As I was mulling over whether I should come up with a new theme for this week, I recalled that I still had quite a few day songs I wanted to play for you. So, to save myself any more brainache, I decided to go for a third time round. So here is another set of day songs for you – probably the last for now, but never say never….
I began last week with one of the five Beatles songs that I had thought of, and that seems as good a place as any to begin this week, with another of them. And for those of you expecting Day Tripper, sorry:
Eight Days A Week was released in the UK in December 1964 on the album Beatles For Sale. It was a US single in February 1965, reaching #1, as it also did in Canada, but it was never released as a single here in the UK. But we had the album to enjoy, and as usual that also got to #1. In the US it featured on the album Beatles VI, which of course was their seventh album over there (they can’t count!), and this was also a #1. Would you have expected anything else? This video is a relatively recent issue, having been published in June 2018 and has over 30m views, so for those of you who think I’m living in the past I’m clearly not alone in that!
As Monty Python would say, and now for something completely different. I’ve played several Steve Earle songs over the years, and although I could only find an audio only version of this I didn’t want to leave it out. This is especially for all of you who don’t like bluegrass music:
How could you not like a song with the line “the only promise that I didn’t break was to love you until the day I die?” This song was, as the video shows, a track on Steve’s album Transcendental Blues, which came out in June 2000. I bought the album as soon as it was released, and played it to death! It is a fantastic album, full of great tracks, including the original and by far the best version of his song Galway Girl, later covered (badly) by Mundy and not to be confused with the (in my view) inferior song of the same title by that Sheeran bloke. The album peaked at #5 in the US Country chart and got to #66 in the mainstream listings. It actually did better here in the UK, where it got to #32. I loved it then and still do, and “always remember, friends, there’s no room in vulgarity for bluegrass.”
Last week I closed with a pair of songs from John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, two of those I think of as my ‘usual suspects.’ This week, I’m playing you a collaboration between them, which is absolutely fabulous (to coin a phrase):
Wasted Days is a track on Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, John Mellencamp’s most recent album – his twenty fourth – which came out in January of this year, and has to date managed to get to #196 in the US, though it has made #5 in their Folk albums chart and #30 in the Rock albums listing. It hasn’t made the UK chart though, perhaps rather bizarrely, it has got to #16 in Scotland. Go figure! The song is written from the perspective of an older man looking ahead, wondering how much life he has left, and urging the listener not to waste any of their days. It is a simple message, and will I am sure resonate with many. It is a beautiful song, and is their first ever time working together: they are often compared, and for someone like me who has long been a fan of them both this really is a dream come true. I hope they do more together, as I can’t watch this without a tear in my eye.
You know how sometimes we sing alternate versions of song lyrics? This next one was one of those:
Altogether now: “Those were the days my friend, The Beatles helped no end.” I’m including this one as I think it is a good counter to the previous one, and because I’ve always liked it. Mary Hopkin was one of the first to be signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records label and this, her debut single for them, was produced by Paul McCartney, as was her first album Post Card. Those Were The Days was released in August 1968 and topped the charts in the UK and across Europe. It also reached #2 for three weeks in the US, held off the top spot by Hey Jude, from some band or other. The song is actually a rewriting of a Russian song, and there are several other variants in existence. Mary had a beautiful, crystal clear voice, which was enormously attractive. I bought her debut album, which is a total delight, though we were short changed here: the US version included this song but ours didn’t, so we had to buy it separately. The album reached #3 in the UK and #28 in the US.
One of my favourite singer-songwriters hasn’t appeared here perhaps as much as he should have, so I’m redressing the balance a little with this:
Days Gone Down was the opening track on Gerry Rafferty’s third album, Night Owl, which was released in June 1979 and peaked at #9 in the UK and #29 in the US. This was released as a single in the US and reached #17 there. No chart listing is shown for it here, and I’m wondering if it wasn’t released here? Relying on my memory of 43 years ago isn’t really an option, though. It is typical of his eloquent songwriting style, and he never made a bad album. The song is a reflective piece, looking back over a love affair, and I think it is rather lovely in the hope it shares for the couple’s future. Gerry had his struggles, suffering regular bouts of alcoholism which eventually took his life – from multiple organ failure – in January 2011, at the age of just 63. He has left us a wonderful musical legacy, though.
As you may recall, I was a big fan of The Monkees back in my teens, when their tv show was the highlight of Saturday teatime viewing. They have a couple of day songs, one of which is pretty obvious, though its title includes ‘Daydream’ rather than day. So I’m going for the less obvious one, because I like it and because this video, which is typical of their tv show, is a total hoot:
This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day was a track on the band’s eponymous debut album, which was released in October 1966. In those early days their record company exercised strict control over them, and didn’t allow them to perform as a band. Lead vocal on this was sung by Davy Jones and he was the only band member to feature on the recording. This also happened to most of the other tracks on the album, too, where one of the band took lead vocal and the others were reduced, at best, to backing vocal duties. This doesn’t seem to have damaged its chart chances, though: it got to #1 in the UK and spent thirteen weeks at the top of the US albums chart. It was only deposed from there by their second album, More Of The Monkees, when that came out in January 1967. For a couple of years they were hugely successful: they sold truck loads of records on the back of the tv show, which had a two season run between September 1966 and March 1968, with a total of 58 episodes. My sister and I persuaded our parents to let us watch it, and they came to enjoy it too: it was good slapstick humour, which had wide appeal. Happy days!
I said earlier that I wouldn’t be playing Day Tripper (as I don’t often include more than one song by the same band in one of these posts). It seems I lied:
You probably don’t need me to give you much detail on this, but for the record anyway: Day Tripper was released in December 1965 as a double A-side single with We Can Work It Out (which is still one of my favourite Beatles songs). It was #1 in the UK and several other countries, but in those days the US gave chart placings to both sides of the single, and whilst We Can Work It Out got to #1 over there this song only made it to #5. I’ve never really understood why they did that – it was the same piece of vinyl being purchased whichever song the customer was asking for! The tracks were recorded as part of the sessions for the Rubber Soul album, which was released at the same time, but neither was included on the album which, of course, was #1 in the US, the UK and loads of other countries. As was also the habit in those days the US record company messed around with it and only included twelve tracks, whereas the rest of the world got fourteen. Why? Just, why?
I’m closing today with a song whose title is a good summation of where I have got to with the day theme. It is a beautiful song by a tragic singer who was lost to us at a ridiculously early age, and is typical of his classy songwriting:
Nick Drake’s Day Is Done is, I think, the perfect way to leave this mini series. Utterly beautiful, and such simple but intensely meaningful lyrics, which have an especially haunting quality when you consider his history. Nick lived a troubled life: he suffered from chronic stage fright, which prevented him from playing live shows, and died in November 1974 at the age of just 26, from an overdose of prescribed antidepressants. Whether this was suicide or a tragic accident has never been resolved. He made just three albums, all of which are lovely. This was a track on his debut, Five Leaves Left, released in July 1969. None of his albums made the charts but he has since developed a very loyal following, which has sustained a total of seven compilation albums of his music. One of those, Made To Love Magic, which was released in May 2004, did make #27 in the UK albums chart and #59 in Ireland, though. This song has only appeared on one of those compilations: the last one, Family Tree, released in July 2007.
That’s it for now, and the end of this run of day songs. Often with these posts I couldn’t choose a favourite but one of this week’s selection is a clear winner for me. I wonder if you can guess which one? And while you’re sharing your guess with me, do tell me if you had one or more favourites among these. I’ll be back next Tuesday with a new theme, if I can think of one. Maybe I should take something from the current battle to be leader of the Conservatives and our new Prime Minister? Mind you, that does rather put me in mind of a US senator, whose name I can’t recall, who once remarked of a Presidential race “if God had meant us to have an election He would have given us a candidate.” Not the most inspiring of potential subjects, perhaps, but I’ll be here nevertheless and hope to see you again then. And don’t forget my new regular Sunday date as well. Have a great week and take good care 😊
