The 10 Best 3 Doors Down Songs of All-Time
In 1996, three individuals named Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts, and Todd Harrell came together to form the band called 3 Doors Down. It took the band some time to build up. However, 3 Doors Down managed to break into the mainstream with their debut studio album The Better Life, which became the 11st best-selling studio album in 2000. Since then, the band has released five more studio albums. Furthermore, a seventh studio album is apparently being worked upon, though there is no telling when the finished product will be released to interested individuals. As such, 3 Doors Down are still around even if the band has passed the height of their fame.
10. Be Like That
“Be Like That” was the fourth single from The Better Life. Subject-wise, it is about pursuing one’s dream. However, “Be Like That” has an element of ambiguity to it, thus opening it up to a wider range of interpretations than otherwise possible. Something that made it more interesting than if it had just been more straightforward.
9. Here By Me
“Here By Me” came from 3 Doors Down’s third studio album Seventeen Days, which was named thus because the band had just 17 days off after the end of a tour before they were back in the studio. In any case, the song has a softer, more pop rock-influenced sound than the rest of the band’s music. Even so, it works out very well, seeing as how it is about longing for the return of a lost love.
8. Duck and Run
Another single from The Better Life, “Duck and Run” started out soft but built up strength over time. This made for a wonderful metaphor because of that sense of mounting momentum. After all, “Duck and Run” was supposed to be an inspirational song for people who feel that they are being dragged down by the whole world around them.
7. Here Without You
Unsurprisingly, “Here Without You” is about missing a loved one. A lot of people interpret it as a sad song. However, that isn’t quite the case. After all, even though the singer isn’t with their loved one, they still have the memory of their loved one to soothe them in their sleep. As such, the separation is not as bad as it seems on initial consideration.
6. Loser
“Loser” managed to do quite well. For proof, look no further than the fact that it spent 21 weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks, which was a record for the chart at the time. Unfortunately, “Loser” tends to be overshadowed by its predecessor “Kryptonite.” Something that can be rather amusing considering its name. Regardless, it should be mentioned that the song isn’t very generic in nature. Instead, it was specifically inspired by one of Arnold’s friends who became addicted to cocaine.
5. When I’m Gone
“When I’m Gone” came out in September of 2002. As such, it came out at a time when the United States had already gone to war, with the result that the music video was very much influenced by that fact. Still, “When I’m Gone” was a very versatile song, seeing as how it could be extended to cover every single situation in which loved ones are separated from one another by either time, distance, or some other obstacle. Suffice to say that provides it with a universal appeal.
4. It’s Not My time
As the story goes, “It’s Not My Time” was penned for the remake of The Poseidon Adventure, a well-known disaster movie in which an aging luxury liner is overturned by a tsunami. Something that explains much about why the song is named the way that it is. For whatever reason, the people behind the remake didn’t want it, which is good because “It’s Not My Time” is one of the best tracks off of the band’s self-titled fourth studio album. Its defiance is well-suited for going up against the odds, meaning that it is a surprisingly upbeat song in spite of its sometimes less than encouraging lyrics.
3. Let Me Go
Amusingly, “It’s Not My Time” isn’t the first time that something similar has happened to 3 Doors Down. After all, “Let Me Go” was originally penned for Spider-Man 2 but was turned down, with the result that it also went on to become one of the band’s best songs. Indeed, it is a quintessential 3 Doors Down song in a lot of ways.
2. Away from the Sun
“Away from the Sun” would be the title track from the studio album of the same name. It is a very introspective song, which makes sense because it was inspired by a dark time in Arnold’s life. In fact, it should be mentioned that the title is metaphorical in meaning. It doesn’t mean that the singer is literally away from the sun. Instead, it means that the singer feels as though they are stuck in a hopeless position.
1. Kryptonite
“Kryptonite” gets the top position for being the song that enabled 3 Doors Down to carve out a place for themselves in the music industry. However, it is quite interesting in its own right as well. This is because “Kryptonite” isn’t just asking about whether people are willing to be there for others when the latter are in need. It is also asking whether people are willing to be there for others when the latter are doing quite well, which is a fresh perspective on a topic that gets discussed a lot in art as well as other places.
