Songfacts®:

• "This is the first true love song I've ever written," Beau Bokan said to IGN, speaking of this song. "I wrote it for my girlfriend and the title came when we spent 40 days apart. She wrote a song about me first and I used a line from her song it the chorus." Because of this, Bokan's tendency to explore his own emotions through Blessthefall songs expands into uncharacteristically optimistic territory.
• Musically the song showcases a softer side of the band, while lyrically it is extremely sentimental and tender. Bokan said that the band wanted to demonstrate the scope of their songwriting abilities by producing a track that could conceivably be played at a wedding.
• As its origins suggest, "40 Days…" has a counterpart song. The companion song, "…and Counting" appears on Synth-Pop singer Light's album, Siberia. It shares a common theme as well as the line "When I fall asleep I feel you with me, until I fall asleep and you are with me." Bokan and Light, who were at the time engaged, married in 2012.
• "40 Days..." was the second song released off the band's 2011 album, Awakening. The album debuted at #32, making it the band's highest charting release to date. Critics noted improved performances from all the band members as well as increased diversity of songs, while wondering if the inclusion of several softer numbers indicated a new direction for the band.