The Modern Age

Brad Arnold often felt his mind drifting away from the blackboard during his high school algebra class. But instead of letting himself daydream, the future lead singer of 3 Doors Down turned his attention to writing songs.
It was during one such session that Arnold penned "Kryptonite," this issue's No. 7 on Modern Rock Tracks and the first single off the band's debut Republic/Universal album, "The Better Life." "The song took maybe 15 or 20 minutes to write. Usually by the time I actually write the lyrics down on a piece of paper, I already have the thoughts pretty clear in my mind," he says.
Arnold relates that "all 3 Doors Down songs tell a story, and every song on the record has a meaning to me. It's not to take away from the other parts of the song, but lyrics are what people sing and what people identify with."
" "Kryptonite' is about someone being put up on a platform. They're asking, "If I fell down, would you still be there?' This song takes a step back to a little earlier time," he says. "It's got that kind of swingy beat but has nothing like big power chords."
When the Biloxi, Miss.-based group is performing the song live, Arnold says, he always lets the crowd sing during the slow part of the song. "I get chill-bones every night. That's one of the best feelings. And I had goose bumps on top of goose bumps when I first heard it on the radio at home. The farther away from home that I hear it, the better it feels."
Although the single's success has earned 3 Doors Down comparisons with Creed and Candlebox, Arnold stresses that "we're just a straight-up rock'n'roll band. It's something we all really wanted to do, and I can't think of another thing on the face of the planet that I would rather be doing."