"Days Like This" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

and the title song of his 1995 album of the same name. Morrison has often performed this song in concert appearances, and it has become one of his most popular songs from his later years. It peaked at number 65 in the UK upon release, and later reached number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' US Rock Digital Song Sales chart.

Recording and composition

"Days Like This" was recorded during the 1993–1994 sessions at Wool Hall Studios,

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and the Real World in

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. The song was inspired by the 1961 Shirelles hit " Mama Said", written by

Luther Dixon Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B.B ...

and

Willie Denson Willie Denson (23 November 1936 in Columbus, Georgia – 1 July 2006) was an American songwriter, most notably for the Shirelles, and a singer under the name Denny Denson. He wrote or co-wrote with Luther Dixon five songs for the Shirelles, i ...

. Before making his big break as a solo artist, Irish singer-songwriter Brian Kennedy performed backing vocals for this song, as well as others throughout the album, and features heavily in the music video.

Legacy

It became the official

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of the peace movement in Northern Ireland and the

Northern Ireland Office The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; , Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of S ...

used it along with "

Brown Eyed Girl "Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer and songwriter Van Morrison. Written by Morrison and recorded in March 1967, it was released as a single in June of the same year on the Bang label, peaking at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

" as theme music for a television advertisement promoting the ceasefire. Morrison performed it for an audience of 60–80,000 people when President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

visited

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

on 30 November 1995. Clinton, himself a saxophonist, had shown an appreciation for Morrison's music and had wanted to perform but was advised against it by security officers. In 2020 Irish singer

Dermot Kennedy Dermot Joseph Kennedy (born 13 December 1991) is an Irish singer and songwriter. He is known for his 2019 singles " Outnumbered" and " Power Over Me", his 2020 single " Giants", and his feature on the 2020 Meduza single " Paradise". He is signed ...

released a cover version on his album ''Without Fear: The Complete Edition''.

In the media

In 1997 "Days Like This" was featured on the soundtrack of the film ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

''. It was played several times in the 2007 film '' Because I Said So''. It has also been used in a

Channel 7 Australia Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

ad campaign. In episode 2 of season 4 of the

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Money Heist ''Money Heist'' (, , ) is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor ( Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain, ...

'' television series, the song is played. Morrison has often performed this song in concert appearances, including at the

Austin City Limits Music Festival Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, on two consecutive three-day weekends and is inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series ''Austin City Limits''. The festival is pro ...

Other releases

*''

Live at Austin City Limits Festival ''Live at Austin City Limits Festival'' by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison is a limited edition live album recorded from the Austin City Limits Festival concert at which he was the first night headliner on 15 September 2006. It has ...

'' (2006 Limited Cd) *''

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'' *''

The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 ''The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3'' is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released on 11 June 2007 in the UK with a digital version released in the U.S. on iTunes Store on 12 June 2007. Manhattan/EMI Music Ca ...

'' *''

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'' (remastered in 2007)

Personnel

– vocals,

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

*Ronnie Johnson – electric guitar *Nicky Scott –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

Geoff Dunn Geoffrey Edwin Dunn (born 26 February 1961 in Clapham, London, England) is an English rock drummer. From 2002 until his departure in 2007, he was the drummer with the rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Before joining the Earth Band, his long ...

– drums *Teena Lyle – piano, backing vocals *

Kate St John Kate St John (born 2 October 1957) is an English composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist. She was a member of bands Ravishing Beauties, The Dream Academy, and Channel Light Vessel, and of Van Morrison's live band, in which she pl ...

– alto saxophone *

Pee Wee Ellis Alfred James Rogers (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 19 ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

* Leo Green – tenor saxophone *Matthew Holland – trumpet * Brian Kennedy – backing vocals *Horns arranged by

Certifications

Notes

References

* Heylin, Clinton (2003). ''Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography'', Chicago Review Press, * Hinton, Brian (1997). ''Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison'', Sanctuary, * Rogan, Johnny (2006). '' Van Morrison: No Surrender'', London:Vintage Books {{Authority control 1995 singles Van Morrison songs Songs written by Van Morrison Song recordings produced by Van Morrison Mercury Records singles