| Fireflies | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owl City | |
| Album | Ocean Eyes |
| Released | July 14, 2009 |
| Recorded | 2007/2008 |
| Label | Universal Republic |
| Genre | Synthpop, Electronica, New wave |
| Written by | Adam Young |
| Produced by | Adam Young |
| Next single | "Vanilla Twilight" (2010) |
| Listen: | |
"Fireflies" is a song by Owl City. The song was released as the first single from Ocean Eyes. Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen is featured as a guest vocalist in the song. The single has attained worldwide success, topping the charts in the United States, Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The accompanying music video for the song portrays Adam Young singing, as he plays his synthesizer in a toy-filled bedroom, causing the toys and other items in the room to magically come to life.
The UK radio edit version released by Universal Ireland on January 8, 2010 has a shorter intro and the first chorus is taken out. This version has a duration of 3:14.
Music video[]
The music video for "Fireflies" was directed by Steve Hoover. It features Adam Young playing the song on his old (80's) synthesizer 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). There are also vintage household devices such as an analog television and record player. The video had an exclusive premiere on MySpace, but was leaked onto Dailymotion and YouTube soon after.
Chart performance[]
The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in early-September at number ninety-seven, and it reached number one in its tenth week, becoming Owl City's first number-one single. "Fireflies" contributed to sales of the album Ocean Eyes, and was credited as being responsible for its entry to the top ten on the U.S. Billboard 200. The RIAA certified "Fireflies" double-platinum in January 2010.
The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number fifty due to early download sales from a fake version that got leaked onto iTunes. The song would go on to make a forty-eight place jump to number two the following week, beaten only to the top by "Replay" by Iyaz. The following week, it rose to number one, and topped the chart for three consecutive weeks. The BPI certified "Fireflies" silver in February 2010
The song has attained success worldwide. It has reached number one in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands and the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the Slovak Republic.
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 14, 2009 | Universal Republic | Digital download |
| Australia | November 9, 2009 | CD single | |
| United Kingdom | January 8, 2010 | Digital download | |
| February 22, 2010 | CD single | ||
| Ireland | January 14, 2010 | Digital download | |
| Germany | January 22, 2010 | CD single |
Charts[]
| Chart (2009/2010) |
Peak position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Charts | 1 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 | 3 |
| Ultratop | 2 |
| Ultratop | 4 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 2 |
| Czech Republic IFPI Top 100 | 7 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 3 |
| Finland Singles Chart | 7 |
| French Digital Singles Chart | 32 |
| German Singles Chart | 6 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Japan Hot 100 | 3 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Russian Airplay Chart | 66 |
| Slovak Republic IFPI Top 100 | 8 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 24 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 44 |
Video[]
| Owl City |
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Members: Adam Young |