| The Young and the Hopeless | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | February–May 2002 | |||
| Studio | Barefoot (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | Pop punk | |||
| Length | 45:52 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Eric Valentine | |||
| Good Charlotte chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Young and the Hopeless | ||||
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The Young and the Hopeless is the second studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte, released on October 1, 2002 by Epic and Daylight Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album (2000), the band met producer Eric Valentine and engaged him for their next album. Sessions took place at Barefoot Studios in Los Angeles, California and lasted from February to May 2002; Josh Freese of the Vandals served as a session drummer. Almost all of the songs on it were written by brothers Benji and Joel Madden; two of the tracks were co-written with Valentine and Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann. Before the album was released, Chris Wilson joined them as a permanent drummer, having been introduced to them in mid-2002. The Young and the Hopeless is a pop punk album that recalls the work of Blink-182, Green Day, and MxPx.
"Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" served as the lead single to The Young and the Hopeless, released in August 2002. The album was promoted with a support slot for No Doubt before the group embarked on their own headlining tour of the United States, with subsequent shows in Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the following months. "The Anthem" was released as the second single in February 2003 prior to the band co-headlining the Honda Civic Tour with New Found Glory between April and June 2003. A month after that trek concluded, "Girls & Boys" was released as the third single. From September to November 2003, the band embarked on a headlining US arena tour; coinciding with this, "Hold On" was first released to alternative rock radio in September 2003, and later released as a joint single with "The Young & the Hopeless" in January 2004.
The Young and the Hopeless received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who made comments about the songs' clichéd lyrics. Despite the mixed critical reception, the album was a major commercial success, being certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three of the album's singles—"Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", "The Anthem", and "Girls & Boys"—crossed over from modern rock radio to pop radio. Outside the US, the album charted within the top 20 in New Zealand, Sweden, Australia, the UK, and Austria, and reached lower positions in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), as well as two times platinum by Music Canada (MC). The album and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" were nominated for several awards, with the latter winning the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. The album appeared on best-of lists by Rock Sound and Rolling Stone, and earned the Classic Album Award at the Alternative Press Music Awards.