GOOD CHARLOTTE: The Young and the Hopeless
Guitar Recorded Versions

Note-for-note transcriptions with tab for the huge hits “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” and “The Anthem,” as well as: The Day That I Die • Emotionless • Girls & Boys • Hold On • • Movin' On • My Bloody Valentine • A New Beginning • Riot Girl • Say Anything • The Story of My Old Man • Wondering • The Young & the Hopeless.

GOOD CHARLOTTE

Punk-tinged rockers Good Charlotte got started in suburban Washington, DC, in the town of Waldorf, Maryland, when twin brothers Benji and Joel Madden began getting into music by groups like Minor Threat, the Cure, Rancid, the Dead Milkmen, and the Smiths -- having been turned on by their older brother. Joel's musical turning point was hearing Nirvana, but in their religious household where they weren't allowed to listen to rock music, the twins had to fight over the headphones to listen to bands like Metallica while hiding in the pantry. In 1995 at age 16, Benji picked up the guitar and Joel began singing, and they began after-school jam sessions.

They added Paul Thomas on bass and Billy Martin on guitar and began playing original songs for friends ("We weren't good enough to learn anyone else's songs!" according to Joel.) After high school in 1997, they relocated to Anapolis where they won a local contest, and got a song included on a local music sampler, which attracted the attention of a manager.

Their first break came when the band Lit offered them a chance to open for them on a series of sold-out dates on the East Coast, and in New York in December 1999, a number of labels were there, and by the following May they had signed with Epic. Their first album, Good Charlotte, came out in September of 2000, and the band hit the road for the MXPX tour, the 2001 Warped tour, and a trip to Australia.

Building up a solid fan base along the way, GC then got noticed by MTV, who started playing their videos "Little Things," "Motivation Proclamation," and "Festival Song." Not only that, they gave Benji and Joel their own gig hosting the show "All Things Rock".

Good Charlotte's second album, The Young and the Hopeless, became a smash hit after its release in 2002. Hit singles -- "Lifestyles Of The Rich And The Famous," "The Anthem," "Girls and Boys," "Hold On," and "The Young and the Hopeless" -- have propelled their career in the ensuing months. While they've gone through a succession of drummers, current drummer Chris Wilson appears to have settled in behind the drum kit.

The band's punk-influenced power-chord rock, and their success, have won them an avid following as well as a backlash against them for being "too pop" or "not real punk," to which Joel has responded:

"Those people who shun us just because of what label we're on, or the fact that we've got a video out there that's getting us somewhere, are only limiting themselves, because they aren't keeping an open mind. Besides, no band has ever given us #!*@ for our career path. It's mostly jaded punkers. And if that's the way they're gonna be, I'd rather have someone who doesn't know a thing about punk coming to our shows, 'cause they are the ones who like it for what it is, not what it isn't."