From humble beginnings got here a music that may captivate the world. Owl City’s 2009 mega-hit “Fireflies” is perhaps a globally beloved chart-topper – and diamond licensed as well – however its conception was freed from any grand ambitions or calculated objectives.
Back in 2008, Owl City’s Adam Young was simply 21 years outdated and nonetheless residing in his mother and father’ basement in Owatonna, Minnesota. Music was a passion he spent his time on “completely just for fun – exactly the same way that I spent my time playing video games or skateboarding,” Young mentioned. Sharing no matter he created in self-released tasks like his debut album Maybe I’m Dreaming, which arrived that yr, recorded and produced himself.
The inspiration for ‘Fireflies’
Although it didn’t make it onto the tracklist, it was throughout the making of that first LP that “Fireflies” was born. At the time, Young was working the evening shift in a warehouse, battling sleep when he acquired residence from work. “I found myself battling some insomnia, which was really mostly the inspiration for ‘Fireflies,’” he defined. Instead of losing these hours mendacity in mattress “frustrated because I wasn’t getting sleepy,” the musician turned them into a possibility for creativity. “I wrote down the things that I was imagining during those bouts of insomnia, and those kinds of musings became the lyrics of the song.”
Among these imaginings have been the iridescent bugs Young had witnessed on a tenting journey in northern Minnesota, sparking the principle crux of the music. Another sighting on that very same journey additionally fed into the imagery that may glitter by means of the worldwide smash – a meteor present that remodeled the fireflies into taking pictures stars in Young’s thoughts.
Although “Fireflies” is most well-known for its wide-eyed lyricism, it was the melody that got here first, with its creator taking part in round on a MicroKorg synth when he first got here up with the preliminary notes. With an intro coming collectively, he turned the melody right into a loop, including the drum observe, bass, and pad parts to it later. Then got here the phrases – first in gibberish, then refined in a stream-of-consciousness thought launch.
A DIY manufacturing
Untainted by information of the music trade or what constitutes a success, Young wrote his breakthrough single from a pure, intention-free house. “I just wrote a song that I thought was cool to me, and I think it took me two or three days, and it was done,” he mentioned. “I remember having no idea what I was doing [from] an audio engineering standpoint, so I was really just pushing buttons and turning knobs, not having any understanding [of] exactly what they did. It really is amazing how lo-fi and modest the writing and recording process was during the making of ‘Fireflies.’”
A yr later, “Fireflies” was unleashed on North America and Australia (a European launch adopted in 2010) because the lead single from Owl City’s second album, Ocean Eyes. It rapidly topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 non-consecutive weeks whereas additionally hitting No.1 within the UK, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, and Sweden.
“When ‘Fireflies’ came out, it was met with such a positive reception that I was absolutely floored, and I still am just completely blown away,” Young mentioned. “It’s harder as time goes on [to understand] how a song that I wrote without a second thought – really, I had no agenda when I wrote the song – can be beloved by so many people around the world.”
To today, the observe stays a favourite in Owl City’s catalog and reside setlist. The response at gigs worldwide continues to shock Young at simply how impactful the music has been on his followers’ lives. “I just am so amazed and compelled at how music has such a power to transcend miles, and distance, and culture, and language, and even time,” he defined.
After the music earned a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Young mirrored on how he feels in regards to the music now. “Over 10 years ago, this song came out, and 10 million streams later with ‘Fireflies’ having achieved a diamond certification, I’m even more blown away if I didn’t think that was even possible,” he mentioned. “But at the end of the day, I am just incredibly, incredibly grateful.”