SONG OF THE DAY

“Fireflies” (Ocean Eyes, Universal Republic Records, 2009). Written by Adam Young.

WHERE I HEARD IT

It was featured on this season of So You Think You Can Dance (see the video of the performance below).

INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)

– Owl City is a Second Wave synthpop musical project by American Adam Young.
– Young started out making music in his basement in his hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota, US, later developing a following through his MySpace profile before being signed to Universal Republic.
– After two independent albums, Owl City gained mainstream popularity from the 2009 major label debut album Ocean Eyes, which spawned the hit single “Fireflies”.
– “Fireflies” topped the US and Canadian charts and became the most-downloaded song on iTunes in the US.
– Ocean Eyes reached the top ten on the US album charts and topped the US electronic charts and also reached Amazon MP3’s top 10 most downloaded album list. By December 2009, it was certified Gold in the United States.
– On 24 January 2010, Owl City reached the number 1 spot in the UK Top 40 Singles chart with “Fireflies”.
– Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen has toured and collaborated with Owl City on several tracks including in the hit single “Fireflies”, where Matt can be heard as the backup vocals.
– Thiessen described the song as “a little song about bugs and not being able to fall asleep at night,” though the fireflies in the song’s title also serve as a metaphor for the loss of childlike imagination and wonder in adulthood.
– Ocean Eyes has received mixed reviews from critics, based on a Metacritic score of 53/100. The album gained some positive reviews, including Entertainment Weekly which gave it a B+ and said that it was filled with catchy choruses and that the highlight was “Dental Care”. Jesus Freak Hideout also was favorable; the review highlighted the album’s style of music, saying that it had “dreamy lyrics and open soundscapes.” However, Rolling Stone claimed Ocean Eyes to be disappointing, only awarding it 2/5 stars. They especially criticized the slower songs, saying that tracks like “On the Wing” were “just mush”. Allmusic gave the album an average rating of 2.5/5.
– The single has attained worldwide success, topping the charts in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
– The music video for “Fireflies” was directed by Steve Hoover. It features Adam Young playing the song on a Lowrey spinet organ in a toy-filled bedroom, where most of the toys (including an astronaut, toy cars, and a blimp) come to life. Most of the toys are older model toys, with most of them from the 1970s and ’80s (an exception being a Robosapien).
– The video had an exclusive premiere on MySpace, but was leaked onto Dailymotion some time before and YouTube soon after.
– “Fireflies” was covered by Finnish X Factor contestant Enchant on the program, by American Idol season 9 contestant Lee DeWyze on the program, by Nick Jonas & The Administration at The Who I Am Tour, by English rockband Elliot Minor, by Cheryl Cole for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge & on The E.N.D. World Tour, in Hardcore/ Screamo style by Beautiful Dying Day, Westcoast rapper Crooked I of Slaughterhouse and has made it to the coveted playlist of Kidz Bop 17.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here’s the official music video:

And here’s the song’s feature on So You Think You Can Dance, which is where I first heard it: