Owl City - Fireflies
Adam Young a.k.a. Owl City 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."
"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."
"You would not believe your eyes
If ten-million fireflies
Lit up the world
As I fell asleep
Cause they fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten-thousand lightning bugs
As they try to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep
If ten-million fireflies
Lit up the world
As I fell asleep
Cause they fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten-thousand lightning bugs
As they try to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep
To ten-million fireflies
I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes
As they said farewell
(Farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
Cause I'd save a few
And I'd keep them in a jar
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm
asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seems."
I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes
As they said farewell
(Farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
Cause I'd save a few
And I'd keep them in a jar
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm
asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seems."
___________________________________Behind The Lyrics_________________________________
"You would not believe your eyes
If ten-million fireflies
Lit up the world
As I fell asleep"
In this verse (and throughout the song) the singer uses metaphor to describe his experience of insomnia. The dancing fireflies are an illuminating metaphor for his racing thoughts as he tries to fall asleep.
"You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare"
Staring is normally considered ‘rude’ to people, but the speaker would be unable to refrain from staring at fireflies. The scene would be so stunning, with beautiful, flying spots of light, that the speaker would stare without shame or deference to etiquette.
No matter how many times you see them, fireflies have a tendency to capture the imagination and fascinate the viewer. One of life’s simple pleasures is to sit out on a dark summer night and watch hundreds (or thousands) of fireflies twinkle like stars across the landscape.
"I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly"
What he's saying here is that sometimes he and almost everyone else have trouble accepting the truth about the world. The example he used is the speed at which the Earth spins. That topic is commonly debated among many people. If you think about we all deny the truth at some point in our lives.
"Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten-thousand lightning bugs
As they try to teach me how to dance"
Transitioning from the hook, these lines offer an example of how things are never as they seem to the singer. These lines show how the singer’s thoughts keep him out of bed at night, with ideas like dancing.
The math in these lines have caused their fair share of confusion, but in 2017 clarity was finally provided by Owl City on their Facebook page. A fan asked: "Does each firefly hug you 1.00 times or do only 1/10th of the bugs give you a hug?"
To which Adam answered:
"Great question. 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."
"A disco ball is just hanging by a thread"
The singer recognizes that the fanciful illusion that has been building up in his head, is just that, an illusion. Its connection to reality is tenuous at best, and unraveling before his very eyes.
The fact that the ball is hanging by a thread may also signify how precarious his dream’s existence is, that it could take anything to cut the string, have the ball come crashing down, and jolt him back to reality.
"Leave my door open just a crack"
Children sometimes ask their parents to leave their door open just a crack, seeing the small light let in through the crack helps them fall asleep. So here he could be so desperate to fall asleep that he’s trying everything, even things he did as a child.
Or he is saying to leave his door open so he can always transport from reality to this world of fantasy, dreams, or hallucinations where he finds relief, or inspiration… a place to blow off steam.
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