Styx · 1981 · Behind the Songs
“The Best of Times” is a song about looking back without sadness, and looking forward without fear.
“The Best of Times” is a song about looking back without sadness, and looking forward without fear. It is nostalgic, but it is not stuck in the past. It celebrates the good times you have had while insisting that the best times are still to come.
Released in 1981 on the album Paradise Theatre and as a single that year, the song was written by Dennis DeYoung. It became a major hit and one of Styx’s most enduring records. The album itself was a concept record about a Chicago theater, and this song captures its spirit: a place where memories live, but where the show goes on.
The performance is warm and uplifting, with DeYoung’s vocal leading a chorus that feels like a toast. The band plays with polish and confidence, and the melody has the kind of lift that makes a room feel brighter. It is a song for reunions, for celebrations, and for moments when you want to honor the past without letting it hold you back.
Play it when you are with old friends. It will do what it has always done: remind you of where you have been, and make you glad for where you are going.