Owl City “Fireflies” hit #1

Fireflies Owl City

Writer(s): Adam Young (see lyrics here) Released: July 14, 2009 First Charted: August 22, 2009 Peak: 12 BB, 14 DG, 2 RR, 11 AC, 11 A40, 23 AA, 27 MR, 13 UK, 2 CN, 15 AU, 16 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.8 UK, 13.14 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.2 radio, 653.53 video, 1106.42 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Owl City is Adam Young, an introverted and sincere Christian who was born in Iowa and mostly raised in the small, remote Minnesota town of Owatonna.” SG As Owl City, Adam Young “bypassed the whole club-circuit/blog-buzz system” SG by recording songs in his parents’ basement and posting them on MySpace. He “eventually found DIY digital distribution through CD Baby,” SG releasing an EP in 2007 and an album the next year. Republic Records noticed his success and signed him. They released his album, Ocean Eyes, in 2009. They “put some marketing muscle” SG into promoting the lead single, “Fireflies.” It “picked up steam over a few months. It got play on different radio formats: rock, adult contemporary, eventually pop. The Christian-music world loved it. Young became a bit of a heartthrob for a certain type of sensitive teenage fan.” SG Young said “Fireflies” “was inspired partly by his chronic insomnia and partly by the fireflies and shooting stars that he saw over a lake in northern Minnesota when he was on a camping trip. When he was having trouble sleeping one night, Young got to thinking: What if fireflies were shooting stars?” SG One might suspect they fireflies are metaphors, but instead it appears Young wants listeners to actually believe he “gets 1,000 hugs from 10,000 lightning bugs as they teach him how to dance.” SG Young sings “in a mind-blown inside-voice coo that strives for Ben Gibbard swooniness and falls way short. Nobody should try to imitate Ben Gibbard’s voice. Even Gibbard himself can’t do it convincingly half the time. Adam Young’s instrumental track, on the other hand, is light and crisp and bubbly.” SG “Young really had something with that backing track. It’s too bad he decided to sing ‘Fireflies’ over it.” SG Resources: SG Stereogum (5/31/2023). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan Related Links: First posted 1/22/2026.