Kryptonite (3 Doors Down song)

"Kryptonite" is the debut single by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was originally released as a demo for local play by 97.9 WCPR-FM in Biloxi, Mississippi.[2] The song first charted on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, reaching number one for nine weeks, then hit number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for 11 weeks. It also reached number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart for five non-consecutive weeks, number four on the Adult Top 40 chart, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest-charting single on the listing.

"Kryptonite"
Single by 3 Doors Down
from the album The Better Life
ReleasedJanuary 11, 2000
Recorded1999 in New York, New York
Genre
Length3:53
LabelRepublic/Universal
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul Ebersold
3 Doors Down singles chronology
"Kryptonite"
(2000)		 "Loser"
(2000)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Kryptonite" on YouTube

The main chorus of the song were sampled in the 2007 song "Goodnight Goodnight" by band Maroon 5.

Composition and inspiration

The song was written by vocalist/drummer Brad Arnold in a mathematics class when he was fifteen and was one of the first songs he ever wrote.[3]

In terms of the song's meaning, Arnold has said:

"That song seems like it's really just kind of like asking a question. Its question is kind of a strange one. It's not just asking, "If I fall down, will you be there for me?", because it's easy to be there for someone when they're down. But it's not always easy to be there for somebody when they're doing good. And that's the question it's asking. It's like, "If I go crazy, will you still call me Superman?" It's asking, "If I'm down, will you still be there for me?" but at the same time, "If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?" That's kind of asking, "If I'm doing good, will you be there for me? Will you not be jealous of me?" That's the basic question that song's asking, and maybe throughout the years of singing that song, I might have come up with more meanings for it than it actually might have originally had."[3]

Music video

Directed by Dean Karr, the music video presents an old man who was a big-time action hero on 1950s TV. The scene cuts between the band hanging around on the roof of the apartments where the old man lives, spying on a man harassing a woman. When the man drags her away, the old man dons his superhero suit and follows. In between shots of the old hero chasing the bad guy and failing to protect himself against a group of goths, the band is shown playing in a club (the Cowboy Palace Saloon in LA) with several other elderly people dressed as caricatures of comic villains. Several of these people are seen riding a mechanical bull during the final chorus. The video comes to a close when the old man dives through the skylight and catches the bad guy off guard, possibly knocking him out by falling on top of him. The video ends with the old man smiling, giving a thumbs up to the camera, having successfully completed his mission.

Live performances

"Kryptonite" was first performed live in Pascagoula, Mississippi on January 15, 1997. As of April 1, 2019, it has been performed 493 times, making it the most performed song by 3 Doors Down.[4]

In the media

"Kryptonite" has been featured in several television shows, including Roswell, Cold Case, Unsolved and Dancing with the Stars. The song can also be heard in films Corky Romano (2001) and Kick-Ass (2010), and in the video games SingStar Pop (2007), Guitar Hero 5 (2009), and is available as DLC for the Rock Band series.

Track listing

US version

  1. "Kryptonite" (top 40 edit) – 3:44
  2. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:54

US version enhanced

  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" (previously unreleased) – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (video) – 3:53

UK version

  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Smack" (LP version) – 2:30

Australian version enhanced

  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (video) – 3:53

German version

  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Life of My Own" (live from Atlanta) – 4:36
  4. "Kryptonite" (acoustic)

Dutch version enhanced

  1. "Kryptonite" (LP version) – 3:55
  2. "Wasted Me" – 3:11
  3. "Duck and Run" (LP version) – 3:52
  4. "Kryptonite" (video) – 3:53

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Platinum 70,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[27] Gold 45,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[29] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. "Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit From Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. March 28, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), p. 633.
  3. "Brad Arnold from 3 Doors Down : Songwriter Interviews". songfacts.com.
  4. "Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down song statistics". Setlist.fm. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  5. "Australian-charts.com – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7094." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  7. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 7244." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  8. "Offiziellecharts.de – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 43, 2000" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  11. "Charts.nz – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". Top 40 Singles.
  12. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  14. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  15. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  16. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  17. "3 Doors Down Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  18. "End of Year Charts 2000". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  19. "Billboard Top 100 – 2000". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  20. "The Year in Music 2000 – Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. 112 (53): YE-87. December 30, 2000. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  21. "The Year In Music 2000: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 112 (52): 88. December 30, 2000. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  22. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2001". ARIA. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  23. "Billboard Top 100 – 2001". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  24. December 2018 https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/00s/2009/BB-2009-12-19.pdf December 2018 Check |url= value (help). Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  27. "Danish single certifications – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  28. "British single certifications – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  29. "American single certifications – 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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