“Days” by The Kinks

Generally speaking, The Kinks’ “Days” reads as if the singer is addressing a romantic interest, though this is not necessarily the case. But in all, this entity has decided to part to ways with him. So in light of it doing so, he is thanking this person or thing for bringing joy to his life. That is considering they are on the verge of being separated, seemingly forever, he wants to show it proper appreciation. And this is despite the fact that he is somewhat apprehensive about moving forward without it.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for The Kinks's Days at Lyrics.org.

Now the reason we refer to the addressee as an entity is because the deduction that he is singing to another person is only half true. Or more specifically, Ray Davies had two different addressees in mind when writing “Days”. One was a person, his sister in fact, who was on the verge of permanently resettling in Australia at the time. This caused him to get into his feelings, and this song is meant to express just how much he admires her as a sibling.

But the second addressee is not an actual person but rather a personification of the music industry. The single which The Kinks released prior to “Days” was entitled “Wonderboy” (1968). And succinctly put, it flopped – so much so that Ray Davies basically felt as if his music career was over. Therefore in this song he is thanking the business for indeed being kind to him. But now, to his dismay, it has decided to move on without him.

But conclusively the prevailing sentiment isn’t one of loss but rather, as aforementioned, appreciation. That is no matter who the listener interprets the addressee to be, it is clearly someone or something the singer cares dearly about. And as such, he values the “days” they spent together and will always remember them in a positive light, even though the idea of being separated from the addressee also has him a bit distraught.

Lyrics of "Days"

Facts about “Days”

This song was originally released on 25 March 1972. In the UK, The Kinks homeland, the song’s release was handled by Pye Records. And in the US it was published by Reprise Records.

“Days” charted in a handful of countries. It most notably peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Days” was written and produced by The Kinks’ frontman, Ray Davies.

“Days” has been covered by the likes of Elvis Costello (1991) and Mumford & Sons (2010). One of the most-successful renditions was by a British singer named Kirsty MacColl in 1989.

Below is MacColl’s famous cover of “Days”:

3 Responses

  1. Tony Brady Drogheda says:

    The fabulous Kirsty Maccoll sang Days with such genuine emotion it was palpable . The sense of sadness and loss is perfectly conveyed in her beautiful voice. It is a song about personal loss. Now we can all sing Days as an anthem for the great Kirsty herself

  2. Coney61 says:

    I’ve always loved her rendition of this song. I associate it with loss and it was played at my husbands funeral recently. Thank you for the days Kirsty.

  3. Richard says:

    It applies as to the death of a loved one as it does to the end of a love affair
    A truly beautiful song

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