This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.
KTOM: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.
Song #400: Best Day of my Life by American Authors.
Well folks, we are officially 100 songs in! The first hundred have come and gone. I hope that you are enjoying these posts. I know that not every song is as well known nor do you even know or like each song. But, overall, I hope that you are enjoying having a bit of storytelling to brighten your day, with the added bonus of having a few good tunes to soundtrack your day. As you may know by now, every 25th song goes to one of my daughters so, today, with her #9 selection on her personal Top Ten list is Sophie’s choice of “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors.
You may know this song by its title but, if not, once you hear it, you will ALL recognize it immediately. It was all over the airwaves when it was released in the summer of 2014. It is a light and sunny Pop tune which was the intention when it was written. American Authors are a US group comprised of Zac Barnett, Dave Rubin, Matt Sanchez and James Shelley. They wrote the song in response to one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies in recent US History….he Sandy Hook school shooting. The guys in the band wanted to write something that was uplifting and happy and would help heal the wounds laid bare by Sandy Hook. The result of their efforts was “Best Day of my LIfe”. The message in the song is simply to keep plugging away no matter what life throws at you because, if you do you’ll enjoy sunnier days and, maybe even the “best day of your life.”
Before writing this post, I asked Sophie why she chose this song as one of her Top Ten favourites of all time. She replied that “Best Day of My Life” was a song that was used a lot at her school by her teachers at end-of-term/end-of-year assemblies. At these assemblies, Sophie’s teachers would put together a montage of photos of the kids doing their thing and would pair it with the song, “Best Day of my Life.” The memories of those shared experiences with her school mates and teachers makes Sophie’s heart smile. That, in turn, makes my heart smile. Both girls have gone to the same, small community school. The staff there have been absolutely fantastic and have helped my daughters to get off to a wonderful start in life. As parents, we are incredibly indebted to them for what they have done for our girls.
While the Sandy Hook tragedy and our own experiences with Covid-19 are not exactly the same, they both share one thing in common and that is loss. Whether it is loss of life or loss of experiences, both have impacted us all in very fundamental ways. Many experts speak of the mental health aspect of the Covid pandemic. When I reflect on Sophie’s song choice for today, I think about the mental health of our children, too. They have lost a lot over the course of these past two years. As adults, we may view the pandemic in terms of lives lost, freedoms restricted or in economic terms. Our children view it in terms of losing their world. They have lost access to their friends, to their hobbies and recreation and, for many, they have lost the safe place in their lives that is school. Our children do not always come right out and express their inner feelings directly but, they may wax nostalgic about past experiences lost and leave you to connect the dots that lead to their heart.
These are tough times to say the least but, according to Sophie’s song choice, by persevering, better days are possible. Let’s all hope that this is true. As I write these words, our neighbourhood is green and our gardens are in bloom. It looks gorgeous outside at the moment from our window. Here’s hoping for a good day for us all. Thanks for the terrific song, Sophie! You are loved.
The link to the music video for “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors can be found here. ***The lyric version can be found here.
American Authors have their own website which can be accessed by clicking on the link here.
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Tom MacInnes, Writer 