Days

"Days" is a song by the Kinks, written by lead singer 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). 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. Background In a 2018 interview, Ray Davies claimed that the song was inspired by his sister Rosie moving to Australia, a topic that inspired other Kinks works such as 1966's "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home" and 1969's Arthur. He explained, "My sister Rosie had gone to Australia, and we didn't have communication — no Internet in those days. She left and said, 'Say goodbye, my loving brother,' and I said, 'Thank you for being my sister.' So the song's for her, really, and her generation." Alternatively, Davies attributed the song's "air of finality" to the Kinks' turmoil at the time, even noting that, at the time the band made the song, he felt it might be their last single. He recollected, "Pop musicians aren't meant to go on forever. And around this time, whenever I finished a session, I thought maybe this is the last record I'd ever make. That's why it has this strange emotion to it. Fortunately though the Kinks went on to make other records." Lyrically, the song is a melancholic reflection on someone meaningful who is departing. Ray commented, "It's a goodbye song, but it’s also an inspirational song. It could also mean a new beginning. I wanted to write a sad song with an optimistic praise to it." Davies later named it as one of the songs he would like played at his funeral, alongside ABBA's "SOS". This would be appropriate as it has become a regular request in funerals of those who grew up in that era.