One Day Like This

It was the final song written for the album, added after David Joseph of Universal asked for something radio could play, and it was written and recorded in about two weeks. The chorus line had sat in Garvey's diary for years. He brought a simple rising melody, Craig Potter built the chords, and Potter said that once the closing chords were in place the song had a Hey Jude feel. The three touring string players, Ian Burdge, Prabjote Osahn and Stella Page, were moved around the room to sound like a bigger section, and also sang backing vocals. The band recorded the handclaps standing round a single microphone. The main chorus arrives at 2:06 and comes back five more times.

Garvey said the aim was something simple, uplifting and positive. In 2022 he told NME it was the band's one great big song, about a moment that feels rosy rather than a claim that all is well. Mojo's Pat Gilbert wrote that it ranks high among the songs people are married or buried to. Released as the album's second single in June 2008, it peaked at 35, then reached four after the London 2012 closing ceremony, and has spent more weeks in the UK top 75 than any other Elbow single. It won the Ivor Novello for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2009 and is triple platinum in the UK. Rigan Ledwidge's video follows David Lemke, a sign spinner, twirling a red sign advertising condos at a busy junction.

Live

First played at Porchester Hall in London on 12 February 2008, it is the band's second most played song, logged around 400 times on setlist.fm. It closed their Glastonbury sets in 2008 and 2022, was part of the Abbey Road concert with the BBC Concert Orchestra, and was played at the Olympics closing ceremony alongside Open Arms.

Snow Patrol covered it for Jo Whiley's Live Lounge, Sarah Brightman released it as a single in 2013 and Gretta Ray recorded it in 2023. Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band segued into it from Hey Jude in their 2009 Children in Need medley. The upload in the hypersongs web is the official video, a 4:12 edit of the studio recording.