Songfacts®:

• This was the second single to be released from British electronic music artist Just Jack's second album, All Night Cinema.
• In an interview with Subba Cultcha, Just Jack was asked if he agreed that this song is maybe darker than what people are maybe used to from him. The electronic music artist replied: "It kinda of is dark and it isn't... I mean it's also been described as an uplifting song about death, so I guess it's how you view it. I personally don't think it is. It's more about the geeza whose day it is and the good things that happen to him; rather than the fact he dies. I mean the fans who know more than just my singles won't be that surprised, I've written dark songs before... But for people who are only really starting to listen I guess it is, I don't know."
• Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt stars in the song's music video, which was shot in East London and Just Jack makes a cameo appearance as a paramedic. It was Elton John who chose Nesbitt for the role. Just Jack told Subba Culthcha how this happened: "Elton John is involved with my management company and we were trying to cast someone to play the role. I had a few people in mind but wasn't sure whether we were going to get anyone. So I got in touch with him and asked him if he knew anyone suitable and he spoke with Jimmy Nesbitt, asking him if he'd do it; and he said he would."
• Just Jack told The Independent August 29 2009 that this song is spoken-word rather than rap. He explained: "It's still a song, with verses. Part of it is that I didn't want to been seen as an MC. I wanted to be like a rapper in the hip-hop tradition, but realised I never had enough focus to be competitive. In that culture, people who get good are focused on one thing, whether they are amazing graffiti artists or DJs that practice the same amount as a kid playing the violin. I tried to do my own thing, incorporating what I love about hip-hop, so I didn't have to directly compete."
• Students.ch asked Just Jack where he finds his inspiration for making music. He replied: "I basically just go out and look at people, watch people… and think a lot, just think a lot about stuff. The thing is, you'll come up with an idea, but then writing it down tends to be really hard. You'd start out with a concept, but then while writing it down, you realize, that it can't really be made into a song. With 'The Day I Died', I wrote the first verse and a half four years ago and the rest I then completed a year ago, so it just took me that long to actually complete it, to face it and say 'I've got to finish this f---ing song!', because I really like the song, but I was just being lazy. And it was hard to write since I wanted everything to fit really perfectly."