| "It Was a Good Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byIce Cube | ||||
| from the albumThe Predator | ||||
| Released | February 23, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | May 1992 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | DJ Pooh | |||
| Ice Cube singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "It Was a Good Day" onYouTube | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapperIce Cube, released on February 23, 1993, byLench Mob andPriority as the second single from his third solo album,The Predator (1992). The song was written by Ice Cube and produced byDJ Pooh, peaking at No. 7 on the USBillboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 27 on theUK Charts. On theBillboardHot 100, the song peaked at No. 15, making it Ice Cube's highest-charting single on the chart to date. Its music video was directed byF. Gary Gray. The song's lyrics describe a generic pleasant day from his life; from details like theLos Angeles Lakers beating theSeattle SuperSonics and a smog-free day in Los Angeles.
"It Was a Good Day" was ranked at No. 81 on the list of greatest rap songs of all time byAbout.com, No. 77 onVH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, No. 36 onRolling Stone's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, and No. 352 on the latter's list of Top 500 Best Songs of All Time.[1] In 2008, the song was ranked at No. 28 on VH1's 100 greatest hip-hop songs.[7]
Ice Cube originally recorded a demo of "It Was a Good Day" in his home studio, and later went on to record the album version at Echo Sound Studios in Los Angeles in 1992, where it was one of the first ideas for his upcoming album.[8] He later said, "The inspiration was my life at the time... I was at the top of the rap game. It was the summer of '92 and I was in a hotel room, really in a state of euphoria. I had all the money I had dreamed of. I was in a good frame of mind. And I remember thinking, 'Okay, there's beenthe riots, people know I will deal with that. That's a given. But I rap all this gangsta stuff—what about all the good days I had?'"[8]
Initially, Ice Cube went into the studio with a sample of theIsley Brothers' song "Footsteps in the Dark".DJ Pooh later enhanced the production with bass and vocals.[8] The song samples "Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2" andThe Moments' song "Sexy Mama".[9] It has been re-released multiple times, including on Ice Cube'sGreatest Hits album,Bootlegs & B-Sides, andThe N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988–1998.
In a 2012Tumblr post, comedianDonovan Strain used the song's lyrics to determine that the titular "Good Day" likely occurred on January 20, 1992.[10] Strain wrote that this date was "the only day whereYo! MTV Raps was on air, it was a clear and smogless day in Los Angeles, beepers orpagers were commercially sold,Lakers beat theSonics, and Ice Cube had no filming commitments".[11]Deadspin fact-checked some of the claims.[12]
Online sleuths noted several inconsistencies in Strain's reasoning. For example, it was reported thatYo! MTV Raps did not air that day in 1992 and that "it is unlikely that Ice Cube got 'a beep from Kim' for abooty call since the likely Kim, Ice Cube's fiancée by 1992, was eight months pregnant at the time".[13] Due to these errors, an alternative date has been calculated by a blogger pointing to November 30, 1988.[14]
Ice Cube himself stated that the lyrics are made up of things that happened on a number of different days: "It's a fictional song. It's basically my interpretation of what a great day would be… it's a little of this and a little of that. I don't think you can pinpoint the day."[15]
In 2014, Ice Cube agreed to support a fundraising campaign started by four close friends describing themselves as "diehard rap aficionados" who wanted to raise and donate $25,000 to the South Los Angeles charity and after-school youth center A Place Called Home (APCH) if theGoodyear Blimp would display lyrics from the third verse of "It Was a Good Day".[16] After Ice Cube spoke about the fundraising campaign onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon, Goodyear quickly agreed.[17] However, given the nature of the fundraiser and the organization, Goodyear decided against using the word "pimp" and instead flew the blimp with messages stating "Today is a Good Day" and "Flying For a Good Cause—A Place Called Home".[16]
In 2025, Goodyear sponsored Ice Cube's Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour, his first tour in over a decade.[18] This time, the company promised to display the famous words "Ice Cube's A Pimp" on the Goodyear Blimp above select venues on the tour.[18]
The song was universally acclaimed by critics.AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier noted that even though it wasThe Predator's "most laid-back moment, [it] emits a quiet sense of violent anxiety." He further stated that the song was, "a truly beautiful moment, a career highlight for sure."[19]Blender magazine writer, Michael Odel, felt that the song contained, "a chilled-out, feel-good vibe".[8]Greg Sandow fromEntertainment Weekly mentioned that Ice Cube rapped over a "partly melancholy, partly swaggering beat [and] glories in good luck, South Central style".[20]Robert Hilburn fromLos Angeles Times wrote, "Here is another one of pop’s most gifted--and often misunderstood--artists. The images are a bit bawdy, but the track [...] is noteworthy for the way this controversial rapper reveals a welcome tender side."[21] In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton said, "Thus it is that when Ice Cube finally crosses over and gets his first UK hit, it is with "It Was a Good Day" a laid-back mellow rap, far removed from his usual uncompromising throwdown and may even stand a chance of crossing over even further."[22]
Jon Selzer fromMelody Maker felt it's "so laid back and pastoral it could almost beDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, but its tale of cruising and getting laid is undercut with a darker edge."[23] Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave the song three out of five, declaring it as "a rare low-key offering from the controversial rapper [that] inevitably mentions his bete noir — cops — but is an unusually optimistic celebration, set against samples fromthe Isley Brothers andthe Moments." He added, "Likely to appeal to a wide audience, with good radio potential."[24] AnotherMusic Week editor, Andy Beevers, also gave it three out of five, writing that the song "sees Ice Cube in an uncharacteristically mellow and reflective mood. Its more commercial sound should reach beyond his fan base."[25] Ian McCann fromNME wrote, "A slow, borrowed-from-the-Isley-Brothers groove just jogs along there somehow, and suddenly it's summer in the mean streets of LA."[26]Adam Higginbotham fromSelect named it a "laidback Isleys groove".[27]Charles Aaron fromSpin commented, "Outta the disastrous, misanthropic morass ofThe Predator emerges this way-too-real gangsta fairy tale. Cube is firing wildly in the wilderness, but don't toe-tag him yet."[28]Vibe magazine described DJ Pooh's beat as a "smoothed-out production".[29]
The accompanying music video for "It Was a Good Day" was directed by American director and producerF. Gary Gray and was first aired in March 1993.[30] It was later made available onYouTube in February 2009 and had generated more than 298 million views as of October 2024.[31]
The music video follows the song's lyrics, with Ice Cube waking up in the morning in his house inLos Angeles, eating breakfast with his family, driving around in his green 1964Chevrolet Impala, winning a pickup game of street basketball, avoiding police, going over to a friend's house, watchingYo! MTV Raps, winning games ofcraps anddominoes, and thanking God for nogang violence–related deaths during the day. Later, he picks up an old 12th-grade crush named Kim; they drink, smoke, watch anNBA game, and have sex; he then drives her home and goes toFatburger. At the end of the video, as Ice Cube is about to enter his house,LAPD police cars and helicopters surround him, but he ignores them and enters his house with police following behind him with text onscreen saying "To Be Continued...", setting up the plot for the music video to Ice Cube's following single "Check Yo Self". The video contains appearances byWC ofWC and the Maad Circle, Jerome "Shorty" Muhammad and J-Dee ofDa Lench Mob, Ron Riser and Robin Power.
In June 1994, "It Was a Good Day" won one ofASCAP's R&B Music Awards.[32] It reached No. 36 onRolling Stone's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time and No. 77 onVH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.[33] The song was also included inAbout.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, at No. 81.[34] In 2008, it was ranked No. 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[49] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[50] | Gold | 300,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[51] sales since 2009 | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[52] | 5× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[53] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[54] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[56] | Gold | 600,000[55] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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