"Another Day" is a 1970 song by the English folk rock singer and songwriter Roy Harper for his album Flat Baroque and Berserk.[1] It was recorded at Abbey Road in London, and produced by Pink Floyd's manager and sometimes producer Peter Jenner. "Another Day" is widely considered one of the high points of Harper's career.
The lyrics seem to be from the point of view of a man who has a momentary reencounter with a former lover. The song details his feelings of regret and lost opportunities. Midway through the track, Harper's lyrics seem to switch from the point of view of the man to that of the woman, beginning with the line "I loved you a long time ago". The closing lyrics revert to the man's point of view and are tinged with finality, and include lines such as "then across the room, inside a tomb, a chance is waxed and waned".
Harber said that the song was about "a split second" while introducing the song during a 1972 concert.[3] The bitter sweet lyrics are written from the point of view of a man looking back with regret upon a missed chance at romance.[4] He views his former girlfriend, who he has met again, with both wonder and reticence and is left with feelings of regret and powerlessness. She wishes that they could both step back in time and seems to wants him to make a move, but he can't. He wants to reconnect but hesitates: "And at the door we can't say more than just another day, and without a sound I turn around and walk away."[4]
Covers
In the 1979 cover by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, the male and female vocals are inverted so that Bush sings the lyrics from the protagonist's point of view, and Gabriel sings those of the lost lover. The track is accompanied by keyboards and Harper's guitar riff is played on a piano. The cover led to Bush collaborating with Harper in 1980 when he sang backing vocals on her song "Breathing". They later dueted on the track 'You' from his The Unknown Soldier album.[5]
In 2013 the This Mortal Coil version was reinterpreted by the contemporary classical cellist, guitarist and electronic musician Oliver Coates. Like the TMC track, Coates' version is accompanied by strings only. It is sung by the pseudonymous Chrysanthemum Bear. According to Coates: "We have recorded many things informally because I'm devoted to the colour of her voice and the way she uses it. Part of the recording [of "Another Day"] happened in an abandoned structure with a large reverb off the coast of Norway. Part [of it] was recorded in the far north of Scotland."[8]
Influence
The track is often described as one of Roy Harper's best songs, as evidenced by the number of times it has been covered. In 2024 Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull named Harper as one of his favourite artists and said that "'Another Day' really resonated with me. Many people, in addition to me, regard it as a cult classic."[9]
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