"Welcome to My Life" is a song by Canadian rock band

Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1999. The band's lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm guit ...

. "Welcome to My Life" was released to radio on September 14, 2004, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, '' Still Not Getting Any...'' (2004). It peaked at number 40 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number seven in Australia, and number five in New Zealand. The song is certified gold in the US and platinum in Australia.

Content and music video

The song's intention is to express

teenage Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

angst Angst is fear or anxiety ('' anguish'' is its Latinate equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity. Etymology The word ...

about life becoming so frustrating that no one can understand how awful it is for them. In the music video, a traffic jam is seen and scenes are shown in which passengers deal with

dysfunctional families A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes even all of the above on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such ...

and how the families' dysfunction affects their lives. At the end of the video, a few of the people in the traffic jam get out of their cars and begin to walk down the road. The video received some criticism for being similar to R.E.M.'s "

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ...

". It was shot at the

Henry Ford Bridge The Henry Ford Bridge, also known as the Badger Avenue Bridge, is a bridge located in Los Angeles County, Southern California. It carries the Pacific Harbor Line railroad across the Cerritos Channel to Terminal Island from San Pedro, to serve t ...

and the Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge in

San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

Chart performance

"Welcome to My Life" became another top-40 hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at the number-40 position. It reached the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number seven in the former country and number five in the latter. The song become band's first number one on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record ...

Track listings

UK and European CD single # "Welcome to My Life" # " Addicted" (live) UK 7-inch single :A. "Welcome to My Life" :B. "Worst Day Ever" (live) Australian CD single # "Welcome to My Life" # "Addicted" (live) # "Worst Day Ever" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2004 singles 2004 songs Lava Records singles Rock ballads Simple Plan songs Song recordings produced by Bob Rock Songs about depression Songs about loneliness Songs about suicide Songs written by Chuck Comeau Songs written by Pierre Bouvier