My Best Days Are Ahead of Me
Encyclopedia
"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" is the title of a song written by Marv Green and Kent Blazy
, and recorded by American Idol
season 8 finalist Danny Gokey
. The song was released in December 2009 and served as the lead-off single to his debut album My Best Days
, which was released on March 2, 2010 via RCA Nashville
.
and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum
. This song was withdrawn as a single in November 2009 and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."
. Matt Bjorke described the song positively in his review of the album, saying that its positive message "aligns nicely with [Gokey]." Deborah Evans Price of Billboard
praised Gokey's vocal performance and called the song "the feel-good country song of 2010." Brian Mansfield of USA Today
gave a positive review, saying, "With its uptempo tone of tempered optimism, My Best Days Are Ahead of Me is just the right kind of introductory single for Danny."
and directed by Wes Edwards
. It contains footage of Gokey performing the song, interspersed with motivational messages that appear on the screen. Gokey told Country Weekly
magazine that he was comfortable filming the video: "I felt like American Idol gave me some experience in being in front of a camera."
charts dated for the week ending December 26, 2009. The song entered the country Top 40 at #39 on the chart dated for the week ending February 20, 2010. The song also debuted at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 20, 2010. The song reached its peak of #24 on the country chart in May 2010.
Kent Blazy
Kent Blazy is an American country music songwriter. His credits include several singles for Garth Brooks , as well as singles by Gary Morris, Diamond Rio, Patty Loveless and Chris Young.-Biography:Kent Blazy was raised in Lexington, Kentucky...
, and recorded by American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
season 8 finalist Danny Gokey
Danny Gokey
Daniel Jay "Danny" Gokey is an American country music singer and church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol...
. The song was released in December 2009 and served as the lead-off single to his debut album My Best Days
My Best Days
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave a positive review, saying that its sound recalled country pop and contemporary Christian music, but also saying that it "sure feels like Danny Gokey has gotten himself a strong set of songs that find him in strong voice." Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave...
, which was released on March 2, 2010 via RCA Nashville
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
Content
In "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me," the narrator looks back at the mistakes he has made in his life, but realizes that his "best days are ahead of [him]."History
Originally, Gokey's first single was slated to be "It's Only," written by Charles KelleyCharles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley is an American country music singer-songwriter and founding member of Lady Antebellum, a country rock trio formed in 2006 and signed to Capitol Nashville.-Early life and career:...
and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
. This song was withdrawn as a single in November 2009 and replaced with "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."
Critical reception
Karlie Justus of The 9513 gave the song a thumbs-down. Her review called it "a believable, earnest effort that’s bland and entirely forgettable," and criticized it for a lack of narrativeNarrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
. Matt Bjorke described the song positively in his review of the album, saying that its positive message "aligns nicely with [Gokey]." Deborah Evans Price of 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...
praised Gokey's vocal performance and called the song "the feel-good country song of 2010." Brian Mansfield of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave a positive review, saying, "With its uptempo tone of tempered optimism, My Best Days Are Ahead of Me is just the right kind of introductory single for Danny."
Music video
The music video was filmed at a warehouse in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and directed by Wes Edwards
Wes Edwards
Wes Edwards is a music video and commercial director. He has directed several Jason Aldean videos, as well as others.-Music videos directed:This is a list of music videos directed by Wes Edwards...
. It contains footage of Gokey performing the song, interspersed with motivational messages that appear on the screen. Gokey told Country Weekly
Country Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
magazine that he was comfortable filming the video: "I felt like American Idol gave me some experience in being in front of a camera."
Chart performance
"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" debuted at #55 on the Billboard Hot Country SongsHot 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...
charts dated for the week ending December 26, 2009. The song entered the country Top 40 at #39 on the chart dated for the week ending February 20, 2010. The song also debuted at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending March 20, 2010. The song reached its peak of #24 on the country chart in May 2010.
| Chart (2009-2010) | Peak position |
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