{{short description|2019 single by AJR}} {{Infobox song | name = 100 Bad Days | cover = 100_Bad_Days_Single.jpg | type = single | artist = AJR | album = Neotheater | released = {{start date|2019|01|29}} | recorded = 2018 | studio = | genre = Pop | length = 3:32 | label = S-Curve | writer = * Jack Met * Adam Met * Ryan Met | producer = Ryan Met | prev_title = Pretender | prev_year = 2018 | next_title = Birthday Party | next_year = 2019 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|2c4dB52ehAE|"100 Bad Days"}}}} }}
"'''100 Bad Days'''" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on January 29, 2019 via S-Curve Records as the lead single from the band's third studio album ''Neotheater''.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ajr-new-single-100-bad-days-listen-8495842/|title=AJR Laugh About Their Failures In New Single '100 Bad Days'|publisher=Billboard|last=Aniftos|first=Rania|date=January 30, 2019|accessdate=August 5, 2023}}</ref>
==Background== After AJR released their second studio album, ''The Click'' (2017), they faced severe writer's block.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-04-30-ajr-talk-about-how-100-bad-days-cured-their-writers-block/|title=AJR Talk About How '100 Bad Days' Cured Their Writer's Block|publisher=iHeartRadio|last=Nattress|first=Katrina|date=April 30, 2019|accessdate=August 5, 2023}}</ref> In an interview, Ryan Met tells ''Billboard'' "We were at Columbia University [and] we were having a tough time because we had terrible writer's block, and "100 Bad Days" was actually the song that solved that writer's block". The song's writing began with a note on Jack's phone: "A million bad days make a million good stories". The band then tweaked it into a more unique idea, turning the line into the song's hook.<ref>{{cite web |last=Widran|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ajr-band-interview-2019.htm|title=Ryan Met Of Indie Pop Band AJR, Talks About Their Hit Songs "100 Bad Days" and "Burn The House Down," And Their Album, Neotheater|website=Songwriter Universe|language=en|date=July 30, 2019|accessdate=January 11, 2024}}</ref>
Jack Met explained the inspiration for the type of song to ''Billboard'', which they summarized "They had written both pre-game songs and mid-party songs for when everyone is comfortable and having a great time, but they had never written a song for the party comedown".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/ajr-video-interview-100-bad-days-8509186/|title=AJR Explain How '100 Bad Days' Cured Their Writer's Block & Why It's a Song About Staying Positive|publisher=Billboard|last=Schiller|first=Rebecca|date=April 30, 2019|accessdate=August 5, 2023}}</ref> AJR created the song in the living room of their apartment in New York.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene|first=Andy|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-i-wrote-this-ajr-100-bad-days-835778/|title=How I Wrote This: AJR Break Down Their Single '100 Bad Days'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 17, 2019|accessdate=January 11, 2024}}</ref>
==Composition== "100 Bad Days" is composed in {{music|time|4|4}} common time in the key of B-flat major, with a tempo of 144 beats per minute (bpm).
==Music video== On March 7, 2019, an official music video directed by Tim Nackashi was released,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicmayhemmagazine.com/ajr-drop-intergalactic-futuristic-video-for-single-100-bad-days/|title=AJR Drop Intergalactic, Futuristic Video For Single '100 Bad Days'|website=MusicMayhemMagazine|date=March 11, 2019|accessdate=August 5, 2023}}</ref> featuring the band performing the song on drums in an empty room.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nattress|first=Katrina|url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2019-03-08-ajr-become-disembodied-heads-in-trippy-100-bad-days-video-watch/|title=AJR Become Disembodied Heads In Trippy '100 Bad Days' Video: Watch|website=iHeartRadio|language=en|date=March 8, 2019|accessdate=January 10, 2024}}</ref> The video heavily uses visual effects produced by London Alley, using chroma key to create surreal futuristic imagery and dismember the band as floating heads with disappearing and reappearing hands.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Legaspi|first=Althea|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ajr-100-bad-days-video-watch-805114/|title=See AJR's Trippy Video For '100 Bad Days' Featuring Disembodied Heads|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en|date=March 7, 2019|accessdate=January 11, 2024}}</ref> During production, AJR favored creating a "visually compelling" and eerie music video in contrast to their previous story-driven videos. Nackashi abstractly conveys the song's meaning through this, stating that it's "a visual metaphor for [the band] being formed out of these rough experiences and memories they have, building the character of who they are".<ref>{{cite web |author=AJR|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afgwf0-Cp64|title=AJR - 100 Bad Days (Behind the Scenes)|website=YouTube|language=en|year=2019|accessdate=January 11, 2024}}</ref> As of January 2024, the music video on YouTube has received over 29 million views.
==Critical reception== The song has received positive reception with ''Rolling Stone'' describing "100 Bad Days" as "a catchy song, blending motivational pop vibes, light orchestral flourishes and more into a smooth whirl".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ajr-100-bad-days-new-song-784577/|title=AJR Return With Catchy, Goofy, Happy Single '100 Bad Days'|publisher=Rolling Stone|last=Vozick-Levinson|first=Simon|date=January 30, 2019|accessdate=August 5, 2023}}</ref> ''Billboard'' comments that "the brother[s] sing about drunken foolishness, heartbreak and empty audiences at their gigs, all of which are sure to cause some sadness but are masked by a catchy pop melody and soaring instrumentation".<ref name=":3"/> The band performed the song on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on March 12, 2019, re-creating some of the visual effects used in the song's music video.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Legaspi|first=Althea|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ajr-100-bad-days-jimmy-kimmel-live-watch-806911/|title=AJR Bring Exuberant '100 Bad Days' Performance to 'Kimmel'|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en|date=March 12, 2019|accessdate=January 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Acevedo|first=Angelica|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/ajr-perform-100-bad-days-jimmy-kimmel-8502164/|title=AJR Give Debut Performance Of '100 Bad Days' On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!': Watch|magazine=Billboard|language=en|date=March 12, 2019|accessdate=January 10, 2024}}</ref>
==Personnel== Credits adapted from Tidal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Credits / 100 Bad Days / AJR |url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/102716566/credits |date=January 29, 2019 |publisher=Tidal |accessdate=October 21, 2023}}</ref>
{{div col}} * Adam Met – vocals, instruments, composer * Jack Met – main vocals, instruments, composer * Ryan Met – vocals, instruments, composer, producer * Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer * Drew Allsbrook – audio mixing * Joe Zook – mixing engineer * Bruce Healey – arranger * Chris Berry – drums * JJ Kirkpatrick – trumpet * Emelia Suljic – violin {{div col end}}
==Nominations== At the 2019 Teen Choice Awards, AJR received a nomination in the Choice Rock Song category for "100 Bad Days", ultimately losing to Panic! at the Disco's "Hey Look Ma, I Made It".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Yang |first1=Rachel |title=Teen Choice Awards 2019: See the full list of winners and nominees |url=https://ew.com/awards/2019/08/11/teen-choice-awards-2019-see-full-list-winners-nominees/ |access-date=August 14, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=August 11, 2019}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Nominations for "100 Bad Days" |- ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Organization ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Result |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Rock Song | {{nom}} |}
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Weekly chart performance for "100 Bad Days" ! scope="col"| Chart (2019) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{single chart|Billboardcanadarock|43|artist=AJR|rowheader=true|access-date=August 5, 2023}} |- ! scope="row"| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/hot-singles/2019-02-08|title=NZ Hot Singles Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=February 11, 2019|access-date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> | 40 |- {{single chart|Billboardalternativesongs|3|artist=AJR|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 2, 2023}} |- ! scope="row"| US Alternative Digital Song Sales (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Alternative Digital Song Sales|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/alternative-digital-song-sales/2019-02-16/|magazine=Billboard|date=February 16, 2019|access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref> | 9 |- {{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|7|artist=AJR|rowheader=true|access-date=August 5, 2023}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrockairplay|10|artist=AJR|rowheader=true|access-date=August 5, 2023}} |- ! scope="row"| US Rock Digital Song Sales (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Rock Digital Song Sales|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-digital-song-sales/2019-02-16/|magazine=Billboard|date=February 16, 2019|access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref> | 13 |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+Year-end chart performance for "100 Bad Days" ! scope="col"| Chart (2019) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2019/hot-rock-songs/|title=Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2019|magazine=Billboard|date=2 January 2019|access-date=August 5, 2023}}</ref> | 9 |- ! scope="row"| US Rock Airplay (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2019/rock-airplay-songs/|title=Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2019|magazine=Billboard|date=13 December 2019|access-date=December 2, 2021}}</ref> | 29 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "100 Bad Days"}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=AJR|title=100 Bad Days|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2022|access-date=August 5, 2022}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2019|certyear=2021|artist=AJR|title=100 Bad Days|access-date=August 5, 2023}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=AJR|title=100 Bad Days|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2025|source=radioscope|access-date=January 18, 2025}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=AJR|title=100 Bad Days|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2025|access-date=January 31, 2025}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{AJR songs}} {{authority control}}
Category:AJR songs Category:2019 songs Category:2019 singles