Dave Rublin spoke in a podcast of Songfacts where he disclosed that the song was being written when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened in 2012. They were inspired to write the song to "make people happy and make people feel positive, because that's something that was missing from rock and from songwriting, just something so simplistic that can be an earworm, that can carry people."
Zac Barnett told an interviewer for Blueprint Magazine, "Recently we have been experimenting with a lot of different instruments including banjo, mandolin and various percussion toys. Africa-influenced rhythms have been taking more of a prominent role in our songs which has then opened up our ideas on melodies. We're always open to trying new things and we get very excited to learn new instruments and experiment with new sounds. ... "Best Day of My Life" was an idea that James and I had been messing around with. We had the pre-chorus and chorus but once we showed the idea to the rest of the guys they came in and restructured the verses and added the stuttered "life" chorus. Looking back on it, the song changed a lot from the initial idea but that's what I love so much about it. I'll always remember that song being started on acoustic guitars in my tiny Bushwick bedroom, but all of us together as a band really took the song to a completely different place."
Barnett mentions "the stuttered 'life' chorus"—as in "the best day of my li-i-i-i-ife"; the "stuttering" also occurs in a recurrent "whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh"—by which he refers to a lyrical tradition of stuttering in rock music, popularized by Buddy Holly, David Bowie ("Ch-Ch-Changes"), Elton John, and others.
Bill Lamb, writing for About.com, praised the song's "opening banjo lick" as "a perfect first hook," its "irrepressibly upbeat lyrics," and "a blend of key elements from across a wide range of current successful pop music." He added, "The bass drum heavy backing percussion sounds a little like Imagine Dragons, and backed by a pop-punk style "Whoa Oh" chorus, "Best Day of My Life" takes some of the most distinctive elements of a variety of current pop hit genres and blends them into something new." The song also utilizes the millennial whoop.
The song received significant airplay on the radio for it to debut at No. 49 in the Hot Rock Songs and No. 40 in the Adult Top 40 for charts dated October 5, 2013. It began climbing the various rock charts and became a crossover hit on both alternative rock and top 40 stations, becoming big hits on those formats and peaking at No. 2, No. 18 and No. 4 on the Hot Rock Songs, Alternative Songs, and Mainstream Top 40 charts, and was a sleeper hit.
It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 93 for the chart dated November 30, 2013, and eventually peaked at No. 11 on the charts dated April 19 and May 10, 2014. By March, 2014, it had reached No. 1 on the Adult Top 40. The song reached its first million sales mark in the United States in March 2014, and its second million in August 2014. The song was certified 2× Platinum on July 16, 2014 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song was ranked number one on Billboard's chart of Adult Pop Songs for 2014. To date, it remains the only single by the band to break the top 40 in the United States.
Best Day of My Life
American Authors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I stretched my hands out to the sky
We danced with monsters through the night
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I'm never gonna look back, whoaI'm never gonna give it up, no
Please don't wake me now (two, three, four)
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
I howled at the moon with friends
And then the sun came crashing in
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
But all the possibilities
No limits, just epiphanies
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I'm never gonna look back, whoa
I'm never gonna give it up, no
Just don't wake me now
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
I hear it calling outside my window
I feel it in my soul (soul)The stars were burning so bright
The sun was out 'til midnight
I say we lose control (control)
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
This is gonna be, this is gonna be, this is gonna be
The best day of my life
Everything is looking up, everybody up now
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
The lyrics of American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life” suggest a sense of joy, a feeling of freedom, and living life to the fullest without any worries about the past or future. The opening lines speak of a dream so big and loud that it takes the singer high up into the clouds. The second line points to leaping so high that it almost seemed like he touched the sky. Then, he goes on to describe dancing with monsters through the night, which is a metaphor for his fear. And in the next line, he says he won't look back or give up, implying that he is choosing to overcome his fear.
In the chorus, the singer declares that this day, the day in his dream, is going to be the best day of his life. He repeats this line twice, emphasizing the importance of this day. He sings of how he howled at the moon with his friends and the sun came "crashing in" but all the possibilities lay on the horizon with no limits and only epiphanies for him to discover.
The last verse speaks of how the singer hears the call of his dreams outside his window and feels as if his soul is in it. He claims that the stars were burning so bright and the sun was out till midnight, embracing and enjoying everything without worrying about losing control.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream so big and loud
I had a dream that was so vivid, it felt real and loud
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
I was so uplifted and positive that I felt like I was on top of the world
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
An expression that signifies euphoria and excitement
I stretched my hands out to the sky
I was trying to reach for the sky and embrace the limitless opportunities that were present before me
We danced with monsters through the night
We embraced our fears and celebrated our ability to overcome them
I'm never gonna look back, whoa
I refuse to dwell on past mistakes and failures
I'm never gonna give it up, no
I will never give up on my dreams and aspirations
Please don't wake me now (two, three, four)
Please let me continue living in this moment of pure bliss and happiness
This is gonna be the best day of my life
Today is going to be an amazing day filled with endless possibilities
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
An expression that signifies happiness and contentment with one's life
I howled at the moon with friends
I let go of my inhibitions and had a lot of fun with my friends
And then the sun came crashing in
An expression that signifies the arrival of a new day full of possibilities
But all the possibilities
There are endless opportunities and possibilities to explore and embrace
No limits, just epiphanies
There are no limits to what I can achieve, only new insights and discoveries to make
I hear it calling outside my window
I feel a sense of urgency to seize the day and take advantage of all the opportunities that are available
I feel it in my soul (soul)
I feel a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment in my life
The stars were burning so bright
The night was filled with wonder and excitement
The sun was out 'til midnight
An expression that signifies the endless possibilities of the day
I say we lose control (control)
Let us let go of our inhibitions and embrace our true selves
Everything is looking up, everybody up now
Everything is going well and everyone is feeling positive and uplifted
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Aaron Accetta, Zachary Barnett, Shep Goodman, David Rublin, Matthew Sanchez, James Shelley, Michael Goodman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Iluvgenya
This music will be our graduation song, can't wait to sing it on graduation day 🤧
Edit: Hello y'all I'm in my 11th grade and I'll be graduating soon. Time sure flies lmao
Edit: nahh this keep going lmao I know y'all don't care but our open classes will be on July 29 😭
Edit: Life update.. I'm in 12th grade now.. we already got test and task y'all 😭 (I'm gonna miss my bed...my sleep)
Edit: 08/17/24. I AM FREAKING TIRED. School works, stress, the pressure, broke. Oh God I'm dying.. I'm hungry 😞
Edit: Sep 18, 24. We have no class today since there's a typhoon coming.. gojo dropping a hollow purple on us all of sudden 😭
Edit: another one. Time: 11:40 PM 09/24/24
Tmr is our first examination of the first quarter, currently resting rn because I just finished my activities.. and I have to review but I'm too damn tired and lazy.. I just want to sleep. Even if I study hard, I still get lower score.
Edit: You guys are like my therapy or smthin 😭
10/18/24, 10:54 Pm
Currently lying on my bed rn, tireddddd. Anyways happy belated birthday to me 10/16. I'm brokeee huhu I have to pay alot for my school. We're gonna extra lesson too, this is so stressful what are we? A robot??? Also, rip Liam Payne 🥲
Edit: 10/25/24 time; 1:15 Am
..I don't want to fall asleep. My mom will be leaving at 4 Am to go on a another country to work there and it's gonna be a long time we're gonna see each other again.. she stayed here like 2 months ago.. and now she's leaving again, she stayed at her work like 6 years.. but got to spend time with us just 2 months.. isn't that kind of unfair? We liked her to stay here with us but she said she has to work to feed us and so we can finished our school. Even so I don't want her to leave.
@xhaandyesh
My classmates and I danced to this during graduation. I sung it for months after. Listening to it again gives me so much nostalgia.
@fionangan2408
We are going to sing this at our graduation too! It’s coming up!
@LexiWilson-n2l
@@fionangan2408 me too
@Angelica0_0z
Same :D
@YoussefALSHAMSI-tv3bq
ME TOO 🎓🎓🎓🎓
@YoussefALSHAMSI-tv3bq
TOMMOROW
@Mozeys
Most nostalgia you can get today right here. 😌
@dulcevianeyvelazquezeloisa6343
Yes you have true
@JemMatheson
MMM.. hmmm yes yes
@Noahmediacorner
This song feels like you have the best day ever