18 and Life

For the Canadian television series with a similar name, see 18 to 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 power ballad^[2] is the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 13, 1989, when it sold 500,000 copies. The song also charted at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 6 in Canada, and No. 5 in Ireland.

"18 and Life"
Single by Skid Row
from the album Skid Row
B-side	"Midnight/Tornado"
Released	June 16, 1989 (1989-06-16)
Genre	Glam metal[1]
Length	3:51
Label	Atlantic
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 then-lead vocalist Tony Harnell.^[3][4][5]

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.^[6] 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 killing his friend with a gun that, due to alcohol, he most likely guessed was not loaded. However, in an interview with the Professor of Rock,^[7] Sabo states that the original inspiration was his brother Rick's life after coming home from Vietnam. The writing process eventually led the song to being about an accidental murder. The music video also alludes to this.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media described single as "a dramatic hard rock ballad complete with raw vocals and spicy guitars" and left a verdict: "Powerful stuff."^[8]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989–1990) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 30 Ireland (IRMA)[11] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 50 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 17 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 12 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 4 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16] 11

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 80 US Billboard Hot 100[18][19] 61

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[20]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	June 16, 1989	7-inch vinyl cassette	Atlantic	[20]
Japan	July 10, 1989	Mini-CD		[21]
United Kingdom	January 22, 1990	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD		[22]