"Another Day" is a 1970 song by the English

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

singer and songwriter Roy Harper for his album ''

Flat Baroque and Berserk ''Flat Baroque and Berserk'' is the fourth studio album by the English folk musician Roy Harper. It was released in January 1970 through Harvest Records. History ''Flat Baroque and Berserk'' was the first of Roy Harper's recordings to enter th ...

''. It was recorded at

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

in London, and produced by

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

's manager and sometimes producer

Peter Jenner Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises. Early career Peter Jenner is the son of Will ...

. "Another Day" is widely considered one of the high points of Harper's career. The song has been notably covered by

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

and

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

in 1979, and by

Elizabeth Fraser Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963) is a Scottish singer. She was the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins, who achieved success in the UK from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Their studio albums '' Victorialand'' (1986) and '' H ...

and

Robin Guthrie Robin Andrew Guthrie (born 4 January 1962) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, composer, record producer and audio engineer, best known as the co-founder of the post punk alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has ...

of the

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

for the collective

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotat ...

's 1984 album '' It'll End in Tears''. A live version of the song appears on Harper's 1974 double album '' Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion''.

Lyrics

The lyrics seem to be from the point of view of a man who has a momentary reencounter a former lover. The song details his feelings of regret and lost opportunities. Midway during 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. The bitter sweet lyrics are written from the point of view of a man looking back with regret upon a missed chance at romance.Beaumont, Peter.
Old music: Roy Harper – Another Day
. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 28 Jun 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2025 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."

Covers

In the 1979 cover by

and

the male and female vocals reflect the lyrics sung respectively by the protagonist and his lost lover. The track is accompanied by keyboards, and Harper's guitar riff played on a piano. The cover led to Bush collaborating with Harper in 1980: he sang backing vocals on her song "

Breathing Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the rhythmical process of moving air into ( inhalation) and out of ( exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxy ...

", and they performed a duet on the track 'You' from his '' The Unknown Soldier'' album. Elizabeth Fraser 1986

The

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

records collective

recorded a version on their 1984 album '' It'll End in Tears'', sung by

of the

and accompanied by strings rather than acoustic guitar.Aston (2013), p. 155 The album was conceived by the 4AD

Ivo Watts-Russell Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the independent record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director" ...

, who sought to renew interest in at the time neglected 1970s songwriters such as Harper and

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950March 17, 2010) was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops ...

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...

. 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 f "Another Day"happened in an abandoned structure with a large

reverb In acoustics, reverberation (commonly shortened to reverb) is a persistence of sound after it is produced. It is often created when a sound is reflected on surfaces, causing multiple reflections that build up and then decay as the sound is a ...

off the coast of Norway. Part

f it F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounc ...

was recorded in the far north of Scotland."Cragg, Michael.
Oliver Coates – Another Day: New music
. ''The Guardian'', 6 November 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2025

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 Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

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."Starkey, Arun.
Ian Anderson on his favourite “cult classic” album
. ''

Far out Magazine ''Far Out'' is an independent British online culture platform founded in 2010 and headquartered in London. The site focuses on independent and alternative culture, providing analysis of music, film, travel and the arts alongside exclusive intervi ...

'', 29 October 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2025

Notes

Sources

* Aston, Martin. ''Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD''. London: The Friday Project, 2013. * Raymonde, Simon. '' In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor Raymonde and Me''. London: Nine Eight Books, 2024.

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Another Day (Roy Harper Song) 1970 songs Roy Harper (singer) songs