Peak
11
Weeks
36
Score
5,046
Chart Year
2014
The music video was released on October 18, 2013, via YouTube.[19] The video was filmed in Brooklyn, New York. It depicts a man engaging in various activities with a large furry monster, such as drinking in a bar called Sweet & Vicious in Nolita,[20] playing basketball, looking at the Brooklyn Bridge, getting matching tattoos, visiting a strip club, and going to a playground. At the end of the video, it is implied that the monster is his imaginary friend, but then the puzzled bartender finds a photo of the two. Zac Barnett, in an interview with the Jim & Kim Morning Show (Fresh 102.7 FM, New York City, New York), explained that the video starts in Nolita and ends up in Brooklyn, and the journey of the man and his monster pal is the focus of the video. That journey is interweaved with shots of the band playing and singing as they also stroll through New York. "We started in Manhattan and walked across the bridge to the party which was down in Dumbo. What it was, we were kind of trying to do a reverse Where the Wild Things Are type thing. You know, instead of a human going into a monster dream world, what would it be like if a monster came into our world and experienced New York City and Brooklyn and all of these things. And playing off of that, it was kind of like an alter ego of a dude and these two, together, just showing each other the best days of their lives."[20] Common Sense Media reviewed the video for parents: "There's nothing iffy to worry about in the song's upbeat, clean lyrics about having a positive outlook on life and never giving up, but the official music video shows a man and his furry monster friend drinking in a bar, going to a strip club, and getting tattoos. Kids will be more entertained by the adorable dog-version music video for "Best Day of My Life", which shows one lucky bulldog's adoption day in an effort to promote pet adoption
This joyful, banjo-laced tune celebrates the best in life, but was conceived in reaction to tragedy: the Sandy Hook school shooting on December 14, 2012. On the Songfacts Podcast, American Authors bass player Dave Rublin explained: "We were upstate in the woods writing with our producer when the Sandy Hook shooting happened. When we heard the news, it was shocking to all of us because it happened right down the street from where we were. And in that framework, we were thinking that the world has hit a whole new low, and we wanted to focus on making things that 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." American Authors first got together in 2006 while attending Berklee College of Music. They comprise vocalist Zachary Barnett, guitarist James Adam Shelley, bassist Dave Rublin and drummer Matt Sanchez. The quartet spent their first years in Boston recording and performing music under the name The Blue Pages before relocating to New York in 2010. They released two albums, Anthropology and Rich With Love, but decided the name wasn't working for them, so they came up with American Authors and started working with producer Shep Goodman, which reinvigorated the band. When they recorded their song "Believer," Goodman took it to various radio stations and it got enough heat to earn the band a deal with Mercury Records, which released "Best Day Of My Life" as the first single on the label. The song was originally marketed to Alternative radio stations, but interest soared at other formats after it was used in TV commercial for Lowe's hardware stores. It has also featured in commercials for Lay's and Toyota, in a UK Hyundai advert, and a Telecom New Zealand campaign, as well as being placed in the trailer for the Vince Vaughn movie, Delivery Man. Barnett told Billboard magazine the story of the song. "It was a really fun song to write," he said. "It's actually pieces from five different songs that we just combined. At first we didn't know if it worked or not, so we sat on it for a while, but when we came back to it we realized, 'This is really cool. We think we have something special here.'" Barnett explained the song's meaning to American Songwriter magazine: "We wanted to tell this story of how no matter what's going on - whether you're stuck at your job or having a bad day - there's always an escape from that, and there's always a way to make any day the best day of your life. It's about escaping reality and entering into that dream world." The song featured in the 2013 Ben Stiller movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
I had a dream so big and loud 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, whoa I'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
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 30, 2013 | 93 | 33 |
| 2 | Dec 7, 2013 | 91 | 35 |
| 3 | Dec 14, 2013 | 81 | 45 |
| 4 | Dec 21, 2013 | 64 | 62 |
| 5 | Dec 28, 2013 | 35 | 91 |
| 6 | Jan 4, 2014 | 44 | 82 |
| 7 | Jan 11, 2014 | 52 | 74 |
| 8 | Jan 18, 2014 | 40 | 86 |
| 9 | Jan 25, 2014 | 38 | 88 |
| 10 | Feb 1, 2014 | 32 | 94 |
| 11 | Feb 8, 2014 | 34 | 92 |
| 12 | Feb 15, 2014 | 34 | 92 |
| 13 | Feb 22, 2014 | 26 | 100 |
| 14 | Mar 1, 2014 | 25 | 101 |
| 15 | Mar 8, 2014 | 23 | 103 |
| 16 | Mar 15, 2014 | 21 | 105 |
| 17 | Mar 22, 2014 | 16 | 110 |
| 18 | Mar 29, 2014 | 13 | 113 |
| 19 | Apr 5, 2014 | 12 | 114 |
| 20 | Apr 12, 2014 | 12 | 114 |