both the verses and chorus and G–D–C–G/B–Am in the bridge, as its chord progression. The lyrics of "Semi-Charmed Life" carry a message of crystal meth addiction, inspired by the drug addictions that Jenkins witnessed from several of his friends. Jenkins explained in Billboard magazine that the juxtaposition between the melody and lyrics were intentional, as it was meant to represent "the seductiveness of speed." Jenkins further explained: "Speed's a very bright, shiny drug, and I wanted the song to sound like that, but I also wanted the frustration in there. So a real poetic decision is determining the music. That's why you have that bright, melodic chorus but also that dirty guitar sound." Critical reception James Sullivan of Rolling Stone referred to the song as "[o]ne of the most relentlessly sunshine-y songs of the Nineties." Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post referred to the song as a "rap-inflected pop-rocker." He commented: "'Semi-Charmed Life' take[s] an infectious glee in reinventing rock that's simple, direct and yet epic." David Grad of Entertainment Weekly praised the radio-friendly nature of the song, calling it a "nice taste of Third Eye Blind's formula." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic cited "Semi-Charmed Life" as evidence that Third Eye Blind can "craft a naggingly memorable hook." Also from AllMusic, Liana Jonas praised "Semi-Charmed Life" as an "infectious and buoyant rock song," commenting that the song's commercial success juxtaposed with its "blatant lyrics about oral sex and drug-induced highs ... goes to show the unpredictability of music-industry authorities." Glamour reviewer and senior editor Anna Moeslein cited "Semi-Charmed Life" as the best song of the 1990s, commenting that the "easy-breezy guitar and 'do do do!' intro still spark joy." According to Justin Joffe of Observer, the song is "both poppy and addressed some heavy shit," which gave the band "an edge over their radio-ready contemporaries that many would later imitate with less sincerity." Aidin Vaziri of the San Francisco Chronicle referred to "Semi-Charmed Life" as "possibly the catchiest song about casual sex and meth addiction ever." Andrew Chow of Time designated "Semi-Charmed Life" as a classic karaoke song. In a critical review, G.M. of Spin stated that the song has "an oil-slick groove endemic to studio hacks and scene-burnouts." Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork referred to the song as an "inescapable hit," further commenting: "[the song] sounds like feeling the sun on your skin after a long winter. The opening snap