"Glad You Exist" is a song by American

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

duo

Dan + Shay Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

. It was released as the third single from their fourth studio album, '' Good Things'' on February 5, 2021. The members of the duo, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney wrote the song along with

Tayla Parx Taylor is a unisex given name mainly in use in English-speaking countries, including England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The name Taylor also has been well used for characters on American and now some Australi ...

Ryan Lewis Ryan Scott Lewis (born March 25, 1988) is an American record producer, DJ, videographer, photographer, graphic designer, music video director, rapper, and songwriter. Along with producing his own album, ''Instrumentals'', Lewis produced the alb ...

, and Jordan Reynolds, the former of who produced it.

Background

On February 2, 2021, Dan + Shay explained the meaning of the song with a note through an

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post:

to us, glad you exist is more than just a song. it's a message of gratitude and hope. a message to everyone in our lives: our fans, our friends, our families, to remind them all how grateful we are to be on the planet at the same time. it's truly remarkable when you think about it. we've spent the majority of the past year, like many others, searching for answers and a sense of normalcy, but finding comfort in memories of better days (that we all know will return soon). concerts, bonfires, road trips with friends, even the simple things like date night at a restaurant, or beers at a bar during a football game. this song has taken on new meaning not being able to see our loved ones in person, but throughout history, music has always had a special way of bringing people together, even when we are furthest apart. these words hold a special place in our hearts, and hopefully they will in yours too. we've said it before, and we'll say it again (and again). we're just so glad you exist. every. single. one of you.

Speaking about the song, Dan Smyers told ''The Country Daily'' that he had the phrase "glad you exist" to be appreciative of his wife Abby Smyers and to be grateful that she is living in the same time that he is living. He brought it to Shay Mooney and the two were thinking of ideas, wanting to create a gratitude song about their friends, family, and fans.

Critical reception

Tomás Mier of ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' described the song as a "sweet, pop-country track" and that "the upbeat pop-infused track and its positive lyrics provide for the perfect optimistic soundtrack of 2021." ''CMT''s Jessica Nicholson theorized that the duo was influenced by the loneliness of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

to create the song and "it has also led many to find greater appreciation for the people they have in their lives.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. Dan + Shay *

Dan Smyers Dan + Shay (the plus symbol substituting for an ampersand as an 'and' indicator) is an American country pop music duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have release ...

– bass guitar, drums, piano, synthesizer, background vocals, production, programming, recording, songwriting *

Shay Mooney Dan + Shay (the plus symbol substituting for an ampersand as an 'and' indicator) is an American country pop music duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have release ...

– lead vocals, background vocals, songwriting Other musicians and technical * Abby Smyers – background vocals *

Bryan Sutton Bryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicking acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar. He also sings and writes songs. Biography Early career Sutton's grandfather and ...

– acoustic guitar * Jeff Juliano – mixing * Andrew Mendelson – mastering * Josh Ditty – additional engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs Dan + Shay songs Songs written by Dan Smyers Songs written by Shay Mooney Songs written by Tayla Parx Songs written by Ryan Lewis Country ballads Warner Records Nashville singles