"Santa Monica" | ||||
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Single by Everclear | ||||
from the album Sparkle and Fade | ||||
B-side | "Heroin Girl" (live) | |||
Released | December 5, 1995 (radio) | |||
Genre | Grunge [1] | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Art Alexakis | |||
Everclear singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Santa Monica" on YouTube |
"Santa Monica" (subtitled "Watch the World Die" in Europe) is a song by American rock band Everclear, from their 1995 album Sparkle and Fade . The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis. Though it was not commercially released as a single in the United States, radio stations played "Santa Monica" enough for it to reach number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number one the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for three weeks in 1996. It became a top-40 hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; it is the band's highest-charting single in Australia.
In an October 2003 interview with Songfacts, Alexakis explained the song:
I'm using a place where I grew up and palm trees as iconic references. It's what I grew up with. I grew up in a seaside town called Santa Monica, which is like L.A. but on the coast. I've lived in cold places and been in bad relationships, and I think everybody has a place in their mind that is like a safe haven. It's also about getting away from bad times ... the ending of something is also the beginning of something new, whether it's with someone or getting out of a bad job, a bad way of life or an abusive relationship. [2]
When Alexakis was a teenager, his girlfriend committed suicide; shortly thereafter, Alexakis attempted the same by jumping off the Santa Monica Pier in southern California. [3] Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel Communications. [4] [5]
US 7-inch jukebox vinyl [6]
UK limited-edition 7-inch red vinyl single [7]
UK CD1 [8]
UK CD2 [9]
| European maxi-CD single [10]
Dutch maxi-CD single [11]
Australian CD single [12]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Sparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released in 1995. It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr Records. The album produced the singles "Heroin Girl," "Santa Monica," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore." The album's music follows themes like addiction and romance through a loosely defined narrative similar to Art Alexakis' own troubled life when he was in his twenties.
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Sparkle and Fade became a surprise hit thanks to "Santa Monica," a gritty, infectious grunge hit that captured Everclear at their best.
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