“Glad You Exist” by Dan + Shay

As the title of this song implies (“Glad You Exist”), it is based on the singer’s strong appreciation of his relationship with the addressee. Dan + Shay recorded it during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and intended it to be “a message of gratitude and hope”. Basically they wanted the wording to serve as an exemplary expression of interpersonal love during what has been a trying time for many members of the human race. But honestly “Glad You Exist”, inherently reads like a love song. And perhaps such is logical considering that the titular phrase itself originated amongst the artists as one which Dan regularly tells to his wife.

Verse 1

But with the original intent in mind yes, the lyrics are, to some extent, ambiguous enough that the singer can be said to be talking of a really-close friend or family member. Well, at least such can be concluded based on the first verse, before delving too deep into the song. For instance, at the beginning of the track we are made aware that the addressee is always on-call to respond to the singer, even inconveniently during late nights. This person also doesn’t judge the vocalist, even when the singer has clearly made “bad decisions”.

Verse 2

But outside of the chorus, which we will get to later, it is during the second verse where we begin receiving hints that the addressee is in fact a romantic interest. For instance, we are made aware that this is someone who the singer did not even know until a short time ago when either he or the addressee introduced themselves to the other. That’s one of the clearest signs that he may be speaking to his significant other as opposed to a family member or conventional friend, as such acquaintances usually generate from “a hello”, or we can say the male approaching the female. 

Moreover, the narrator enlightens the audience to the fact that during special moments he and the addressee feel as if it is ‘just them in the room’. And that’s definitely not the type of sentiment one would normally relay to a platonic friend. Indeed the two of them tend to say “all the right words at the right time” to each other. Furthermore, the addressee also knows the singer “better than anyone else”. That later statement can be applied to one’s best buddy. But in terms of the former, such sayings are more reserved for the realm of romance.

Chorus of “Glad You Exist”

Then concerning the chorus, we have the narrator telling the addressee that out of all the “couple billion people in the world”, he is appreciative that this person has chosen to be by his side. This is the reason why he is so “glad” that this individual ‘exists’. And such is not necessarily a romantic statement. In fact it isn’t until late in the song, at the conclusion of the bridge, that Dan + Shay let the cat out of the bag. For it is here where, on top of begging the addressee not to “ever let… go”, they also refer to this person explicitly as “baby”. And let’s just say that traditionally speaking that’s not a term of endearment which one dude for instance would relay to another, regardless of how close they may be. And as such, general applicability is pretty much thrown out the window.

Conclusion

So in all, this track marks a notable effort in releasing a song with universal applicability for those whom we truly love and appreciate. And given Dan + Shay’s recent track record (prior to the release of the tune), it will most likely be a hit. But as we pointed out in the past, sometimes as far as the music industry is concerned, lyrics which are meant to have sort of an all-inclusive feel or message often end up evolving into love songs. And such is ultimately the case with “Glad You Exist”.

Quick Facts about “Glad You Exist”

This song was co-written by Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney (aka Dan + Shay). And its other co-writers are as follows:

• Jordan Reynolds
• Ryan Lewis
• Tayla Parx

It was also Dan Smyers who produced the track, in addition to him being the one who conceptualized the phrase “glad you exist”. In fact as he tells it, it is a term which he commonly imparts onto his wife as a sign of love and appreciation. And he and his partner Shay also thought it could be transformed into a cool track. And after it was laid down, Dan referred to it as “more than just a song to us”, further elaborating that they’re “proud of this one”, and “it’s different than anything” the pair has done prior.

Part of the reason he made such a statement is because the tune was actually recorded during the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent quarantines. In fact they recorded “Glad You Exist” on Dan’s laptop, alongside it utilizing “a couple [of] microphones and an acoustic guitar”.

The official release date of this track, via the Warner Music Group, was on 5 February 2021.