Santa Monica

"Santa Monica" (subtitled "Watch the World Die" in Europe) is a song by American rock band Everclear, from their 1995 album Sparkle and Fade. The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis. Though it was not commercially released as a single in the United States, American radio stations played "Santa Monica" enough for it to reach number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and top the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three weeks in 1996. It became a top-40 hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; it is the band's highest-charting single in Australia. Background and content In an October 2003 interview with Songfacts, Alexakis explained the song: When Alexakis was a teenager, his girlfriend committed suicide; shortly thereafter, Alexakis attempted the same by jumping off the Santa Monica Pier in southern California. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel Communications. Track listings