Like It's Her Birthday

"Like It's Her Birthday"
Single by Good Charlotte
from the album Cardiology
Released	August 24, 2010
Recorded	April 2010
Genre	Dance-punk, pop punk[1]
Length	3:29
Label	Capitol
Writer(s)	Benji Madden, Joel Madden, Don Gilmore
Producer(s)	Don Gilmore
Good Charlotte singles chronology
"Where Would We Be Now" (2008) "Like It's Her Birthday" (2010) "Sex on the Radio" (2010)

"Like It's Her Birthday" is a song by American rock band Good Charlotte from their fifth studio album, Cardiology (2010). It was released as the album's first single on August 24, 2010.^[2]

Written by the band brothers Benji and Joel Madden, with additional writing and full production of Don Gilmore, the song is a pop punk song that talks about having fun with a girlfriend who likes to celebrate every day like it was her birthday.^[2]

The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised it for its catchiness, funny lyrics and danceable content.^[3][4] It was a big success on the ARIA Charts, reaching the top ten.

The band premiered the song live for the first time on May 22 at the 2010 Bamboozle Road Show in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A version featuring Tonight Alive was also released,^[5] though they do not appear in the video version.

The music video was released on September 21, 2010 on YouTube. It alternates between shots of the band performing in a dark room and scenes in a club.^[6]

Background

Guitarist Benji Madden wrote on the band's website that Good Charlotte released the song to show appreciation of their patient fan base: "We always put a song on every record that's there just for fun and this is that song."^[7] He also explained to Alternative Press that it "has a good mix of the old-school sound from our self-titled record from 2000, and the sound we explored on Good Morning Revival in 2007.:^[7] Guitarist Billy Martin discussed his contribution to the song during an interview with Unrescuable Schizo: "I got to do a guitar solo in it. I've been pushing to do some guitar solos for years. I got to do a really cool one on that song so that was definitely a highlight for me. It's a fairly pop song for us. It's still rock, it's very guitar-heavy but it's sort of a real pop melody. By putting a big rock guitar solo in the middle of the song, it gives it a nice edge. I like that fine line between being a rock band and writing pop songs."^[2]

Critical reception

Kevin Barber from Consequence of Sound wrote, "“Like It’s Her Birthday” is a little off-color from what the album is trying to accomplish. It does not shy away from the dance-y, mall-pop type of music that they were trying to avoid, but it is a catchy single that lets the public know that Good Charlotte is back,"^[4] adding, "It will be a guilty pleasure that some will try to ignore, but most will succumb to."^[4] Ian Drew from US Magazine considerate it a "downright danceable fun".^[3] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone said: "Like It's Her Birthday" sets a man's problem ("She said she only had a meeting/But she is dressed for something/Something that is no good") to a bubblegum groove that a 14-year-old could throw a fist to."^[8] Eric Sundermann from Spin gave it a positive review, saying: "The track blends a combination of old and new Good Charlotte: It's a fast paced party song, but rather than "The Anthem"-style distorted electric guitars, the group uses synthesizers to create the upbeat sound."^[9]

Music video

The music video was released on August 27, 2010 on YouTube. It features the band performing inside of a glass cube-like structure in a blacked-out room.^[6] The video also shows the band at a party with a number of attractive women.^[6] Cameo appearances are made by The Maine's John O'Callaghan and Kennedy Brock, Boys Like Girls' Martin Johnson and Paul DiGiovanni, and Mest's Tony Lovato.^[10]

Chart performance

"Like It's Her Birthday" debuted on the ARIA Digital Track Chart at #40 on August 30, 2010^[11] and #17 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart on September 5, 2010.^[12]

Chart positions

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1. ↑ "Good Charlotte – Cardiology album reviews". Sweetlyrics. Retrieved January 10, 2014. 
2. 1 2 3 "Like It's Her Birthday by Good Charlotte – Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
3. 1 2 Ian Drew (October 29, 2010). "Review – Good Charlotte, Cardiology". US Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
4. 1 2 3 Barber, Kevin (October 29, 2010). "Album Review: Good Charlotte – Cardiology <> Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
5. ↑ "Good Charlotte – Like it's her Birthday FEAT: Tonight Alive.". YouTube. November 1, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2012. 
6. 1 2 3 Chris Ryan (September 27, 2010). "New Video: Good Charlotte, 'Like It's Her Birthday'". MTV News. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
7. 1 2 Tim Karan (November 2, 2010). "Track By Track: Good Charlotte". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 10, 2014. 
8. ↑ Jon Dolan (October 29, 2010). "Cardiology by Good Charlotte – Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
9. ↑ Eric Sundermann (August 5, 2010). "LISTEN: Good Charlotte Release New Track". Spin (magazine). Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
10. ↑ Castina (September 27, 2010). "Good Charlotte Premieres "Like It's Her Birthday" Music VIDEO". Pop Crunch. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100917073232/http://ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_digital.asp?chart=1DT40. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2010.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
12. 1 2 "Top 50 Singles Chart – Australian Recording Industry Association". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved September 6, 2010. 
13. ↑ "The Voice". Retrieved November 6, 2010. 
14. ↑ "RIANZ". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Retrieved November 8, 2010. 
15. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
16. ↑ ARIA Australia

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics