Wonderful (Everclear song)
| "Wonderful" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Single by Everclear | |||||||
| from the album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile | |||||||
| Released | May 22, 2000 | ||||||
| Format | CD | ||||||
| Recorded | 2000 | ||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge | ||||||
| Length |
4:41 (Album Version) 4:32 (Edit) | ||||||
| Label | Capitol, EMI | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Art Alexakis, Greg Eklund, Craig Montoya | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Art Alexakis, Lars Fox, Neal Avron | ||||||
| |||||||
"Wonderful" is a song by the band Everclear, released as the first single from their 2000 album Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. To date this song remains to be the band's only Top 40 hit on the Hot 100.
Meaning
The song tells the story of a divorce as perceived by a child. Each verse of the song corresponds to a different stage of the divorce. The first verse describes the child hearing their parents fight as they try to block it out, remembering what it was like before their parents began to fight. The second verse describes the child going to school and pretending to their friends that everything is all right at home, despite what is heard in the first verse. The bridge describes the child lashing out at their parents, not wanting to comprehend that their parents have begun to grow apart and date other people.
Music video
The music video follows two children's stories interlaced with the band singing. The children are shown happy initially but as time passes their parents fight and eventually break up. At school the kids act normal, mirroring the song. The video ends with kids jumping and happy while the band plays, sometimes in the middle of the kids. The two kids the video is about are split into two people, with each one going a different directions assumingly toward each divorced parent. The kids leave school with a smile.
Appearances in other media
The song has been featured in several TV series including the Scrubs episode "My Fifteen Minutes", the Cold Case episode Dog Day Afternoons, the Jericho episode "Why We Fight", the Daria episode "Sappy Anniversary", and the episode "Wonderful" from Mysterious Ways. It has also been featured in the movies Pay It Forward, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and Saving Silverman. It is also a track on Now That's What I Call Music! 5.
Track listing
CD Single
- "Wonderful"
- "Father of Mine" (remix)
- "I'm On Your Time"
Charts
Peak positions
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 38 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 12 |
| Canadian RPM Rock Report | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 13 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] | 54 |
References
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.