Better Now (Collective Soul song)

"Better Now"
Single by Collective Soul
from the album Cursed: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Youth
B-side	"General Attitude" [1]
Released	January 24, 2005 (2005-01-24)
Length	3:14
Label	El
Songwriters	Ed Roland, Dexter Green
Producers	Ed Roland, Dexter Green
Collective Soul singles chronology
"Counting the Days" (2004) "Better Now" (2005) "How Do You Love" (2005)

"Better Now" is a song by American alternative rock band Collective Soul, released as the second single off their sixth studio album, Youth (2004), on January 24, 2005. It was written by singer-guitarist Ed Roland and producer Dexter Green. The coda features a saxophone solo. In concert, this is replaced with a guitar solo. The radio edit version also includes a guitar solo. ^[2] "Better Now" failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 but peaked at number 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and entered the top 10 on the Adult Top 40 and Triple-A rankings.

Composition

During a live Collective Soul performance at The Cabot in Beverly, Massachusetts, on August 19, 2023, Ed Roland said that "Better Now" is "...the best damn divorce song ever. And honestly, I'll lay this down on any divorce song ever on the planet. I will. Because it's positive. It's not negative. It's positive." ^[3] Jason Damas of PopMatters described the song as "a big, energetic pop hook set to a Cars-ish, robotic grind, and is spiked with a colorful layer of horns for color." ^[4]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Canada Hot AC Top 30 ( Radio & Records ) [5]	3
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [6]	17
US Adult Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [7]	10
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [8]	9

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)	Position
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) [9]	23
US Triple-A (Billboard) [10]	39

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	January 24, 2005	Triple-A radio	El	[11]
	February 11, 2005	Hot adult contemporary radio		[12]

In popular culture

• The Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana, uses the song in recent television and radio ads.
• The Kellogg Company used it in an ad for its Special K cereal, "feeling better now" in this instance being used to denote a woman's feeling healthier after going on their "Special K diet." ^[13]
• For the 2008 Canadian election, Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper used the song as his intro music when he entered his party HQ for a victory speech. The song was similarly used in the 2011 Conservative federal election campaign. The song was once again featured heavily by the Conservative Party during the 2015 federal election campaign. ^[14]
• The ending of the film Cursed . It is also featured on the soundtrack to the film. ^{[15] [16]}
• The band performed the song in the Charmed episode "Scry Hard". ^[17]
• The trailer for the 2007 film Wild Hogs features the song. ^[18]

References

1. Better Now (European CD single liner notes). India Records. 2005. 471022-2.
2. "Better Now by Collective Soul - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
3. Collective Soul - Ed talking about divorce (Online video). SammygooGitchiGoo92. August 21, 2023. Event occurs at 0:34. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
4. "Collective Soul: Youth". PopMatters. January 16, 2005. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
5. "R&R Canada Hot AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records . June 24, 2005. p. 66. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
6. "Collective Soul Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
7. "Collective Soul Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
8. "Collective Soul Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
9. "2005 The Year in Music & Touring: Hot Adult Top 40 Songs". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 52. December 24, 2005. p. YE-76.
10. "2005 The Year in Charts: Top Triple-A Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor . Vol. 13, no. 50. December 16, 2005. p. 57.
11. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1590. January 21, 2005. p. 23.
12. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1593. February 11, 2005. p. 27.
13. North Star Media (December 4, 2013), Collective Soul - Better Now (Special K Advertising Placement), archived from the original on December 19, 2021, retrieved November 23, 2018
14. "Synthpop, hip-hop, 'dude rock': Canadian campaign songs, for better or worse | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
15. Robert Hiltz, Orchestrating an election: Music sets tone on campaign trail ^{[ permanent dead link ]}, Ottawa Citizen , April 19, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
16. "Various - Cursed Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Discogs. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
17. "Music from Charmed (1998) S7E17". Tunefind. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
18. "Trailer Music: Wild Hogs (2007)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved November 23, 2018.

External links

• "Better Now" music video on YouTube