Better Days

Album: Let Love In (2005)
Charted: 36
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about changing the world and making it a better place. The song was released as a single in September 2005, as America was recovering from Hurricane Katrina and dealing with an unpopular war in Iraq. This hopeful song provided reassurance in a troubling time. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jonathan - Houston, TX
  • This was originally commissioned for a Target holiday CD. Instead of the usual rock-style Christmas cover, Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik wrote a new tune inspired by the state of American politics. "Right now, I feel as though there's a huge amount of unfairness going on in this country and it's really starting to annoy me," he told MTV News in 2005. "I know I'm not an authority on it, but I just wanted to speak my piece - I don't know if I'm speaking for anyone else, although that would be nice."

    A few days after it was recorded, someone at CNN heard the track and picked it up as the theme song for the network's coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
  • Let Love In is the band's eighth studio album. Their previous release, Gutterflower, was largely inspired by Rzeznik's divorce and his move to Los Angeles, where he struggled with culture clash. This time around, he wanted to tap into positive energy. "You know, it was a really strange time in my life when we made that record," he said of Gutterflower. "I was really unhappy at the time, but it's like, who cares? I did feel like I was losing sight of what we were supposed to be doing, and now I feel as though I've regained my traction."
  • This was used on the TV shows Cold Case ("Ghost Of My Child" - 2008) and Jericho ("Pilot" - 2006). It was also used in the 2011 movie New Year's Eve.
  • The band collaborated with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres to create a video set to this tune for the hockey team's 2007 pursuit of the Stanley Cup. The clip featured shots of the city and was screened on the HSBC Arena's jumbotron before each playoff game.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."