What can I say? Day After Day is the most popular and most successful song from a band which never had a chance live up to its potential. If you haven’t heard about Badfinger or their story, it’s something that any rock lover should read about because it is one of the most tragic and sad stories ever told.
After spending various years playing in pubs and clubs in both Swansea (Wales) and London in the 1960s, the band hit the big time when they became the non-Beatles band to sign up to Apple Records. Essentially, they were endorsed by the Fab Four and were set for stardom. Their breakout hit was a Paul McCartney composition called “Come And Get It” and when the Beatles broke up in 1970, Badfinger was seen as the heirs apparent. This was because they had played with the Fab Four and had a very similar sound.
I could go on about the Badfinger story all day however, this is not the focus of this post. Instead, if you want to learn all about it, I suggest watching a documentary on Badfinger, part 1 of which is below. You can access the other parts from YouTube.
The song Day After Day was written by the lead singer and songwriter Pete Ham shortly after his breakup with his girlfriend. The lyrics show the protagonist’s thoughts being dominated by memories from their relationship and how this keeps him occupied during his lonely times in his room. It’s a very sad song, the emotions of which can be felt through Pete Ham’s vocals.
The most eerie part of this song is that it sounds much like a Beatles song in terms of quality and sound. There’s no doubt that George Harrison playing the slide guitar with Pete Ham helped. I think if you replaced Ham’s voice with Paul McCartney’s, you would find it difficult to tell the difference between both.
If you’re a big Beatles fan like myself, then you should love this song. It’s such a shame that Badfinger couldn’t fulfill the potential that is so evident in this song. My only hope is that people begin discovering and appreciating Badfinger’s music even more.
Day After Day will forever the remain the high point of a band that tragically never fulfilled its potential.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a heart-rending piece… thank you. I know of Badfinger, liked their music, but never went the extra mile to learn about them; this changes today.
I need more.
Again, thank you.
My pleasure Nick =)
Best song ever, in my opinion.
The best Beatles song NOT recorded by the Fab Four