Fireflies Lyrics

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About

Genius Annotation

“Fireflies”, Owl City’s debut single, was an international smash hit, effectively launching the genre Twee into the mainstream. It reached #1 in the US in November 2009.

The song was inspired by watching shooting stars during a camping trip with lyrics also influenced by insomnia. Adam Young said of “Fireflies” in an interview with Female First:

I have a bit of a problem falling asleep. Strangely enough it is when I can’t sleep that I tend to find most inspiration. I was up late and in the basement one night when I wrote ‘Fireflies’. I was sitting at the keyboard just fooling around, not really trying to write anything. Over the next couple of hours that song came together in the most natural way. I can’t explain it but it almost wrote itself. I didn’t have any idea that moment that I had written a hit.

The song also features uncredited vocals from the lead vocalist from Relient K, Matthew Thiessen.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Owl City say about "Fireflies"?
Verified Commentary
Owl City
via Twitter
Genius Answer

I was the recipient of 1,000 hugs from 10,000 lightning bugs for a grand total of 10,000,000 hugs. As the lyrics of the song clearly state, the average layperson would not believe their eyes if 10,000,000 fireflies were to illuminate planet Earth, nor would the average person conclude by natural instinct that 10,000 lightning bugs acting as a collective group, are capable of embracing a human being 1,000 times without difficulty. By the same token, a gathering of lightning bugs in such vast numbers form a sort of “swarm,” and a swarm can collectively surround a human and deliver a “hug” that a single firefly, acting according to the dictates of his own conscience, simply cannot. Consequently, I was embraced 1,000 times by 10,000 luminescent insects. This may seem inconceivable due to the firefly’s soft-shelled body, which is common among all winged beetles within the Lampyridae insect family. Members of the scientific community may be tempted to cast doubt upon the possibility of this exchange due to the immobility of the prothorax and pterothorax, in addition to the elytra protruding outward while a firefly is engaged in mid-flight. However, I can testify to the accuracy of this exchange. I can furthermore add that while each individual hug took place, each firefly participated in the chemical reaction commonly known as bioluminescence in which the enzymes within the firefly, in the presence of oxygen, magnesium ions and ATP, emitted a chemically produced light or “glow” because they were happy to be hugging me.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions! Stream “Fireflies” on Apple Music and Spotify!

What inspired the song?
Genius Answer

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Adam Young (a.k.a. Owl City) stated:

“Fireflies” was inspired by a camping trip I took up to a totally rustic and kind of remote lake in northern Minnesota, where there isn’t really much of anything. I can remember sleeping out on a dock on the edge of this lake and looking up at the sky. There was a meteor shower that night. I remember thinking, what a cool idea of shooting stars being fireflies, and trying to translate that into music. That’s what spurred it on. I was also influenced by the lack of sleep that tends to happen.

How well did the song do on Billboard Hot 100?
Genius Answer

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks in 2009. The song became Owl City’s only song to top the Hot 100.

How much has the song sold in the United States?
How did Adam come about with the song ?
Is there any official animated work for Spotify?
Credits
Written By
Background Vocals
Programmer
Recording Engineer
Keyboards
Synthesizer
Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Lead Vocals
Recorded At
Sky Harbor Studios (Owatonna, Minnesota)
Release Date
July 14, 2009
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