"Santa Monica" (subtitled "Watch the World Die" in Europe) is a song by American rock band Everclear from their second studio album, Sparkle and Fade (1995). The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis, and was sent to US rock radio in September 1995. Though it was not commercially released as a single in the United States, radio stations played "Santa Monica" enough for it to reach number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number one the Billboard Album 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.
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 songs distributed by Clear Channel Communications.
UK limited-edition 7-inch red vinyl single
UK CD1
UK CD2
European maxi-CD single
Dutch maxi-CD single
Australian CD single