Single Stories: Daniel Powter, “Bad Day”

12 years ago today, Daniel Powter sat atop the Billboard Hot 100, making this a good day to do a Single Stories piece on “Bad Day.”

Written by Powter and produced by Mitchell Froom and Jeff Dawson, “Bad Day” was actually recorded by Powter and Dawson in 2002, but after doing so, they failed to find a record label that was interested in releasing it. After Tom Whalley, chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers Records, heard a demo tape of the song, he offered Powter a contract, and to say that it was a move that paid off in spades is one of the great understatements of all time.

Naturally, critics wanted to take potshots at the song, but if Powter was hurt by their remarks, it’s probable that any emotional damage done by their words was repaired by the song’s sales and airplay. “Bad Day” was the first song ever to sell two million digital copies in the US, but it didn’t stop there: it eventually went triple platinum in America and also shifted platinum units in Australia, Canada, and the UK. (The Canadian success stands to reason, since Powter is Canadian.) Oh, and in addition to topping the Hot 100, it also topped Billboard’s Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts.

Yes, those were some pretty darned good days for Daniel Powter...