"So Called Life" is a single by the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. It was released on November 29, 2021, as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album Explosions. The song was available digitally on music streaming services on December 1, 2021. "So Called Life" was the most played song on rock radio in 2022.
Composition and lyrics "So Called Life" has been described by critics as a grunge and hard rock song. The track runs at 160 BPM and is in the key of D minor, with a duration of three minutes and twenty-six seconds. The song was written by Matt Walst, Brad Walst, Barry Stock, Neil Sanderson and Ted Bruner while Howard Benson handled the production of the song. The song was written around March 2020 and according to bassist Brad Walst, the song was originally supposed to be a "cool kind of party song". Brad Walst spoke about "So Called Life" in an interview with Jave Patterson of Two Doods Reviews explaining about how the song was written.
Music video The music video for "So Called Life" premiered on November 29, 2021, and it was directed by Jon Vulpine. Speaking about the music video, director Jon Vulpine explained how the video came together.
Chart performance "So Called Life" debuted on the Canada Rock chart at number 41 and later peaked at number 7 on the chart. The song also reached the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart at number 1, topping the chart for four consecutive weeks, and on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at number 29. This marks the band's sixteenth number-one song on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, tying the record for the most number-ones with Shinedown. It earned 796,000 streams in the US. It also peaked at number 11 on the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart.
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "So Called Life" Chart (2021–2023) Peakposition Canada Rock (Billboard) 7 Germany Rock Airplay (GfK) 2
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "So Called Life" Chart (2022) Position Canada Active Rock (Mediabase) 3 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) 68 US Rock Airplay (Billboard) 17
Certifications
Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations for "So Called Life" Year Organization Award Result Ref(s) 2022 MTV Video Music Awards Rock Video of the Year 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards Rock Song of the Year
Release history + Release history and formats for "So Called Life" Region Date Format Label Canada November 29, 2021 Contemporary hit radio RCA Various December 1, 2021 Digital download United States December 6, 2021 Active rock Italy January 21, 2022 Contemporary hit radio Sony
References