The Better Life

The Better Life is the debut studio album by the American rock band 3 Doors Down, released by Universal Records on February 8, 2000. Three of its four singles—"Kryptonite", "Loser", and "Be Like That"—entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at numbers 3, 55, and 24, respectively. The Better Life has sold over seven million copies worldwide and received septuple platinum certification by the RIAA on February 26, 2020. It is the band's only studio album on which lead singer Brad Arnold played drums. Richard Liles played drums as a touring member from 2000 to 2002. Music videos were made for the album's four singles: "Kryptonite", "Loser", "Duck and Run", and "Be Like That".
In 2025, Lauryn Schaffner of Loudwire named the album the best post-grunge release of 2000.

Background and production

The band was formed in 1996 in Escatawpa, Mississippi as a three-piece composed of Brad Arnold on drums and lead vocals, Matt Roberts on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Todd Harrell on bass guitar. The band's earliest material, the song "Kryptonite", was written by Arnold at the age of 15. Arnold was convinced to be the singer after receiving positive feedback from Harrell's girlfriend, and since none of the remaining members had the vocal ability.
3 Doors Down's first performance was at a celebratory event for a friend and, according to Arnold on the band's official website in 2000, the four songs the band played included "one by Bush, one by Metallica and a couple of originals".
In 1997, 3 Doors Down began recording studio material. Their self-titled demo tape was mixed and mastered by Clyde Holly, and released in Spring of that year. Its recording studio, Holly House Recording, was referred to by Arnold as "a pretty decent little studio", and that it "maybe cost us a couple thousand dollars" for the band to record. The demo's track listing similar to that of a The Better Life, with six of the former's songs being re-recorded for the latter. The demo's final track, "Sarah Yellin' 86", was re-recorded as "Sarah Yellin'" on the band's second album, Away from the Sun. Another demo track, "Man in My Mind", was released as "Something in My Mind" on The Better Lifes 2023 deluxe edition. Two other tracks on the demo were also re-recorded for the latter year's Away from the Sun: Deluxe Edition.
1,000 copies of the demo CD were initially released and took "two years" to sell, after which 1,000 more copies were produced and sold in "ten days" due to the success of the band's song "Kryptonite" playing on the WCPR-FM radio station, according to Arnold.
In 1998, Chris Henderson joined 3 Doors Down as the rhythm guitarist after leaving the band Burning Bridges. When discussing how the band got signed to a record label, Arnold said, "Universal and Atlantic came down and talked to us and we wound up signing with Universal". In 1999, a sampler CD with audio clips of six songs from The Better Life was released by Republic Records to promote the album.
In June 2021, 3 Doors Down announced a tour to celebrate The Better Life's twentieth anniversary. During the tour, the album was played in its entirety alongside songs from the band's other albums. The tour began in late June and ended in mid-October 2021.

Recording

The Better Life was recorded in 1999 at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and mixed at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. Five songs, "Duck and Run," "Not Enough," "Be Like That," "Better Life," and "So I Need You," were recorded after the band had been picked up by Universal Records. Two months were spent writing material for The Better Life.
When talking about songs from the band's demo CD and creating material for The Better Life, Arnold said:

We wanted to use about half the songs off that demo, but we needed to write about half another record.

In March 2021, Arnold said the following about the recording process:

Some songs like Kryptonite, we strived to make it sound very much like the demo version because we got signed on the back of those demoes thanks to our local radio stations in Mississippi from playing those songs so the last thing we want to do is change it.

Reissues

On September 18, 2007, a two-disc reissue of the album, The Better Life: Deluxe Edition, was released and includes audio of a live performance recorded at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Texas on September 18, 2003. The live audio on the 2007 Deluxe Edition reissue is from the Away from the Sun - Live from Houston, Texas DVD, which was released on November 8, 2005. The live audio was also separately released digitally and on streaming services as The Better Life: Rarities Edition in 2010.
On November 4, 2009, 3 Doors Down announced a remastered version of The Better Life on CD and vinyl with new artwork as part of "The Even Better Life Ultimate Fan Pack". The package also included an exclusive band poster, a 3 Doors Down shirt, a digital download of a remastered version of "Kryptonite", and a "Pit Pass" for early access to general admission concerts.
In 2020, a remaster of the album, The Better Life: 20th Anniversary Edition, was released on vinyl, as well as on CD and digitally in 2021; all three versions include the band's eponymous 1997 demo, with the ten songs being listed as the "Escatawpa Sessions." The CD and digital releases of the 20th Anniversary Edition also include acoustic versions of "Kryptonite" and "Be Like That," along with "The Better Life " and the studio recording of "Wasted Me", as bonus tracks.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from album liner notes.
3 Doors Down

Brad Arnold – lead vocals, drums
Matt Roberts – rhythm and lead guitars
Chris Henderson – rhythm and lead guitars
Todd Harrell – bass guitar

Additional musicians

Kevin Paige – keyboards

Production

Paul Ebersold – producer, engineer
Matt Martone – engineer
Toby Wright – mixing at The Record Plant
Mike Butler – mixing assistant
Stephen Marcussen – mastering at A&M Mastering Studios
Andrew Garver – digital editing
Andrew MacNaughtan – photography
Paul R. Brown – art direction, design at Bau-da Design Lab, Inc.

2007 Deluxe Edition

Kevin Lee, Noel Lee – executive producers
Noel Lee, Ryan Williams – mixing
Malcolm Harper – live audio engineer
Assen Stoyanov – second engineer
Phin Daly, Bill Levenson, Tom Mackay – reissue supervisors
Daniel Adair – drums
Gerald McCauley – A&R
Vartan Kurjian – art direction
Meire Murkami – design
Andrew McNaughtan – digipak photography
Douglas Sanders – live photography
Ryan Null – photo coordinator
Ramon Galbert – product manager
Shannon Steckloff – production manager
Recorded September 18, 2003 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Mixed at Studio E and Westlake Recording
Steve Marcussen – mastering at Marcussen Mastering
Ryan Miller – re-recording mixer at Pulse Recording

20th Anniversary Edition

Clyde Holly – mixing and recording at Holly House Recording
Tony Gills – remastering at The Cutting Room
Evren Göknar – "Escatawpa Sessions" demos remastering at Capitol Mastering
Joe Spix – repackage design
Ashley Harris – product manager
Alex Sale – production manager
Josh Graham – art design, layout
Vartan Kurjian – art direction
Kristin Biskup, Mike Ruthig – A&R
Singles
"Kryptonite" – 2000
* Reached No. 3 on the US Hot 100
* Reached No. 1 on the US Modern Rock and US Mainstream Rock
"Loser" – July 29, 2000
* Reached No. 55 on the US Hot 100
* Reached No. 2 on the US Modern Rock
* Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock
"Duck and Run" – 2000
* Reached No. 11 on the US Modern Rock
* Reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock
"Be Like That" – May 20, 2001
* Reached No. 24 on the US Hot 100
* Reached No. 22 on the US Modern Rock
* Reached No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock
Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart	Position
Australian Albums	74
Belgian Albums	47
Canadian Albums	182
US Billboard 200	43

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Appearances

"Duck and Run" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie The Hole in 2001.
A recording of "Be Like That" with alternate lyrics was featured on the soundtrack to the film American Pie 2 in 2001.