18 and Life

"18 and Life" is a song by American heavy metal band Skid Row. It was released in June 1989 as the second single from their self titled debut album. The song is the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[1] It was named the 60th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[2] It was certified Gold on September 13, 1989, when it sold 500,000 copies.[3] The song also charted at No. 12 on the UK Singles chart.[4]

For the Canadian television series with a similar name, see 18 to Life.
"18 and Life"
Single by Skid Row
from the album Skid Row
ReleasedJune 16, 1989
Recorded1988
GenreGlam metal, hard rock
Length3:51
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Rachel Bolan, Dave Sabo
Producer(s)Michael Wagener
Skid Row singles chronology
"Youth Gone Wild"
(1989)		 "18 and Life"
(1989)		 "I Remember You"
(1989)
Music video
"18 and Life" on YouTube

In April 2015, Skid Row released a new version of the song with current lead vocalist Tony Harnell. It is the only studio recording featuring Tony on lead vocals.

In this new version, the name of the protagonist is changed from “Ricky” to Matthew Fishman.

Theme

The title of the song alludes to its subject, 18-year-old Ricky, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment for the murder of another teen.[5] The song paints Ricky's youth as his undoing. It was believed for a long time that guitarist Dave Sabo got the idea from a newspaper article about an 18-year-old named Ricky who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his friend with a gun he most likely due to alcohol guessed wasn't loaded. However, in an interview with the Professor of Rock, Sabo states that the original inspiration was his brother Rick's life after coming home from Vietnam.[6] The writing process eventually lead the song to being about an accidental murder. The music video also alludes to this. MTV refused to air the video due to that scene.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. "AllMusic Billboard singles". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  2. "spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  3. "RIAA Gold & Platinum database". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  4. "Skid Row The Official Charts Company". Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  5. Wilbur R. Miller, The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: An Encyclopedia (2012), p. 1172.
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDwIGhrs0Q
  7. "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada: Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  8. "Charts.nz – Skid Row – 18 and Life". Top 40 Singles.
  9. "Swedishcharts.com – Skid Row – 18 and Life". Singles Top 100.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  11. "Skid Row Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  12. "Skid Row Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  13. "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  14. "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 101 (51): Y-22. December 23, 1989.
  15. "Billboard Top 100 - 1989". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  16. "American single certifications – Skid Row – 18 and Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 23, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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