with their music, hence cheesy chart success anthem ‘Girls And Boys’. The bands biggest chart winner to date talks of how girls only look for the material side of things, and how boys are nothing other than a side note to such. In fairness, there is an amount of truth in that, but the whole concept of the song makes you laugh, whilst listening to it is an absolute riot. Of course, lyrically its not the twins strongest, but in terms of entertainment factor, it’s one of the few times the band actually let their hair down. There’s a Christina/Britney squabble on ‘Riot Girl’ and a pleasant look on death in ‘The Day That I Die’, making for an interesting view of the bands influences. ‘Say Anything’ is another of the bands ‘real’ moments, talking of how loved ones can slowly move apart, of how the adverse effects cause discomfort in both parties to watch it slowly happen, yet neither can do anything about it.

Here I am on the phone again and...
Awkward silence is on the other end
I used to know the sound of a smile in your voice
But right now (right now) all I feel (all I feel)
Is the pain of the fighting starting up again

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If the band continue to follow their new path of musical enlightenment then I fear for their career. Their fans, myself included, accepted this as the bands token sound, not needing to be changed nor to evolve, but for some reason they see fit to attempt to harness their career with a more ‘diverse’ album. ‘The Young & The Hopeless’ will always be the fans album, and at the rate it’s going, it may be the last worthy one we see from Maryland’s finest punk rockers. But with the bands lyrics applying to other subjects, I see this as a chance to quote them as a hope for the future…….

“Hold on, it gets better than you know”……………here’s hoping !

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Track Listing

1. A New Beginning
2. The Anthem
3. Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous
4. Wondering
5. The Story Of My Old Man
6. Girls And Boys
7. My Bloody Valentine
8. Hold On
9. Riot Girl
10. Say Anything
11. The Day That I Die
12. The Young And The Hopeless
13. Emotionless
14. Movin' On

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Thank You