Better Than Me (Hinder song)
| "Better Than Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Hinder | ||||
| from the album Extreme Behavior | ||||
| Released | February 6, 2007[1] | |||
| Format | CD | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | Universal Republic | |||
| Writer(s) | Brian Howes and Hinder | |||
| Hinder singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Better Than Me" is the fourth single released from Hinder's debut album, Extreme Behavior. This song was #66 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.[2]
Charts
It debuted at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has peaked at #31, becoming Hinder's second Top 40 hit.
| Chart (2006–07) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[3] | 11 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 16 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4] | 16 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[5] | 70 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
| US Billboard Pop Songs | 14 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs | 37 |
| US Billboard Adult Pop Songs | 10 |
| Chart (End of year chart 2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Top 100 Album | 74[6] |
Video
The music video for the song starts with the band playing in a dark room. Then it goes to scenes of a young couple. The young man later buys Methamphetamine from a dealer in a pickup truck. The next scene is of him looking at pictures of them together. He takes a knife and breaks a light bulb, pours the drugs into it, and puts it onto the stove. We then see his violent, painful reaction to the drugs, including seizures and itching all over his body. The girl walks in, sees the drugs, and confronts him. He becomes violent and begins to throw things at her. The lights of the room the band was in are turned on and it is revealed to be a cathedral. The funeral of the young man seen earlier is in progress, and it is clear that he died from an overdose. The girlfriend rushes forward to his casket and puts an envelope into his hands after being stopped by her best friend.
A contest was held on YouTube challenging aspiring directors to create their own video for the song with the reward being the video being shown on television as well as an unpaid job as an assistant on the set of the official video. Ironically, while the winner was not shown on television, most of the entries involved similar subject matter to the official video, with very few entries not revolving around drug addiction and only a few not ending in suicide by overdose.
Critical reception
Billboard magazine called the single "smaller and less bombastic, but [as] equally infectious" as "Lips of an Angel".[7]
References
- ↑ http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239#2006
- ↑ MTV Asia. "Top 100 Hits List". Retrieved 2007-12-27
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Hinder – Better Than Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Hinder – Better Than Me". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200710 into search.
- ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2007". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ↑ Philipp, Sven (2007-04-07), "Better Than Me". Billboard. 119 (14):38