Days (The Kinks song)

"Days"
Single by The Kinks
B-side	"She's Got Everything"
Released	28 January 1969 (UK) 24 February 1969 (USA)
Format	7" single
Recorded	23, 27 May 1968 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
Genre	Pop, Folk rock
Label	Pye 7N 17573 (UK) Reprise 0762 (US)
Writer(s)	Ray Davies
Producer	Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"Wonderboy" (1968) "Days" (1969) "Plastic Man" (1969)

"Days" is a song by The Kinks, written by Ray Davies, 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), and 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".

Musically, it is an uptempo ballad of sorts. The lyrics are bittersweet in typical Davies fashion. The song addresses a former lover who has either left or died. This person is thanked for the days together, and forgiven for the departure. The lyrics reflect on the lasting effect the person has had, and promise "Though you're gone, you're with me every single day, believe me."

In later interviews, Davies claimed the song was composed in part as an emotional farewell to the original lineup of the band at a time of doubt about their future (founding member Pete Quaife left the band soon afterwards).

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 #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") as the B-side. It reached #10 on the UK chart, but failed to chart in the U.S. This did not help future releases however as the next four Kinks singles failed to reach the top 30 (two of them failing to chart altogether) in the UK.

The song appeared on an advertisement for the new Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in 2011.

Charts

• UK: #10
• Bel: #17
• Ger: #28
• NL: #7
• NZ: #11

Kirsty MacColl version

"Days"
Single by Kirsty MacColl
from the album Kite
A-side	Days
B-side	Happy
Released	June 1989
Format	7", 10" and 12" vinyl, 3" CD, cassette, CD in kite-shaped box
Genre	Pop
Writer(s)	Ray Davies
Producer	Steve Lillywhite
Kirsty MacColl singles chronology
"Free World" (1989) "Days" (1989) "Innocence" (1989)

Kirsty MacColl covered "Days" on her 1989 album Kite. It was released as a single and reached #12 on the UK singles chart, the same position achieved by The Kinks in 1969. It was re-released in 1995, charting much lower, only reaching #42 in the UK. It was one of MacColl's most popular singles.

Track listing

1. "Days"
2. "Happy"
3. "El Paso"
4. "Still Life"
5. "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 on her 1968 album Petula, The Hillsiders as a B-side to their 1969 single "Kentucky Woman" (RCA 1804) and James Last in an instrumental version on Non-Stop Dancing #7 (also 1969).

A version of the song recorded by Elvis Costello appeared on the soundtrack of the 1991 Wim Wenders film, Until the End of the World. It is also featured on his 1995 covers album Kojak Variety.

"Days/This Time Tomorrow" - Ray Davies and Mumford & Sons is featured on Ray Davies solo album See My Friends.

External links

• The Official Ray Davies Web Site
• The Official Ray Davies Forum - "The Old Grey Board"
• The Official Ray Davies Forum on YouTube