24 Hrs

Album: 24 HRS (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Olly Murs split from his girlfriend of three years, property developer Francesca Thomas, in late 2016 and his fifth album was written in the aftermath. The singer told the BBC he didn't intend to write a breakup record, but the lyrics came pouring out in the studio.

    "When you've broken up with someone, the first part of the day you might be 'Cool, it's fine, happy days'. And then, all of a sudden you remember 'Oh no, I'm on my own. I miss her'," he said. "So it was like 'Yeah, let's write something a little bit like that.'"
  • Murs recalls on this song the intensely mixed emotions he had the day after the break up:

    Thanks so much for letting me know
    That you're finally letting me go
    My mind is out of control
    But it feels so good


    He told HMV.com: "I remember the 24 hours when I broke up with my girlfriend and it was like an out of body experience, I had no idea whether to be happy or down, it was an odd day."
  • Asked when he settled on the title of 24 HRs, Murs replied:

    "I really struggled with this one, I had no idea what to call it. 24HRs really popped out of nowhere, we had the song and I knew it would be on the album, but I wanted there to be more to it than that. For me it's about how we all have good days and bad days, live everyday like it's your last, especially with all the stuff that's going on in the world at the moment, try and smile and love each other."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."