Good Charlotte- the band
Created | Updated Oct 19, 2004
Good Charlotte were formed in 1996 in Waldorf, Maryland, USA by identical twins Benjamin and Joel Madden. They persuaded Billy Martin, who was in a band called Overflow to join them and GC was born. They also got their childhood friend Paul on board for bass. Good Charlotte got their name from the book Charlotte’s Web. Their first album, the self- titled Good Charlotte, got rave reviews in the States, but is not released over in the UK.
The twins' father walked out on Christmas Eve 1993 when the twins were fourteen, sending their family into a tailspin. With no money and no way to support them, the family were evicted from their home.
As if this wasn't enough, school was going downhill for each of the Madden children. Josh (the eldest) was failing, turning to alcohol and drugs to help him through. Sarah (the youngest) was constantly getting taunted and beat up and the twins were failing too, unable to keep their minds off the happy life that could've been. They were going downhill fast.
Since then, their lives have changed dramatically. They're now touring the world, no longer bitter about their past.
The line- up is as follows:
- Joel Madden- vocals
- Benji Madden- vocals and guitar
- Billy Martin- second guitar
- Paul Thomas- bass
- Chris Wilson- drums
Their second album, The Young and the Hopeless spawned five singles- Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Girls and Boys, The Anthem, The Young and the Hopeless and Hold On. It has a much more mature sound to it, with in- depth, painful songs about the twins' past, such as Emotionless (a song of forgiveness to their father), The Story of my Old Man (a song depicting how their father really was and what happened in the week after he left) and Hold On, a song telling their fans not to commit suicide because it’s not worth it.
The unforgettable chorus goes:"Hold on, if you feel like letting go
Hold on, it gets better than you know
Don’t stop searching, you’re one step closer
Don’t stop searching, it’s not over
Hold on.”
“Why did we write this song?” Joel muses. “Because we toured home and we met so many fans wanting to die or run away. It’s not worth it. That’s why.”
Good Charlotte are going from strength to strength. They are on chat shows in the USA, such as the prestigious David Letterman Show, the Conan O’Brien Show and the Jay Leno Show. Unfortunately they have not toured Ireland, although they have toured England, Scotland and Wales.
The Chronicles of Life And Death has been released, this researcher has got her hands on a copy and the concensus: brilliant.
According to Benji Madden: 'Billy did the art, Joel and me wrote the songs, Eric Valentine produced it and Matt Redovich did the piano on The Truth.'
Chronicles is more emotional, more dynamic and shows us how the band has spent two years on the road writing the album and how they've matured, reflected in their music.
Whether you like or hate these dudes, they're gonna be around for ages to come.
