The Best Day (George Strait song)

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"The Best Day"
Single by George Strait
from the album Latest Greatest Straitest Hits
ReleasedJanuary 3, 2000
RecordedAugust 31, 1999
GenreCountry
Length3:24
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Dean Dillon
Carson Chamberlain
Producer(s)Tony Brown
George Strait[1]
George Strait singles chronology
"What Do You Say to That"
(1999)
"The Best Day"
(2000)
"Go On"
(2000)

"The Best Day" is a song written by Dean Dillon and Carson Chamberlain, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in January 2000 as the first single from his compilation album Latest Greatest Straitest Hits. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Content[edit]

The song is about a father, who recalls his son describing the activities of his life. The first verse recalls a father-son campout, and the young man looks forward to a weekend of fishing, conversation, bonding, and other camping-related activities. The second verse shows the son becoming a teenager and getting a Chevrolet Corvette from his father. The third and final verse is set on the son's wedding day. As he and his father stand in a room of the church in their tuxedos, the son reflects on what he learned in childhood and plans to apply it to his new marriage: "I'm the luckiest man alive, this is the best day of my life". The song is in the key of A major with a 4/4 time signature and a slow tempo of about 66 beats per minute. Its intro uses the pattern A-Aaug-D-E7, and the verses use a pattern of A-D-E-A.[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Larry Flick, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "well-written tale that listeners will find easily relatable, and the chorus makes this the ultimate feel-good tune to kick off the millennium." He goes on to say that Strait's "warm-throated delivery is all honest emotion."[3]

Chart performance[edit]

The song entered the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart at number 48 on the chart dated January 1, 2000, and spent 29 weeks on the chart. The song also climbed to number 1 after spending 17 weeks on the chart, where it held number 1 for three weeks on the chart dated April 22, 2000. In addition, this song became Strait's 36th Billboard Number One as a solo artist.

Peak positions[edit]

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 31
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1

End of year charts[edit]

Chart (2000) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks[7] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 80

References[edit]

  1. ^ Latest Greatest Straitest Hits (CD booklet). George Strait. MCA Records Nashville. 2000. MCAD-70100.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ "'The Best Day' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. ^ Billboard, January 15, 2000
  4. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9716." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 28, 2000. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "George Strait Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.