Better Than
"Better Than" is a song by Australian band John Butler Trio from their fourth studio album, Grand National. Produced by John Butler and Mario Caldato Jr., it was released in the United States on 20 February 2007 as an online single, the third single in Australia and the first overseas single from the album.
| "Better Than" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The John Butler Trio | ||||
| from the album Grand National | ||||
| Released | 23 August 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2005–2006 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, roots rock, funk | |||
| Length | 16:11 | |||
| Label | Jarrah/Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Butler | |||
| Producer(s) | John Butler and Mario Caldato Jr. | |||
| The John Butler Trio singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The EP includes two previously unreleased tracks recorded in the Grand National sessions, and a special radio mix version of "Better Than" from US sound man, Chris Lord-Alge. To this day, the radio mix version still receives moderate airplay from adult alternative stations.
The EP debuted at number sixteen in the ARIA Singles Chart on 3 September 2007.[1] "Better Than" was also popular in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2007 being voted at number four[2] and appearing on the compilation CD.
On 31 July 2007 the song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[3]
Music video
An accompanying music video for "Better Than", which utilizes the "Chris Lord-Alge radio mix" has been released on YouTube on 1 August 2007. In this video, members of the John Butler Trio band perform the song while on animated posters and performing on various spots of the streets with various pedestrians and skateboarders going by. Throughout, 2 messages (which reiterate the lyrical content in the song itself) are shown in a style of graffiti saying "The best things in life...aren't things!" and "Art changes people... people change the world."[4]
Track listing
All tracks written by John Butler
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Better Than" | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Recognise Me" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Ain't That Just the Way" | 5:23 |
| 4. | "Better Than (Chris Lord-Alge radio mix)" | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 16:11 | |
Personnel
- The John Butler Trio
- John Butler – vocals, acoustic/amplified 6 string guitar, banjo, harmonica
- Shannon Birchall – double bass, backing vocals
- Michael Barker – drums, congas, shaker, tambourine, cow bells, vibraslap, backing vocals
- Production credits
- John Butler – producer
- Mario Caldato Jr. – producer, engineer, mixing
- Shannon Birchall – co-producer
- Michael Barker – co-producer
- Jarrad Hearman – assistant engineer
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Tom Walker – artwork
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
References
- ^ "Better Than - John Butler Trio". Australian Charts.com. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ "Triple J's Hottest 100". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ Better Than - Official Video Clip on YouTube (uploaded 1 August 2007)
- ^ "The John Butler Trio – Better Than". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "The John Butler Trio – Better Than". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 March 2020.