OneRepublic vocalist Ryan Tedder and bass player Brent Kutzle had this song in the works before the coronavirus outbreak took hold. After returning home to America in mid-March 2020 following their European tour, it became obvious the tune needed to be completed. Its message of "better days" lying ahead had come to reality as COVID-19 spread around the planet. The band were quarantined for two weeks after being exposed to someone with coronavirus, so Tedder finished and released the tune while self-isolating. "I couldn't help but be enormously affected by what was going on around the world right now," the OneRepublic frontman wrote on Instagram. "I wanted to provide a glimmer of hope, but also timestamp this moment in time in this song." "This was a cathartic moment and release for me. I needed to process what's going on, knowing so many people now that are sick and dying around the world," he added. "But I also wanted it to be hopeful."
Around the same time OneRepublic were completing the song, they put out a call to their worldwide fans to share images of kindness and connection that are helping them get through the corona crisis. The band collected the images together for the song's uplifting video, which showcases hope and love during the global lockdown.
OneRepublic and Interscope Records donated a portion of the proceeds from "Better Days" streams through September 2020 to MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.
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