| "Real World" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Matchbox Twenty from the album Yourself or Someone Like You |
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| Released | June 23 1998 (US) | ||||
| Format | CD Single / Audio Cassette | ||||
| Recorded | 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative Rock Post-Grunge |
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| Length | 3:51 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic | ||||
| Producer | Matt Serletic | ||||
| Matchbox Twenty singles chronology | |||||
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"Real World" is the fourth single off Matchbox Twenty's debut album, Yourself Or Someone Like You. The song became the group's 1st entry into the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #38 in its release year of 1998. Though the song did not chart well on the U.S. pop charts, it was a major hit on adult contemporary radio stations. The song was written by lead singer Rob Thomas, and details him wondering about what it would be like if he lived in various settings other than the current one, including a superhero and a rainmaker, in addition to being a boss at a job.
Video
The music video, directed by Matthew Rolston, starts with Rob walking through a bowling alley with a camel. It then shows him on a street, where Kyle Cook is on an ice cream truck, but instead of selling ice cream, he unveils what appears to be a raw steak. Next, Rob is doing a news broadcast, with Brian Yale acting as a director. In the meantime, intercut with this is a diner with Paul Doucette dressed as a waitress, eventually discarding the outfit. In the midst of the news broadcast, we see what appears to be a commercial with Adam Gaynor sitting with a family. The video concludes with the camera going back and forth between Rob with the camel and at the news station.
Chart Positions
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 38 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 Tracks | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 17 |
| Austrailan Singles Chart | 40 |
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| Rob Thomas · Kyle Cook · Brian Yale · Paul Doucette Adam Gaynor |
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| Studio albums | Yourself or Someone Like You · Mad Season · More Than You Think You Are |
| Compilation albums | Exile on Mainstream |
| Singles | "Long Day" · "Push" · "3 A.M." · "Real World" · "Back 2 Good" · "Girl Like That" · "Bent" · "If You're Gone" · "Mad Season" · "Angry" · "Last Beautiful Girl" · "Disease" · "Unwell" · "Bright Lights" · "Downfall" · "All I Need" · "How Far We've Come" · "These Hard Times" |


