One Day Like This (song)
"One Day Like This" is the second single from English band Elbow's fourth studio album, The Seldom Seen Kid, released on 2 June 2008 on two 7-inch vinyl records and one CD single.
On 21 May 2009, the song won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 41 on its list of "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". After featuring in the 2012 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony, the single peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom—a new high for the song and for the band.
Background
The song was a late addition to the album, after David Joseph of Universal Music requested a radio-friendly single. It took around two weeks to write and record.The chorus lyric "one day like this a year would see me right" had been in singer Guy Garvey's diary for several years before the song was written. Speaking in 2014 about the song, Garvey said, "We put the chords behind it and realised it was going to be the hook of all hooks. I was like, 'what do we think?'... It was, 'it's kind of similar to "Hey Jude", isn't it?' I was like, 'yeah, and it's also similar to "Loaded" by Primal Scream, and we like both those songs, don't we?' So isn't it just generous to do that, isn't it a satisfying thing for the listener?... And my God, how it changed our fortunes."
The song was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Salford, and features string parts echoing the lyrics and throughout. These were recorded by just three musicians, with multiple takes using different instruments and in different positions in the room to give the impression of a much larger string section or orchestra.
Chart performance
"One Day Like This" debuted at No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 2008, marking Elbow's seventh UK top-40 single. After 14 weeks, the single finally peaked at No. 35 on 14 September 2008. Due to the band's increasing popularity in the UK after winning their 2009 BRIT Award for Best British band, "One Day Like This" spent more weeks in the UK top 75 than any of Elbow's other singles with 31 weeks in five runs by the end of 2014, peaking at No. 4 in August 2012 following their appearance at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. In February 2021, it was certified double Platinum in the UK by the BPI. It also charted in the Flanders region of Belgium in July 2009, when it peaked at No. 19 on the region's Ultratop chart. It became the group's only single to reach the Top 30 of the Irish Singles Chart, reaching a peak of No. 18 after its inclusion in the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.Music video
The promotional video for the song was directed by Rigan Ledwidge. It features a man at a busy road junction, holding a red sign in the shape of a pointing arrow, containing the words "Condos – Now Selling". As he stands at the junction, he turns the sign around many times, pointing it in all directions, including flipping it in the air and spinning it on his head, whilst the motorists, pedestrians and skateboarders pass by.Track listings
CD single7-inch vinyl 1
'''7-inch vinyl 2'''
Credits
- Producer – Craig Potter, Elbow
- Words By – Guy Garvey
- Written By – Elbow
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| UK Singles | 150 |
| Chart | Position |
| UK Singles | 183 |
| Chart | Position |
| UK Singles | 120 |