The Untold Truth Of Good Charlotte

Good Charlotte's sophomore album, 2002's "The Young and the Hopeless," was, on the surface, yet another fun pop-punk album in an era where the genre reigned supreme on rock radio. However, it also contained "Hold On," a song that the band wrote in response to the many fans who had told them in their letters that they were considering suicide (via MTV). Benji and Joel Madden called it the "most important song" on the album, with Benji saying that "we want to give [those] fans hope, just to let them know it's never worth taking your own life."

While "Hold On" rightfully got praise for handling the topic of suicide with gravitas, it was followed a few tracks later by "The Day That I Die," which also talked about suicide but in a manner that, to some, seemingly trivialized the topic through its jaunty melody and flippant lyrics. In his review of "The Young and the Hopeless," YouTuber Luke Spencer (aka Rocked Reviews) notably went out of character for over two minutes, angrily calling out Good Charlotte for being "hypocrite(s)" by including two thematically different songs about suicide. This, he opined, was an irresponsible attempt to pander to young and impressionable listeners. Near tears at multiple points of his rant, Spencer further accused the band of having "no regard for what they're singing about ... just so long as they make money." 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

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