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)	Adam Young
Producer(s)	Young
Owl City singles chronology
"Good Time" (2012) "Beautiful Times" (2014) "Tokyo" (2014)
Lindsey Stirling singles chronology
"Beyond the Veil" (2014) "Beautiful Times" (2014) "Shatter Me" (2014)
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

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] Written and produced by Young, the track runs at 136 BPM and is in the key of A major.^[5] The song has been described as an "upbeat" track.^[6] 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.^[7] 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."^[8]

Critical reception

Christian Rockafeller of Music Times calls the music video "a gorgeous and whimsical cinematic tale." Musically, he praised Stirling's violin skills stating it as "inimitable" and "impressive."^[9]

Music video

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."^[6] The music video showcases a young protagonist waking up and venturing beyond his own world, while it features clips of Young and Stirling performing the song.^[9]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[10]

• Owl City – composer, primary artist
• Lindsey Stirling – featured artist

Charts

Chart performance for "Beautiful Times"

Chart (2014)	Peak position
CIS Airplay (TopHit)[11]	177
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[12]	91
South Korea (GAON) (International Chart)[13]	48
US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[14]	26

Release history

Release history for "Beautiful Times"

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	April 8, 2014	Digital download streaming	Republic	[15]

References

1. Matt Crane (April 8, 2014). "Owl City streams new single, Beautiful Times (ft. Lindsey Stirling)". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
2. "Piece five of the April single album artwork on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
3. "Piece four of the April single album artwork on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
4. Michele Bird (April 4, 2014). "Owl City to release new single, Beautiful Times". Alternative Press. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
5. "Key and BPM of Beautiful Times by Owl City". Musicstax.com. May 14, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
6. Nick Murray (June 26, 2014). "Watch Owl City's Whimsical Beautiful Times Video – Premiere". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
7. "Owl City – Bio". owlcitymusic.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
8. "Lindsey Stirling plays on Owl City's latest single". Cross Rhythms. April 23, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
9. Christian Rockafeller (June 27, 2014). "WATCH: Owl City 'Beautiful Times' Video from Ultraviolet EP (Republic Records) Features Violinist Lindsey Stirling [VIDEO]". Retrieved March 4, 2023.
10. "Owl City – Beautiful Times / Credits". All Music. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
11. Owl City — Beautiful Times. TopHit. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
12. "Owl City Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
13. "Gaon Digital Chart: 2014-04-04". GAON. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
14. "Owl City Chart History (Pop Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
15. "Beautiful Times (feat. Lindsey Stirling) - Single by Owl City". Apple Music. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2023.