Better Life

"Better Life" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released in July 2005 as the fourth single from Urban's album Be Here. It became his seventh number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and spent six weeks at that position. The song also went to number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Urban and Richard Marx.

Content

The mid-to-uptempo song is driven by a chugging banjo part set against a distinctive drum pattern. The message of an optimistic future prevailing over current struggles pervades the lyrics, summarized by the chorus. Urban's electric guitar playing further decorates the song, especially in its outro.

Music video

The music video for "Better Life" directed by Chris Hicky portrayed Urban and his band playing the song in a Los Angeles culvert, intercut with scenes of a struggling young pair of lovers having their ups and downs, and finally ending up in the culvert to watch Urban. In April 2006 Urban won the CMT Music Awards Video of the Year for it. Urban closed that awards show with a live performance of the song, featuring a long interpolation of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" and backing vocals from a large choir consisting of displaced persons from the previous summer's Hurricane Katrina.

Chart performance

"Better Life" debuted at number 43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of July 30, 2005.

Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[1]	44
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[2]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2005)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[3]	29

Preceded by "Something to Be Proud Of" by Montgomery Gentry	Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single October 22-November 26, 2005	Succeeded by "Come a Little Closer" by Dierks Bentley

References

↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Keith Urban. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
↑ "Keith Urban – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Keith Urban. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
↑ "Best of 2005: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2012.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Keith Urban singles

Keith Urban (1991)	"Only You" "I Never Work on a Sunday" "Arms of Mary" "The River"

Keith Urban (1999)	"It's a Love Thing" "Your Everything" "But for the Grace of God" "Where the Blacktop Ends"

Golden Road	"Somebody Like You" "Raining on Sunday" "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" "You'll Think of Me"

Be Here	"Days Go By" "You're My Better Half" "Making Memories of Us" "Better Life" "Tonight I Wanna Cry"

Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing	"Once in a Lifetime" "Stupid Boy" "I Told You So" "Everybody"

Greatest Hits: 19 Kids	"You Look Good in My Shirt"

Defying Gravity	"Sweet Thing" "Kiss a Girl" "Only You Can Love Me This Way" "'Til Summer Comes Around" "I'm In"

Get Closer	"Put You in a Song" "Without You" "Long Hot Summer" "You Gonna Fly"

Act of Valor: The Album	"For You"

Fuse	"Little Bit of Everything" "Shame" "We Were Us" (with Miranda Lambert) "Cop Car" "Somewhere in My Car" "Raise 'Em Up" (with Eric Church)

Ripcord	"John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" "Break on Me" "Wasted Time" "Blue Ain't Your Color"

Guest singles	"America the Beautiful" "The Twelfth of Never" (with Dolly Parton) "Funky Tonight" (with The John Butler Trio) "In God's Hands" (with Nelly Furtado) "Start a Band" (with Brad Paisley) "Blue Sky" (with Emily West) "Lean on Me" (with Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock)

Related articles	"Highway Don't Care" (with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift)

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