Today is Gonna Be a Great Day

"Today is Gonna Be a Great Day" is the theme song to Phineas and Ferb, performed by Bowling for Soup.

Broadcast version

 * There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation
 * Then school comes along just to end it
 * So the annual problem for our generation
 * Is finding a good way to spend it
 * Like maybe...


 * Building a rocket or fighting a mummy
 * Or climbing up the Eiffel Tower,
 * Discovering something that doesn't exist (Phineas: Hey!)
 * Or giving a monkey a shower
 * Surfing tidal waves, creating nanobots,
 * Or locating Frankenstein's brain, (Phineas: It's over here!)
 * Finding a Dodo bird, painting a continent,
 * Or driving our sister insane! (Candace: Phineas!)


 * As you can see,
 * There's a whole lot of stuff to do before school starts this fall (Phineas: Come on, Perry!)
 * So stick with us
 * 'Cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all!
 * So stick with us
 * 'Cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all!


 * Candace: Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence!

Extended version

 * There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation
 * Then school comes along just to end it
 * So the annual problem for our generation
 * Is finding a good way to spend it
 * Like maybe...


 * Building a rocket or fighting a mummy
 * Or climbing up the Eiffel Tower,
 * Discovering something that doesn't exist
 * Or giving a monkey a shower
 * Surfing tidal waves, creating nanobots,
 * Or locating Frankenstein's brain,
 * Finding a Dodo bird, painting a continent,
 * Or driving our sister insane!


 * CHORUS
 * This could possibly be the best day ever,
 * And the forecast says that tomorrow will likely be a million and six times better,
 * So make every minute count to fun, jump in and cease the day,
 * And let's make sure that in every single possible way,
 * Today is gonna to be a great day!


 * Crossing the tundra or building a rollercoaster
 * Or skiing down a mountain of beans,
 * Devising a system for remembering everything,
 * Or synchronizing submarines,
 * Racing chariots, taming tiger sharks, constructing a portal to Mars,
 * Building a time machine, stretching a rubber tree, or whaling away on guitars!


 * CHORUS


 * Hey! [8x]


 * Let's put our heads together and design a master plan,
 * We may miss dinner, but I know mom will understand...
 * We've got our mission and suppliers, purple gumballs and desires,
 * And a pocket full or rubber bands, the manual on handstands,
 * A unicycle compass, and a camera that won't focus,
 * And a canteen full of soda, grab a beach towel, here we go! (This is Ferb-tastic!)


 * This could possibly be the best day ever,
 * And the forecast says that tomorrow will likely be a million and six times better,
 * So make every minute count to fun, jump in and cease the day,
 * And let's make sure that in every single possible way...
 * (Seriously, this is gonna be great!)


 * This could possibly be the best day ever!
 * Today is gonna be a great day
 * This could possibly be the best day ever!
 * Today is gonna be a great day!

Little League World Series version
In 2011, the song was adapted for the Little League World Series.


 * There's limited days left in summer vacation,
 * and we figured out how to spend them.
 * The Little League World Series
 * in Williamsburg, PA
 * to try and get on ESPN.
 * Like maybe...


 * Hitting a home run
 * or throwing a curve ball
 * or making the crowd do the wave.
 * Blowing a bubble while stealing a base.
 * Doofenshmirtz: Safe!
 * Or giving Dugout a quick shave.
 * Turning double plays,
 * creating rally cats
 * or eating a hot dog at bat.
 * Doofenshmirtz: Ball four!
 * Giving base running signs,
 * making a perfect bunt
 * or catching a ball with a hat.
 * Brent Musburger: Amazing!


 * A world-wide pool of teams have come here to play
 * and they're tryin' to win it all.
 * ESPN and Phineas and Ferb are ready to play ball. (2x)
 * Umpire: Play ball!


 * Candace: Mom! Phineas and Ferb are taking over the Little League World Series again!

Second winter-themed version
For "For Your Ice Only" and "Happy New Year!", the lyrics are changed but melody is nearly the same. Also, the characters' animation at the end use the Season 2 - present animation rather than the Season 1 animation used for previous versions.


 * Bowling for Soup: There's roughly fourteen days of winter vacation,
 * that fall between Christmas, and New Years.
 * So the winter-time problem for our generation,
 * is cramin' fun in before the dust clears
 * Like maybe...


 * Building an igloo that looks like a palace,
 * or scale a drift that's eighty feet high.
 * Constructing huge snow cones, that reach to the moon,
 * or making snow angels that fly.
 * Creating Northern Lights,
 * Snowboarding upside-down,
 * or slaloming on your rear-end.
 * Baljeet: That is cold.
 * Bowling for Soup:Cool winter carnival,
 * good old snowball fights,
 * or ice dancing with your best friends.
 * Buford: Ice dancing?


 * Bowling for Soup: As you can see there's a whole lot of stuff to do, and we're not gonna stall.
 * Phineas: Come on Perry!
 * Bow:ling for Soup: So stick with us
 * 'Cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all!
 * So stick with us
 * 'Cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all!


 * Candace: Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making another winter themed title sequence!

Season 2
In Season 2, at the final, the images changes from the Original Pitch are changed to images of Phineas and Ferb in Season 1. In order, these scenes are taken from Leave the Busting to Us!, The Fast and the Phineas, Rollercoaster, Greece Lightning, Out to Launch, Flop Starz, Mom's Birthday and S'Winter.

As of the second season episode "Don't Even Blink", when the song gets to the "like maybe" part, Phineas' smile gets broader as the camera zooms in. Prior to that, he has a neutral expression on his face.

Also, when Candace plays "Whack a Pest" in the title sequence of Season 2, you can see the sides of the game board.

Season 3
In Season 3 at the end of the song, images from Season 1 are changed to images from Season 2 which were taken from Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!, Ain't No Kiddie Ride, Spa Day, Tip of the Day, Wizard of Odd, Hide and Seek, The Baljeatles, and Atlantis.

Halloween varation
For the 2011 Halloween special "The Curse of Candace" and "That's the Spirit", the original song was used, but the ending of the title sequence was changed as follows:
 * New background image during Phineas and Ferb's dance with spiders coming down on a silk thread, a hand reaching out of the ground next to a grave, and Doonkelberry bats flying.
 * The "fly-by" pictures include scenes from "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" and "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", along with a production/concept picture for "Are You My Mummy?"
 * Candace complains, "Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a Halloween special!"

Background Information

 * In "Summer (Where Do We Begin?)", a whole verse of this song was part of that song.
 * According to creator Dan Povenmire on the DVD bonus feature "Original Story Pitch" from The Fast and the Phineas the song was originally going to be done by a classical Disney chorus. He and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh wrote the lyrics, but Disney wanted to make the melody more modern. Dan Povenmire sang an approximation of it on the "Original Story Pitch." Povenmire finally got his classical Disney chorus for the Christmas version of the song.
 * In reality, summer vacation lasts about 93 days. At San Diego Comic-Con 2013, Dan Povenmire revealed that he wrote 104 because he only expected the show to last 52 episodes, like most Disney Channel shows lasted at the time, and there were two segments per episode, making it 104.
 * In the Christmas Special theme song, Phineas mentions that "they can't all be fun" after the lyric, "Or just shoveling snow off the drive!". Throughout the series, they try to have the greatest time of their lives. In "Rollercoaster", Phineas says, "Boredom is something up with which I will not put!". It should be noted that chronologically, this episode takes place during the winter after the summer in which the series is currently in, so this may foreshadow some character development in Phineas. It's also possible that they are willing to do it if their parents want them to.
 * In the episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo," Phineas tells Xavier and Fred that Bowling for Soup is "before their time." He also might be referring to the fact that the kids that are watching this show are not familiar with the band, as it is somewhat before this show's time.
 * "Today is Gonna Be a Great Day" is an extended version of the original theme song, with additional lyrics by Bowling for Soup's Jaret Reddick. He explained to Songfacts that he was brought to the Disney lot and shown the first 13 episodes, which he used to write the full length song. It took him about 20 minutes to write the extra lyrics.
 * The song was nominated in 2008 for an Emmy Award for "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music," but lost to "Pirate Master" on CBS.
 * Goof: After "Rollercoaster", the main characters' voices were changed, but Phineas's original voice remained intact during the opening.
 * A form of the song is used in the credits for "Phineas' Birthday Clip-O-Rama!" in which we see clips of Candace yelling "Mom!" the tag-line at the end is "Mom, Phineas and Ferb are digitally tuning my voice!"
 * Pizzazium Infinionite's atomic number is 104, which may be a reference to there being (at least for Phineas and Ferb) 104 days in summer vacation.
 * The song was referenced in lots of episodes such as, "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", "Swiss Family Phineas", "Last Train to Bustville", "Canderemy", et al.
 * This song is very short and has an Extended Version. This extended version is Today is Gonna Be a Great Day.
 * Error: In the second winter themed song, the days of the December scroll off, and rear at one, but the month remains December.
 * The second winter themed song is the only version to date that uses the Season 2 - present character animation at the end.
 * In the title sequence for "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel", Spider-Man takes Candace's place and parodies her line as "Aunt May, Phineas and Ferb are making a crossover!"
 * The winter outfits wore by Phineas, Ferb, Buford and Baljeet in the second winter opening are the same as the first opening, whereas Isabella's outfit in the said song is the same she wore at the start of the song Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, with the exception that the jacket is purple instead of white.
 * A skeleton of a unicorn-turtle is used as a chess table in the Gravity Falls episode "Little Dipper". Creator Alex Hirsch told Dan that it is only a coincidence, but "would prefer fans think it was on purpose."
 * A modified version is used for the 2011 Little League World Series, featuring different lyrics.
 * The 104th episode was We Call it Maze, which featured a new character: Melissa from the Lil' Sparks. This episode debuted October 1, 2010 in Disney Channel US.

Production background

 * The creators (Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh) originally wrote a slower number as the theme song, more like a "classic Disney song", but the network felt changes were needed to appeal to modern children and commissioned a rock/alternative version which made the final cut. (Original Pitch)
 * The song first appeared on television during the episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo." The following day, it was released as part of the official series soundtrack.
 * In the other languages' versions of the episode 'Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo', except the Japanese dub, the song isn't translated, probably due to copyrights issues with Bowling for Soup.
 * On Toon Barn, the short version of the song was named the 4th greatest TV Cartoon theme song of all-time.
 * The second winter themed song is the only version to date that uses the Season 2 - present character animation at the end.

Lyrics trivia

 * "Building a rocket" - "Out to Launch" - (this was done so they could see their star.)
 * "Fighting a mummy" - "Are You My Mummy? (which was actually Candace.)
 * "Climbing up the Eiffel Tower" - "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" (in the beginning, Ferb is seen on top of a sandcastle version of the Eiffel Tower), "Elementary My Dear Stacy" (Agent Double 0-0 is seen climbing up Clock Tower (Big Ben is the bell of Parliament inside Clock Tower). Although not the Eiffel Tower, it is still a national landmark just like the Eiffel Tower but not necessarily climb. And in "Rollercoaster", the rollercoaster went on the top of the Eiffel Tower. "Not Phineas and Ferb" (They build a replica of it, but never climbed it). "Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!" (Isabella and Phineas at the Eiffel Tower during the song "City of Love", also Ferb and Vanessa at the top of the Tower.)
 * "Discovering something that doesn't exist" - "The Lake Nose Monster"," Fireside Girl Jamboree" (this is referenced in the song Go Candace Go), "Atlantis" and "Hail Doofania!" (After Isabella says she had never seen a unicorn before Phineas says that's what they'll do tomorrow).
 * "Giving a monkey a shower" - "Swiss Family Phineas" (Ferb specifically says, "Yep, had to be done.") "Canderemy" (Buford mentioned wanting it.)
 * "Surfing tidal waves" - "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation" (Surfing, but not on tidal waves.) "The Secret of Success" (Their vehicle is seen surfing.)
 * "Creating nanobots" - "I, Brobot", "Journey to the Center of Candace", and "Canderemy" (Robots and nano submarines, but not nanobots).
 * "Locating Frankenstein's brain" - "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" (they don't actually locate Frankenstein's brain, but the theme of the episode is monster-creation. In "At the Car Wash", when Doofenshmirtz searches for a battery, he looks inside Frankenstein's head.
 * "Finding a Dodo bird" -"Last Train to Bustville", (Dr. Doofenshmirtz found a dodo-bird egg which incubated, then Phineas and Ferb see the dodo.)
 * "Painting a continent" - "Oil on Candace" (the helicopters with paintbrushes paint the Unpainted Desert)
 * "Driving our sister insane" - Almost every episode, though the "The Best Lazy Day Ever" has a humorous and literal way.
 * "Crossing the tundra" - "S'Winter" (Candace enlists Buford's help to pull her on a sled up the mountain.), "The Secret of Success" (The boys all-terrain vehicle shown in "All Terrain Vehicle").
 * "Building a rollercoaster" - "Rollercoaster", "Fireside Girl Jamboree" and "Rollercoaster: The Musical!"
 * "Skiing down a mountain of beans" - "S'Winter" (skiing on snow instead of beans.)
 * "Devising a system..." - "Gaming the System" (they make an advanced version of Jump and Duck), "Brain Drain"
 * "Synchronizing submarines" - "Journey to the Center of Candace" and "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" (Submarines appear in both episodes.)
 * "Racing chariots" - "Greece Lightning"
 * "Taming tiger sharks" - "Backyard Aquarium" (Trained sea animal, but without tiger sharks.)
 * "Constructing a portal to Mars" - "Unfair Science Fair" and "Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)". "The Lemonade Stand" (Thinking of building a Monorail to Mars.)
 * "Building a time machine" - "It's About Time!" and "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", (although they didn't technically "build" the time machine, they did repair it and used it.)
 * "Stretching a rubber tree" - "Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!", (Stretching a rubber band attached to trees but not a rubber tree.)
 * "Wailing away on guitars" - "Flop Starz", "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together", "Tip of the Day", "Oh, There You Are, Perry", "The Baljeatles", and "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo".
 * "The best day ever" - "The Beak" (The motto of the Beak.) "Phineas' Birthday Clip-O-Rama!"
 * "And the forecast says..." - "Just Passing Through" (Major Monogram describing Heinz Doofenshmirtz hatred to his brother Roger.)
 * "Jump up, Jump in" - "Day of the Living Gelatin" (Jumping on the gelatin mold.) "Let's Bounce" (Jumping on trampolines.)
 * "Seize the day" - "Bubble Boys" (Baljeet making a color-coded schedule.)

The episode "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo" shows more literal examples of the Big Ideas described in the song:
 * Skiing down a mountain of beans
 * Devising a system for remembering everything
 * Taming tiger sharks.