Guitarist/vocalist BENJI MADDEN tells the stories behind each song on GOOD CHARLOTTE’s Cardiology.

Intro
This is pretty self-explanatory. It’s just a line from the title track—which comes last on the album—to ease everyone into the record and get it started.

Let The Music Play
The first “real” song on the record, this is in the same spirit as “Hold On” from [2002’s] The Young And The Hopeless. This was inspired by responses to a blog I posted on our website in January explaining about how we decided to restart the album. I had lost a little faith and was feeling down about the music industry in general. The replies to the blog from the GCFAM were so uplifting and encouraging, I wanted to give something back. That’s also why I wanted it to be the first song on the album.

Counting The Days
This song is a love letter to our fans in a way. The GCFAM always stuck by us. After some time away and some thinking for better or for worse, the GCFAM sticks with us through thick and thin. Even if we don’t always agree on everything, Good Charlotte and our fans are for life—and we were counting the days till we could be back with them and bring them new music.

Silver Screen Romance
This song is written about true love—a love each member of the band has with someone or something. It’s about how the ups and downs show the strength of love. The dream is to make it last forever.

Like It’s Her Birthday
Every Good Charlotte album has a couple of tracks on it that are just for fun. This is that song on Cardiology. It has a good mix of the old-school sound from our self-titled record from 2000, and the sound we explored on Good Morning Revival in 2007. We knew this one would be fun to play live.

Last Night
This song is another one of those tracks that’s just for fun. It’s almost like the sequel to “I Don’t Want To Be In Love.”  All the vocals in the chorus will be really fun when we play it live.

Sex On The Radio
This one reminds me of the Cars or Cheap Trick. It’s about all the girls out there who make boys want to start bands and go on tour.

Alive
Probably the most straightforward rock song on Cardiology, “Alive” is a little bit of a new sound for us. On every record, we like to open a new door that we can continue to grow from in the future. This is a song about the realization of true love.

Standing Ovation
Joel [Madden, vocals] and I wrote this one about his son and daughter and our niece. Having families and kids has given our lives new perspectives. This one feels like a more grown-up song that could not have been on our self-titled album. I learned to play guitar by listening to Oasis records, and this is straight out of the Noel Gallagher handbook.

Harlow's Song
When I first heard this song, I got choked up because I’ve seen how much my brother loves his kids firsthand. Originally, Joel wanted this song to be just for his daughter, but I insisted it go on the album. It’s the rawest emotion I’ve seen from him and his songwriting in years, so he agreed. Now it’s my favorite.

Interlude
I did this track just to give the listeners a musical breather and, selfishly, just for fun.

1979
This song was a really important one for me. The Good Charlotte fans know the story of my family from our past albums, but we’ve never been able to tell them about our happier times. This song is that story about my parents, Robin and Roger, who worked really hard to give us a great childhood.

There She Goes
It’s no secret that we’re proud to be from Maryland. This song is the realization that things change, but we’re still the same boys no matter how far we go from home. Our hearts are always there. It’s a love story for Maryland.

Right Where I Belong
To me, God and music go hand in hand. At certain points in my life and my career, I’ve lost my way just like any one of us. No matter what happens or what I experience, God and music are always waiting for me with open arms. This song says just that. This is one that I really hope the GCFAM listen to closely: It’s really personal and special to me.

Cardiology
Is a mystery? alt