"I Hate Everything About You" is the debut single by Canadian rock band Three Days Grace, from their debut self-titled album. The song was released on April 28, 2003.[4] One of the band's signature songs, the song peaked at number one on the Canadian rock chart. The song also peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was the 9th best performing song of the decade on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[5] Despite not being one of their number one hits on either of the two charts, it is the band's longest running song on both the Modern Rock chart at 45 weeks,[6] and the Mainstream Rock chart at 46 weeks.
Written by lead vocalist Adam Gontier and produced by Gavin Brown, the theme of the song deals with love–hate relationships.[7] Gontier said of the track:
The song is pretty blunt you know? It's to the point. It's about realizing there's something in your life you're wasting time on. I think everybody, even in this band and a lot of other people have felt that way before at one point or another in their life. Whether it's a person, a relationship whatever it is, you're just wasting time on it. The song is a realization of that.[8]
Brown and the band created a demo album, which they gave to EMI Music Publishing Canada. The record label wanted to hear more material, and with Brown producing, the band created the song, "I Hate Everything About You", which attracted the interest of several record labels.[7]Jive Records' Michael Tedesco brought the track to Warren Christensen at management company Q Prime, which ultimately led to the group signing with the label. Christensen recalled thinking that the song was "perfect for rock radio."[9]
"I Hate Everything About You" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares of AllMusic called the song, "one of the better alt-metal/modern rock singles in recent memory."[2] She stated, "At first, the song seems almost stupidly simple, both lyrically and musically. However, the controlled fury of the choruses and the ambivalent verses make the song a surprisingly smart and concise anthem for anyone stuck in a baffling relationship."[2] She also added, "I Hate Everything About You's frustrated explosions and passive-aggressive recriminations eerily simulate the trajectory of an ill-fated couple."[2] Dave Doray of IGN praised the guitar licks that complement with Gontier's vocals.[11] Kaj Roth of Melodic called the track, "a typical fave song for many modern rockers."[12] Issy Herring of Distorted Sound called the lyrics, "timelessly relatable," for any Three Days Grace fans who have experienced a toxic relationship at some point in their lives.[13]
The music video for "I Hate Everything About You" was released in July 2003.[14] The video starts zoomed in towards several things, such as a TV producing static, a picture frame, and an ash tray, and then transitions towards Adam Gontier who starts singing. The video shows three teenagers going through a disastrous moment in their lives. One shows a young boy who finds his girlfriend cheating on him in the alleyway, kissing another guy. He is spying on them in his car. The second teenager is a young girl, who just broke up with her boyfriend, and the last is a boy who is being abused by his alcoholic father. Towards the end they are all seen smashing items into a hill. The young boy spying on his cheating girlfriend whips a portrait of a picture of them, smashing it to pieces. The second teenager is seen smashing her notebook of love notes and miscellaneous love items with her ex-boyfriend into the hill. The last boy, who is suffering child abuse, throws his drunken father's alcohol into the hill.
In the video, the word "hit" in "after every hit we take" is censored, due to "hit" being slang for drug use. The video was photographed by cinematographer Steve Gainer, and directed by Scott Winig.[15]
It is playable with either a real guitar or bass guitar in Rocksmith as DLC.
The song was made available to download on March 13, 2012, for play in Rock Band 3 Basic and PRO mode utilizing a real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards plus vocal harmonies.
