Good Charlotte – Good Charlotte, The Young And The Hopeless / Epic 2x Audio CD 2004 / EPC 517553 2

UPC 5099751755326

Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (guitar and keyboards), and Dean Butterworth (drums and percussion).

The band released their self-titled debut album in 2000 to mostly positive reviews. In 2002, they achieved breakthrough success with their second album, The Young and the Hopeless. Featuring the hit singles "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "The Anthem" and "Girls & Boys", The Young and the Hopeless sold 3.5 million copies in the US and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA, for a total of almost 5 million copies sold worldwide. The band followed up with The Chronicles of Life and Death in 2004; a darker album, both musically and lyrically. Backed by the singles "Predictable" and "I Just Wanna Live", The Chronicles of Life and Death continued the band's success, and the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the US alone. In 2007, they released the dance-punk inspired album Good Morning Revival before going back to their pop punk-roots with the album Cardiology in 2010. After a four-year-long hiatus, the band announced its comeback on November 3, 2015. The band released Youth Authority to positive reviews in 2016, and in 2018 they released their latest album, Generation Rx. In addition, they released two compilations: Greatest Remixes in 2008 and Greatest Hits in 2010.

Starting in 2000, the group became a full-time touring act with support slots for Lit, Goldfinger, Sum 41, and Mest. Following a showcase in New York City, the group met with people in the music industry. David Massey, executive vice president of A&R at major label Epic Records, signed the band to the label in May.

Good Charlotte's debut studio album Good Charlotte was released on September 26, 2000 through Epic and Daylight Records. The Japanese edition included "The Click", a cover of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "If You Leave" and a live acoustic version of "The Motivation Proclamation" as bonus tracks. Sales did not meet the label's expectations, and the group were nearly dropped from the label. In October and November, the group went on a US tour with Fenix TX, followed by a US tour with MxPx until the end of the year.

In December, the group appeared at HFSmas, the winter version of HFStival. On March 1, 2001, "Little Things" was released as a single in Australia. The CD version included "The Click" and "Thank You Mom" as B-sides. Despite the lack of success for "Little Things", the group's label allowed them to make another video, which was for "The Motivation Proclamation". It was directed by Webb and features the band members on the ground, waking up one-by-one and starting to perform. Scenes from Undergrads were played on a TV. Between March and May, the group supported MxPx on their headlining US tour. In April, the video for "The Motivation Proclamation" was receiving airplay from video outlets. While on the MxPx tour, the album was consistently selling 3,000 copies per week. As a result, the group wanted to make a live music video. At the end of May, the group performed at HFStival. During their set, a music video was filmed for "Festival Song", directed by Marc Webb. The video ended up being a mini-documentary on the day. Members of Mest, New Found Glory, and Linkin Park appear in the video.

The Young and the Hopeless is the second studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte. Following the release of their self-titled debut album (2000), the band met producer Eric Valentine and engaged him for their next album. Sessions lasted from February to May 2002; Josh Freese of the Vandals served as a session drummer. Almost all of the songs on the album were written by Benji and Joel Madden but two tracks were co-written with Valentine and Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann. Drummer Chris Wilson joined the band, prior to the release of "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" in September.

On October 1, 2002, The Young and the Hopeless was released by Epic and Daylight Records. It was promoted with a support slot for No Doubt before the group embarked on their own headlining US tour, with subsequent shows of Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the following months. "The Anthem" was released as a single in February 2003 prior to the band co-headlining the Honda Civic Tour with New Found Glory between April and June. "Girls & Boys" was released as a single in July. From September to November, the band embarked on a headlining US arena tour, during which they made music videos for "Hold On" and "The Young & the Hopeless", the former was first released to alternative rock radio, and later as a joint single, with "The Young & the Hopeless", in January 2004.

The Young and the Hopeless received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who made comments about the songs' clichéd lyrics. The album was a major commercial success, being certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three of the album's singles—"Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", "The Anthem", and "Girls & Boys"—crossed over from modern rock radio to pop radio. Outside the US, the album charted within the top 20 in New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, the UK, and Austria, and reached lower positions in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), as well as two times platinum by Music Canada (MC). The album and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" were nominated for several awards, with the latter winning the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. The album appeared on best-of lists by Rock Sound and Rolling Stone, and earned the Classic Album Award at the Alternative Press Music Awards.