Beautiful Times
| "Beautiful Times" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Owl City featuring Lindsey Stirling | ||||
| from the EP Ultraviolet | ||||
| Released | April 8, 2014 | |||
| Studio | Sky Harbor Studios, Owatonna, Minnesota | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Young | |||
| Owl City singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Lindsey Stirling singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Beautiful Times" on YouTube | ||||
"Beautiful Times" is a song by American electronica project Owl City. The song features American violinist Lindsey Stirling and was released on April 8, 2014, as the lead single from his fourth EP, Ultraviolet.[1]
Background
[edit]In early 2014, Young revealed the album artwork for his single, "Beautiful Times", through his Instagram account.[2][3] On April 4, 2014, Owl City released a teaser for "Beautiful Times".[4] The song was written by Young and Lindsey Stirling, while Young also handled production.[5] The track runs at 136 BPM and is in the key of A major, according to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, by Alfred Music Publishing.[6] Young's range in the song spans from the notes E4 to A5.[6] The song has been described as an "upbeat" track.[7] The song features Lindsey Stirling who played violin on the track.[1] According to Young, "Beautiful Times" was the first track he wrote for the EP when he got home from tour.[8] About the song's meaning and working with Stirling, Young stated:
"It is an anthem for those who search for strength to rise above hardship. I was honoured to work with yet another of my favourite artists, Lindsey Stirling, who was kind enough to grant me the honour of featuring her. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed creating it."[9]
Critical reception
[edit]Christian Rockafeller of Music Times called the music video "a gorgeous and whimsical cinematic tale." Musically, he praised Stirling's contribution to the track describing it as "inimitable and impressive."[10]
Music video
[edit]On June 26, 2014, the music video for "Beautiful Times" premiered via Rolling Stone. Speaking about the video he stated, "I've been on a few sets where everyone is on edge and it throws the whole thing off. A positive atmosphere really makes all the difference in the world."[7] The music video showcases a young boy sleeping in his bedroom when his toys and room suddenly comes to life,[11] while clips of Young and Stirling performing the song are featured throughout the video.[10]
Credits and personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from AllMusic and digital liner notes.[12][5]
- Owl City – composer, lyricist, primary artist, producer, mixing, recording
- Lindsey Stirling – composer, lyricist, featured artist, violin
- Shinnosuke Miyazawa – recording
- Robert Orton – mixing
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CIS Airplay (TopHit)[13] | 177 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100)[14] | 91 |
| South Korea (GAON) (International Chart)[15] | 48 |
| US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[16] | 26 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 8, 2014 | Republic | [17] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Matt Crane (April 8, 2014). "Owl City streams new single, Beautiful Times (ft. Lindsey Stirling)". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Piece five of the April single album artwork on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Piece four of the April single album artwork on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Michele Bird (April 4, 2014). "Owl City to release new single, Beautiful Times". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Ultraviolet (Digital liner notes). Owl City. Republic. 2014.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Owl City "Beautiful Times" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Nick Murray (June 26, 2014). "Watch Owl City's Whimsical Beautiful Times Video – Premiere". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "Owl City – Bio". owlcitymusic.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ "Lindsey Stirling plays on Owl City's latest single". Cross Rhythms. April 23, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Christian Rockafeller (June 27, 2014). "WATCH: Owl City 'Beautiful Times' Video from Ultraviolet EP (Republic Records) Features Violinist Lindsey Stirling [VIDEO]". Music Times. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Thomas Chau (June 28, 2014). "Watch Owl City's Magical Music Video for 'Beautiful Times' (Feat. Lindsey Stirling)". KKLS-FM. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ^ "Owl City – Beautiful Times / Credits". All Music. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ Owl City — Beautiful Times. TopHit. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ "Owl City Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ "Gaon Digital Chart: 2014-04-04". GAON. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Owl City Chart History (Pop Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Beautiful Times (feat. Lindsey Stirling) - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
