Life at Best

Life at Best
Studio album by
Eli Young Band
ReleasedAugust 16, 2011 (2011-08-16)
StudiosDark Horse Recording (Franklin, TN)
Wrucke's House (Nashville, TN)
GenreCountry
Length50:19
LabelRepublic Nashville
Producers
Eli Young Band chronology
Jet Black & Jealous
(2008)		 Life at Best
(2011)		 10,000 Towns
(2014)
Singles from Life at Best
  1. "Crazy Girl"
    Released: March 7, 2011
  2. "Even If It Breaks Your Heart"
    Released: January 23, 2012
  3. "Say Goodnight"
    Released: August 27, 2012
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStarHalf star
Country WeeklyStarStarStarStar

Life at Best is the third studio album by American country music group Eli Young Band. It was released on August 16, 2011 via Republic Nashville. The album includes the number one singles "Crazy Girl" and "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" as well as "Say Goodnight", which peaked at number 22 on the Country Airplay Chart. According to HITS Daily Double, the album sold 348,000 copies as of February 2014. A "15 Years Deluxe" reissue was released on May 15, 2026.

Reception

Critical

Giving it four stars out of five, Steve Morley of Country Weekly said that the album "rings with roots-rock guitars and meaty, often melancholy themes". A less favorable review came from Andrew Leahey of AllMusic, who thought that it was a "step backwards" because he did not consider its songs as memorable as those on Jet Black & Jealous.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Even If It Breaks Your Heart"
3:40
2."Crazy Girl"
3:20
3."Every Other Memory"
4:44
4."On My Way"
  • Scooter Carusoe
  • Jon Jones
  • James Young
3:26
5."Skeletons"
3:21
6."I Love You"
3:20
7."The Fight"
4:25
8."My Old Man's Son"
  • Lance W. Adkins
  • Eli
  • Blu Sanders
3:42
9."Recover"
  • Eli
  • Young
  • Jacobs
2:58
10."The Falling"
  • Eli
  • Ryan James
3:38
11."War on a Desperate Man"
  • Eli
  • Sanders
4:06
12."Say Goodnight"
3:08
13."How Quickly You Forget"
  • Eli
  • Hemby
  • Daniel Tashian
3:40
14."Life at Best"
  • Eli
  • Young
2:51
Total length:50:19
15-year anniversary deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Go Outside and Dance" (Unreleased Track)
  • Adam Hood
  • Brent Cobb
2:32
16."Room Goes Dark" (Demo)
  • Eli
  • Mando Saenz
  • Young
3:13
17."Me and Jack" (Demo)
  • Eli
  • Bryan Tyler
  • Young
3:23
18."Crazy Girl" (Acoustic)
  • Rose
  • Paslay
3:08
19."Say Goodnight" (Radio Edit)
  • Elam
  • Peirce
  • White
2:57
20."The Fight" (Single Edit)
  • Hemby
  • Putnam
3:54

Personnel

Adapted from the Life at Best liner notes.

Eli Young Band
Production
Additional musicians

Chart performance

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country
 US Country Airplay
 US
 CAN
2011 "Crazy Girl" 1 — 30 66
  • CAN: Gold
  • US: 5× Platinum
2012 "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" 1 — 29 56
  • US: 3× Platinum
"Say Goodnight" 31 22 110 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA) Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Wyland, Sarah (August 4, 2012). "Eli Young Band's Crowds Get Loud". Great American Country. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Leahey, Andrew. "Life at Best review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Morley, Steve (August 10, 2011). "Life at Best review". Country Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ Life at Best (booklet). Eli Young Band. Republic Nashville. 2011. B001585602.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Eli Young Band – Life at Best". Hung Medien.
  6. ↑ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Eli Young Band Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Canadian digital certifications – Eli Young Band – Crazy Girl". Music Canada.
  15. ↑ "American single certifications – Eli Young Band – Crazy Girl". Recording Industry Association of America.
  16. ↑ "American single certifications – Eli Young Band – Even If It Breaks Your Heart". Recording Industry Association of America.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Eli Young Band – Life at Best". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 14, 2024.