Kryptonite

Kryptonite
3 Doors Down
publication	January 11, 2000
length	3:56
Genre (s)	Alternative rock
Author (s)	Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts, Todd Harrell
Producer (s)	Paul Ebersold
album	The Better Life

Kryptonite ( English for " Kryptonite ") is a song by the American rock band 3 Doors Down . The song is the first single from their debut album The Better Life and was released on January 11, 2000.

content

In Kryptonite , the Lyrical I asks if a trusted person (a close friend or life partner) would be with him in both good times and bad. It itself will always support him and hopes that this is mutual. The text and title allude to the cartoon character Superman , whose greatest weakness is the fictional mineral kryptonite .

“If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there and holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite ”

- Text of the refrain from Kryptonite

production

The song was produced by the American music producer Paul Ebersold. The band members Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts and Todd Harrell acted as authors .

Music video

The music video shot for Kryptonite was directed by US director Dean Karr. It has over 290 million views on YouTube (as of May 2020).

The video shows an old man who used to play an action hero on television, but is now sitting in his apartment in his underwear and watching the old films. Then you see the band playing the song on the roof of the block. Meanwhile, the old man notices how a woman is being harassed and attacked by a man in the stairwell. He then puts on his superhero suit and follows the perpetrator through the city. The old man is caught and beaten up by a group of Goths . In between you can see the band playing the song in a club (the Cowboy Palace Saloon in Los Angeles ) in front of several elderly people who are also disguised as comic heroes. After the brawl, the old man continues his chase, which leads to the club where the band performs. Finally the old man throws himself through the glass roof of the club at the perpetrator and overpowers him.

single

Cover design

The single was released worldwide with various covers. In Germany it was released in two versions, the single cover of the first version showing a white door that is ajar, from which green rays of light penetrate. In the middle of the picture are the black lettering 3 doors down and Kryptonite . The cover of the second version shows a black and white photo of the four band members. The white lettering 3 Doors Down and Kryptonite are at the bottom of the picture .

Track list

Version 1

1. Kryptonite - 3:56
2. Wasted Me - 3:11
3. Life of My Own (Live) - 4:36
4. Kryptonite (Acoustic) - 3:49

Version 2

1. Kryptonite - 3:56
2. Wasted Me - 3:11
3. Duck and Run - 3:52
4. Kryptonite (video) - 3:53

Chart successes

Kryptonite entered the German charts at number 88 on October 30, 2000 and reached the highest position two weeks later at number 85. In total, the song stayed in the top 100 for three weeks. The song was particularly successful in the United States, where it ranked number 3 and stayed in the charts for 53 weeks. Kryptonite celebrated further chart successes in Australia (8th place), New Zealand (13th place) and the Netherlands (21st place).

Chart placements Charts Top ranking Weeks Chart placements  Germany (GfK) 85 (3 weeks) 3  United States (Billboard) 3 (53 weeks) 53

Annual charts Charts (2000) placement Annual charts (2000)  United States (Billboard) 15th

Sales figures and awards

In 2018, Kryptonite was awarded a gold record for more than 250,000 copies sold in Germany . In the United States, the single hit five platinum records in 2020 for over five million sales. The song also got a Silver Record in the UK in 2019 for more than 200,000 units sold. With over 5.5 million certified sales worldwide, it remains the band's most commercially successful song to date.

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	platinum	70,000
Denmark (IFPI)	gold	45,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	250,000
United States (RIAA)	5 × platinum	5,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	200,000
All in all	1 × silver 2 × gold 6 × platinum	5,565,000

At the 2001 Grammy Awards , Kryptonite was nominated for Best Rock Song , but was defeated by Creed's With Arms Wide Open .

Web links

• Lyrics with interpretations on genius.com
• German translation of the lyrics on songtexte.com
• Music video on YouTube

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite - Lyrics. genius.com, accessed on May 17, 2020 . 
2. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite (Official Video). youtube.com, accessed May 17, 2020 . 
3. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite - Singlecover (Version 1). discogs.com, accessed May 17, 2020 . 
4. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite - Singlecover (Version 2). discogs.com, accessed May 17, 2020 . 
5. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite. officialcharts.de, accessed on May 17, 2020 . 
6. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite. hitparade.ch, accessed on May 17, 2020 . 
7. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
8. ↑ Annual charts 2000: DE AT CH UK US
9. ↑ Gold / platinum database. musikindustrie.de, accessed on May 17, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Gold & Platinum 3 Doors Down. riaa.com, accessed May 17, 2020 . 
11. ↑ 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite. bpi.co.uk, accessed May 17, 2020 .