Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedIt Was a Good Day
Hip-Hop1990s83BPM
F minKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in F minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →, Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Ice Cube, plus the Isley Brothers collective via the sample), no dispute found — built on “Footsteps in the Dark” and a vocal from “Atomic Dog,” both connected in this catalog.
Quick Facts
Released1992
AlbumThe Predator
GenreHip-Hop, West Coast
LabelPriority Records
ProducerDJ Pooh
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Ice Cube, plus the Isley Brothers collective via the sample
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — originally Lench Mob/Priority; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
It is itself built on samples — the Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark” (this batch), The Moments’ “Sexy Mama,” and a vocal from George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” (already in this catalogue).
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriters of record and no dispute found.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
Its primary sample source (this batch)
A shared Isley connection — “Big Poppa”’s producer named this song as the template for that Isley-sampling track (this batch)
A vocal sample source (already in this catalogue)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube), plus the Isley Brothers collective via the sample
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A deliberately peaceful contrast
Ice Cube has said he wanted a deliberately contrasting, peaceful song — knowing fans would expect him to address the 1992 LA Riots elsewhere on the record, he also wanted to capture the good days he’d genuinely had. No lyrics reproduced.
Wikipedia · read it →
A delightful internet mystery — and its anticlimactic resolution
Fans have extensively cross-referenced the song’s narrative details against real-world constraints (when pagers became widely available, Ice Cube’s “Boyz n the Hood” filming schedule) to try to pin down one exact date the lyrics could describe, often landing on January 20, 1992. But director Jonah Hill has since said Ice Cube personally admitted there was never one single real “good day” — he simply compiled a collection of great things into one song. Presented as a fun documented saga, not a claim about a specific real date.
WhoSampled · read it →
A modern marketing campaign
The Goodyear Blimp has partnered with promotional campaigns tied to the song — displaying a family-friendly version of its famous lyric during events and raising funds for youth charities, revived again in 2025 as part of Ice Cube’s “Truth to Power” tour.
Grokipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Built on the Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark”
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
GD
Ice Cube / the Isley Brothers (via the sample)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 3 updates
Jul 2026BPM set to 83 (feel tempo) — the two-source pass agreed at the 165 double-time octave; halved to the natural tempo of this slow-jam. Key F min confirmed.
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 12)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass