100 Years (song)

Background and composition

Written and composed by John Ondrasik, "100 Years" is in the key of G major, with a time signature and vocal range of D4 to B5. The lyrics tell the perspective of a man recollecting key life moments from ages 15 to 99, including romance, fatherhood, and midlife crisis.

In a 2004 interview with VH1, Ondrasik summarized the message he wanted to convey in "100 Years": "You can't enjoy every moment. Obviously, life is not good all the time, but it's all we have."

In 2021, Ondrasik reflected on the songwriting of "100 Years" to American Songwriter:

Critical reception

People praised "100 Years" as a "poignant piano-based tune" with a "well-crafted message", in a review rating The Battle for Everything 3.5 out of four stars. For Billboard, Chuck Taylor commented: "The innate vulnerability of Ondrasik's voice ideally suits the message, making this among the most intelligent, poignant songs of the year." Elysa Gardner of USA Today noticed "self-conscious sensitivity and bleating tenor" by Five for Fighting in "100 Years" and some other tracks on The Battle for Everything.

Todd Goldstein of PopMatters had a more mixed review, calling the song "catchy" but criticizing the lyrical themes as "obvious, painfully overdone".

Chart performance

"100 Years" peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles charts at number 28, for the week ending May 24, 2004. In December 2004, on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2004 chart, "100 Years" was ranked at number 77 overall for the year.

"100 Years" peaked at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for the week ending May 7, 2004. It went on to be the longest-running number-one single of 2004 on the Adult Contemporary chart, staying at number one for 12 non-consecutive weeks. The song spent a total of 52 weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Music video

The music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy. VH1 began playing the "100 Years" video around January 12, 2004. For the week ending January 25, 2004, "100 Years" ranked ninth among VH1's 40 most played music videos.

In the video, images of Ondrasik singing and playing the song at the piano are intercut with fictional versions of himself as a 15-year-old boy, a 22-year-old, a 33-year-old, a man in his middle 40s, and finally a 99-year-old version of himself, reflecting the song's lyrics. At the end of the song, Ondrasik meets his older self. Los Angeles singer-songwriter Matthew Jordan appeared in the video as 15-year-old Ondrasik.

Track listing

Australian CD single

1. "100 Years"
2. "Sister Sunshine"
3. "Maybe I" (acoustic version)
4. "100 Years" (acoustic version)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

References

1. Varias, Chris. (April 6, 2018). "Cincinnati Pops gets Five for Fighting". Cincinnati Enquirer.
2. (March 29, 2004). "100 Years". MusicNotes.
3. "100 Years Lyrics". MetroLyrics.
4. (March 11, 2004). "Five for Fighting: Put 'Em Up". VH1.
5. Uitti, Jacob. (October 18, 2021). "Behind the Song: "100 Years" by Five for Fighting".
6. (February 16, 2004). "Picks and Pans: Music".
7. (June 24, 2004). "Five for Fighting: The Battle for Everything". PopMatters.
8. [http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-08-31/adult-contemporary Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart info] Billboard.com. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
9. "100 Years, Five For Fighting". TreyFanjoy.com.
10. (January 31, 2004). "Billboard Video Monitor".
11. (February 7, 2004). "Billboard Video Monitor".
12. (June 2, 2007). "Congratulations". Burbank Leader.
13. (2004). "100 Years". [[Columbia Records]], [[Aware Records]].
14. "Billboard Top 100 – 2004".
15. (December 25, 2004). "Year in Music & Touring".
16. (December 17, 2004). "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Triple-A Songs".
17. (November 14, 2003). "Going for Adds".
18. (January 9, 2004). "Going for Adds".
19. (January 30, 2004). "Going for Adds".
20. (May 10, 2004). "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th May 2004". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.