The Best Day
Encyclopedia
"The Best Day" is the title of a song written by Dean Dillon
and Carson Chamberlain
, and recorded by country music
singer George Strait
. It was released in January 2000 as the first single released from his album, Latest Greatest Straitest Hits
. The song reached the top of the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks
chart.
The first verse recalls a father-son campout, and the young boy looking forward to a weekend of fishing, conversation and bonding, and other camping-related activities with his father. In the second verse, the boy — now a teenager and newly licensed — gets his first car, a classic Chevrolet Corvette
which he and his father plan to restore.
The final verse is set on the son's wedding day. As they stand in a rear room of the church, the son (after vowing to take what he learned in childhood from his parents and applying it to his new marriage) repeats a line he has at the previous two points of his life: "I'm the luckiest man alive, this is the best day of my life" — in this final verse, substituting "boy" for "man."
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."
chart at number 48 on the chart dated January 1, 2000, and spent 29 weeks on the chart. The song also climbed to #1 after spending 17 weeks on the chart, where it held #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.
Dean Dillon
Dean Dillon is an American country music artist. Between 1982 and 1993, Dillon recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Although he has not charted since 1993, Dillon has continued to write several hit songs for other artists, most...
and Carson Chamberlain
Carson Chamberlain
Carson Chamberlain is an American songwriter, record producer and steel guitarist who works mainly in the field of country music....
, and recorded by country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
. It was released in January 2000 as the first single released from his album, Latest Greatest Straitest Hits
Latest Greatest Straitest Hits
Latest Greatest Straitest Hits is a 2000 compilation album by George Strait. It was released by MCA Records. The album represents his greatest hits since the release of his 1995 box set Strait Out of the Box. The set contains two newly-recorded tracks. "The Best Day" was released as a single and...
. The song reached the top of the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart.
Plot
"The Best Day" is told through the eyes of a father who recalls his son describing key events of his life as being "the best day of [his] life," since they were particularly memorable and had pleasant memories attached to them. As the song progresses, the son grows from childhood into adolescence and eventually adulthood.The first verse recalls a father-son campout, and the young boy looking forward to a weekend of fishing, conversation and bonding, and other camping-related activities with his father. In the second verse, the boy — now a teenager and newly licensed — gets his first car, a classic Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
which he and his father plan to restore.
The final verse is set on the son's wedding day. As they stand in a rear room of the church, the son (after vowing to take what he learned in childhood from his parents and applying it to his new marriage) repeats a line he has at the previous two points of his life: "I'm the luckiest man alive, this is the best day of my life" — in this final verse, substituting "boy" for "man."
Critical reception
Larry Flick, of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
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."
Chart performance
The song entered the Hot Country Singles & TracksHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart at number 48 on the chart dated January 1, 2000, and spent 29 weeks on the chart. The song also climbed to #1 after spending 17 weeks on the chart, where it held #1 for three weeks on the chart dated April 22, 2000. In addition, this song became Strait's 36th Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Number One as a solo artist.
Peak positions
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 7 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 80 |