"Days" is a song by
the Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
, written by lead singer
Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...
, released as a single in 1968. It also appeared on an early version of the album ''
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society'' (released only in continental Europe and New Zealand). It now appears as a bonus track of the remastered CD. On the original Pye 7N 17573 label, the name of the song is "Day's" due to a grammatical error.
Release and reception
The song was an important single for Davies and the Kinks, coming in a year of declining commercial fortunes for the band. The song had been intended as an album track but after the relative failure of the previous single "
Wonderboy" (which only reached No. 36 in the
UK), "Days" was rushed out as a single with an old unreleased track "
She's Got Everything" (recorded in February 1966 in the same session as "
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" is a 1966 song by British band the Kinks. It lampoons the contemporary British fashion scene and mod culture in general. Originally released as a single, it has been included on many of the band's later albums.
...
") as the B-side. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' praised the single's "groovy rhythm" and "clever lyric."
It reached No. 12 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, but failed to chart in the U.S. This did not help future releases, as the next four Kinks singles failed to reach the top 30 (two of them failing to chart altogether) in the UK.
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:
The Kinks
*
Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...
lead vocal, acoustic guitar
*
Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon Davies (born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, which also featured his elder brother Ray Davies. He was ind ...
backing vocal, electric guitar
*
Pete Quaife
Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing voca ...
bass guitar
*
Mick Avory
Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, ...
drums
Additional musicians
*Rasa Davies backing vocal
*
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...
piano,
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
Kirsty MacColl version
Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...
covered "Days" on her second studio album ''
Kite
A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...
'' (1989). It was released as the album's second single on 19 June 1989 and reached No. 12 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, the same position achieved by the Kinks in 1968. In Ireland, MacColl's version charted seven places higher than the original, at No. 9. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, reaching only No. 42 in the UK. It is one of MacColl's most popular singles.
Background
"Days" was released as the second single from ''Kite'', following "
Free World
The Free World is a propaganda term, primarily used during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, to refer to the Western Bloc and similar countries. It also more broadly refers to all non- communist and democratic countries. It has traditionally pr ...
". MacColl's label,
Virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
, had intended to release "Days" as the lead single, but MacColl felt the first single from ''Kite'' had to be one which she wrote.
Recalling her version of "Days", MacColl told James Bennett in 1994: "I think my version is a bit slower
han the Kinks' original I wanted to give it the
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
treatment. I wanted people to think that it's a Kirsty MacColl song when they hear it."
Music video
The video features MacColl in old fashioned clothing sitting on a meadow and riding in a boat whilst encountering animated animals. The video, which features MacColl's friend and songwriting partner
Pete Glenister
Pete Glenister is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, known for his work with Alison Moyet and Kirsty MacColl. He has also worked with a number of other artists including Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bros, ...
on guitar, was directed by Simon West and produced by Kate Sylvester. It was shot in April 1989 at
Godalming
Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...
.
Critical reception
On its release, ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' wrote, "A tasteful, folky sing-along tune that many people will know by heart at the end of this summer." Tim Nicholson of ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...
'' considered the song to be "slower and more considered" than "Free World", but added that it "should be right on target
orthe charts." Jerry Smith, reviewer of British music newspaper ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'', expressed an opinion that after the low performance in the charts of the
previous single, the new song, especially the cover version, is unlikely to have any prospects.
Barbara Ellen of ''
New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' commented, "'Days' isn't one of Kirsty's own but remains a good choice. An uneven ballad, it stares with wide and serious eyes at the more sentimental end of the charts." In a retrospective review of ''Kite'', Stewart Mason of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
described MacColl's version of "Days" as a "gorgeous cover" with "thick, lush harmonies".
Track listing
# "Days"
# "Happy"
# "El Paso"
# "Still Life"
# "Please Help Me, I'm Falling"
The single was released in multiple formats. Each featured "Days" and "Happy", and all bar the 7" and cassette featured "Still Life". Both CD formats (the standard case and the Kite-shaped case) had "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", whilst "El Paso" was only available on the 10".
Other versions
The song was covered by a number of artists at the time including
Petula Clark
Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades.
Clark's professional career began during the ...
on her 1968 album ''
Petula'', The Hillsiders as a B-side to their 1969 single "Kentucky Woman" (RCA 1804) and
James Last
James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015), also known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist" in Germany in each of ...
in an instrumental version on ''Non-Stop Dancing No. 7'' (also 1969).
"Days" / "This Time Tomorrow" – by Ray Davies and
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, key ...
is featured on Ray Davies solo album, ''
See My Friends
"See My Friends" (sometimes titled "See My Friend") is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in July 1965, it reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, ''Record Retailer'' c ...
''.
The song was also covered by
Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).
The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turt ...
on the album ''
Flo & Eddie
Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).
The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turt ...
'', which was originally released in 1974 and was re-released in 2008 as a double CD with ''The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie'', which was originally released in 1972.
Charts
Notes
References
Sources
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Days
The Kinks songs
Petula Clark songs
Kirsty MacColl songs
1968 singles
1989 singles
Songs written by Ray Davies
Song recordings produced by Ray Davies
Pye Records singles
Reprise Records singles
1968 songs
Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite