"Day Is Gone" is a song by English rock band

Cardiacs Cardiacs are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (Cardiacs), Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim Smith (bassist), Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One ...

from their third studio album, ''

Heaven Born and Ever Bright ''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' is the third studio album by British rock band Cardiacs, released on 15 May 1992 through the band's label Alphabet Business Concern, originally marketed by Rough Trade and distributed by Rough Trade and Pinnacle. I ...

'' (1992). It was released as a

twelve-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...

preceding the album on 28 October 1991 alongside a free

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

titled "Appealing to Venus" ( b/w "Tree Tops High") by side project the Sea Nymphs from their eponymous debut studio album (1992). Both tracks were written by Tim Smith who solely produced the former, while the Sea Nymphs produced the latter. Musically, "Day Is Gone" has been described as a

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

song with a

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

and prominent guitars. A low-budget

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Day Is Gone" was released on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, featuring various shots of the band in a forest. After being reissued by the ''

Organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

'' magazine's record label, Org Records, "Appealing to Venus" was made

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's daytime Single of the Week and led to the Sea Nymphs recording a

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

Background and composition

The classic Cardiacs six-piece lineup dissipated following the release of ''

On Land and in the Sea ''On Land and in the Sea'' is the second studio album proper by the English rock band Cardiacs. Produced by band leader Tim Smith, it was recorded and mixed in 1988 at The Slaughterhouse studios in Yorkshire and released in May 1989 by the band ...

'' (1989), with

William D. Drake William Derek Drake (born 7 February 1962) is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the Cult following, cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine yea ...

Tim Quy Timothy Graham Quy ( ; 14 August 19612 February 2023) was a British musician, best known as the percussionist for the rock band Cardiacs from 1981 to 1990. Initially the band's sound engineer, Quy first gigged as reserve bass player in 1980 and j ...

and Sarah Smith leaving the band. Cardiacs slimmed down to a four piece on their third studio album ''

'' (1992), which displayed a harder edged,

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

-leaning sound. Tim Smith, Jim Smith and drummer Dominic Luckman remained, joined by guitarist Christian "Bic" Hayes. Hayes left the band before the song's release to commit to his other project

Levitation Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to: Concepts *Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object *Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...

and was replaced by

Jon Poole Jonathan Charles Poole (born 16 October 1969) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his work as guitarist for Cardiacs and as bass player for the Wildhearts and Lifesigns (band), Li ...

. "Day Is Gone" was composed and written by Tim Smith, utilising a

. It was recorded at Boundary Row Studios in London and Studio 811 in

Cowfold Cowfold is a village and civil parish between Billingshurst and Haywards Heath in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village is at the intersection of the A272 and A281 roads. The parish has a land area of . In the 2001 census ...

, Sussex. The song was also produced and mixed by Smith, with regular collaborator David Murder as the

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...

. Its guitars have been described as having a

element with spacious production.

Release and promotion

"Day Is Gone" was released as a single preceding ''Heaven Born and Ever Bright'' on 28 October 1991. The EP includes the

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

"No Bright Side", "Ideal" and "Joining the Plankton", a concert favourite. Future Cardiacs guitarist

Kavus Torabi Kavus Torabi (born 5 December 1971) is a British-Iranian musician, composer, record label owner and radio broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (primarily as a guitarist). Tora ...

mentions in his book '' Medical Grade Music'' that he got his nose pierced the same week as the EP's release. The single's cover features a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

and a daisy montage, which was also used on a

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

. A low-budget

for the song was released on

. During the video, various shots of the band in a forest are shown.

"Appealing to Venus"

The song "Appealing to Venus" by Cardiacs side project the Sea Nymphs was released for free as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

with copies of the "Day Is Gone" twelve-inch, backed with the B-side "Tree Tops High". The song was written by Smith and produced by the Sea Nymphs, comprising Tim, Sarah and Drake. Org Records, the record label of the magazine ''

'', reissued "Appealing to Venus" on 1 June 1998 as a CD-only EP''.'' The label had previously released the Cardiacs single "

Bellyeye "Bellyeye" is a song by the English rock band Cardiacs from their album ''Sing to God'' (1996). Written and produced by Cardiacs' leader, singer and guitarist Tim Smith, Org Records released it in association with the magazine '' The Organ'' as t ...

" and featured both bands on various compilations and gigs. As there was a dislike of Cardiacs in the mainstream music business, Org neglected to mention that the release was a reissue and that the Sea Nymphs members were in another band. They sent a pre-release tape to DJs including

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

, who said he loved the single and asked if they could do a radio session. Mark Radcliffe and Mark Riley made "Appealing to Venus" their daytime Single of the Week on

, which ''Organ'' says was "probably the most exposure since the days of ' Is This the Life?'." The Sea Nymphs snuck around the BBC Maida Vale studio attempting to not be recognised, and recorded the Peel Session with string machines and other equipment. John Peel, who wasn't there, called up the following day to say that he was pleased and mentioned that he knew who the band members were weeks later. Because of the single's radio play, labels called wanting to sign the band and Org asked for more tracks to release, but Smith had moved on and had begun work on Cardiacs' ''

Guns A gun is a device that propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). Solid projectiles may be ...

'' (1999).

Critical reception

Dom Lawson of ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' called the single "irresistibly melodic", including "Day Is Gone" in the

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

''Cardiacs: The Essential Playlist''. Marco Sgrignoli of ''

Ondarock ''Ondarock'' is an Italian online magazine focused on music journalism, founded by Claudio Fabretti in February 2001. It won the 2013 Targa Mei Musicletter award for "Best Website". The magazine is regarded as one of the most authoritative music ...

'' commented that might contain "the most 'straight' in history". According to ''Organ'', the reissue of "Appealing to Venus" received positive words in the press from the same people who never had a good printed word for Cardiacs.

Cover versions

The Trudy The Trudy are an English pop band formed in Kingston upon Thames in 1979 by former Cardiacs members Peter Tagg (drums) and Ralph Cade (vocals and keyboards) along with Derek Tagg (guitar) and Sue Smallwood (bass). In 1980 The Trudy, with the ab ...

covered the "Day Is Gone" on the tribute album '' Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute to Tim Smith, Songbook 1'' (2010). In '' 3:AM Magazine'',

Cathi Unsworth Cathi Unsworth (born 11 June 1968) is an English writer and music journalist. She has written for magazines including ''Melody Maker, Dazed & Confused'' and '' Bizarre,'' and has released several novels. Biography Unsworth was born on 11 Jun ...

wrote that the Trudy "spring through the ong'scascading melodies." Sam Sheppard of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' said that "The Trudy bring their sunkissed pop to 'Day Is Gone', accentuating the fact that Cardiacs, despite all the fiddly bits are basically a damn fine pop band."

Formats and track listings

All tracks are written by Tim Smith. All lyrics by Smith, except where noted. ;"Day Is Gone" * 12-inch vinyl :A1. "Day Is Gone" – 3:19 :A2. "No Bright Side" (Smith,

Christian Hayes Christian David "Bic" Hayes (born 10 June 1964) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Best known as the frontman of Dark Star (band), Dark Star and guitarist with Levitation (band), Levitation, he has also released solo material ...

) – 5:15 :B1. "Ideal" – 4:24 :B2. "Joining the Plankton" – 3:42 * CD and digital EP # "Day Is Gone" – 3:19 # "No Bright Side" – 5:15 # "Ideal" – 4:24 # "Joining the Plankton" – 3:42 ;"Appealing to Venus" *7-inch vinyl :A. "Appealing to Venus" – 2:35 :B. "Tree Tops High" – 2:30 *''

'' EP reissue # "Appealing to Venus" – 2:36 # "God's Box" – 1:48 # "Up In Annies Room" – 3:33 # "Shaping the River" – 2:04 #* Bonus tracks # "Little Creations" – 1:56 # "Camouflage" – 3:51 # "Hymn" (

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

; music begins at 2:28) – 4:56 ;Notes *The music of "God's Box" is by

. *"Little Creations" and "Camouflage" are taken from ''

Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' (American English) or ''Mr'' (British English), is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. ...

'' (1984). *"Hymn" is a hand-held tape recording of Cardiacs at the 1984

Stonehenge Free Festival The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1974 to 1984 held at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating with the summer solstice on or near 21 June. It emerged as the major fr ...

Credits and personnel

"Day Is Gone"

Credits adapted from the folded insert of the CD

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

. ;Cardiacs * Jim Smith – bass guitar, vocals * Tim Smith – guitar, vocals *

– guitar, vocals * Dominic Luckman – drums, vocals ;Production * David Murder –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Roger Tebbutt – acoustic liaison * Tim Smith – production

"Appealing to Venus"

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''The Sea Nymphs''. ;Personnel *

– vocals, keyboards, Television Organ * Tim Smith – vocals, keyboards, guitars * Sarah Smith – vocals, saxophones, clarinet, recorders * The Sea Nymphs – percussion, production

Footnotes

References

{{Cardiacs 1991 singles 1991 songs Cardiacs songs Songs written by Tim Smith (Cardiacs) British power pop songs