Day After Day (Badfinger song)

"Day After Day"
Single by Badfinger
from the album Straight Up
B-side	"Money" (US) "Sweet Tuesday Morning" (UK)
Released	10 November 1971 (US) 14 January 1972 (UK)
Recorded	3 June 1971
Genre	Pop rock[1] power pop[2]
Length	3:11
Label	Apple
Songwriter(s)	Pete Ham
Producer(s)	George Harrison & Todd Rundgren
Badfinger singles chronology
"No Matter What" (1970) "Day After Day" (1971) "Baby Blue" (1972)

"Day After Day" is a song by the British rock band Badfinger from their 1971 album Straight Up. It was written by Pete Ham and produced by George Harrison, who also plays slide guitar on the recording. The song was issued as a single and became Badfinger's biggest hit, charting at number 4 in the United States and number 10 in the UK, ultimately earning gold accreditation from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Recording

"Day After Day" was written and sung by Pete Ham and produced by George Harrison,^[3] who plays some of the slide guitar parts of the song along with Ham.^[4] The record also features Leon Russell on piano. As the song was unfinished at the time Harrison left the Badfinger album to produce the Concert for Bangladesh, the final mix was done by Todd Rundgren, who took over Straight Up after Harrison's departure.

Release

Released as a single in the US in November 1971 (January 1972 elsewhere), it would become the group's highest charting single there, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.^[5] It also peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1972. It remains one of the band's best-known songs, most notably for the slide guitar solos. It went Gold in March 1972, becoming the band's first and only gold single. "Day After Day" reached number 10 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.^[6]

Reception

Billboard said that "This driving rock ballad, penned by Pete Ham has it to re-establish [Badfinger] at the top of the chart once again."^[7] Cash Box said that "This ballad should bring them back to the pop charts, and leave us all hungry for more."^[8] Record World said that it is "produced in fine fashion by George Harrison" and that it should continue the group's streak of never missing with a single release.^[9]

Chris Evans chose it as an example of a Badfinger that shows that "though lyrical profundity may have been beyond them, there was plenty of mileage to be got out of the power ballad before Adrian Gurvitz and Michael Bolton came along.^[10]

Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated "Day After Day" as Badfinger's greatest song, due to the "unassailable melody, plaintive vocals and lovestruck sentiment" as well as Harrison's "wonderful slide solo."^[11] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 2nd best song, highlighting Harrison's "distinctive guitar playing."^[12] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts also rated it as Badfinger's 2nd best song.^[13]

Personnel

Badfinger

• Pete Ham – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, slide guitar
• Tom Evans – backing vocals, bass guitar
• Joey Molland – backing vocals, acoustic guitar
• Mike Gibbins – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• George Harrison – slide guitar
• Leon Russell – piano

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1971–1972) Peak position Australian (Go-Set National Top 40)[14] 7 Australian (Kent Music Report) 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 13 New Zealand (Listener) [17] 3 UK Singles Chart[18] 10 US Billboard Hot 100[19] 4 US Billboard Easy Listening[20] 10 US Cash Box Top 100[21] 3 US Record World Singles Chart[21] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1972) Rank Canada (RPM)[22] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 39 US Cash Box[24] 48

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25]	Gold	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Joe, Bosso (21 November 2010). "Badfinger's Joey Molland on The Beatles, Apple Records reissues and tragedy". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
2. Hanson, William (1998). "Badfinger/Joey Molland". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 65.
3. Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1977). "1971 – My Sweet Lord, He's So Fine". All Together Now – The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975 (Second ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 106. ISBN 0-345-25680-8.
4. Rodriguez, Robert (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980 (illustrated ed.). New York: Backbeat Books. p. 41. ISBN 9780879309688.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 42.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 26.
7. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 20 November 1971. p. 73. Retrieved 10 April 2023.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
8. "Cashbox Single Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. 20 November 1971. p. 22. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
9. "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 November 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
10. Evans, Chris (20 April 1995). "Listening Post". Lichfield Post. p. 19. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via newspapers.com.
11. Hughes, Rob (26 June 2016). "The top 10 best Badfinger songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
12. Gallucci, Michael (26 April 2013). "Top 10 Badfinger Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
13. Roberts, Janey (6 September 2019). "Top 10 Badfinger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
14. "Go-Set Australian charts – 15 April 1972". poparchives.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5306." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Day After Day". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
17. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
18. "Badfinger". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
19. "Badfinger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
20. "Badfinger Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
21. Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
22. "RPM's Top 100 Singles of '72". RPM. 13 January 1973. p. 20.
23. "Top Pop 100 Singles" Billboard December 30, 1972: TA-3
24. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1972". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
25. "American single certifications – Badfinger – Day After Day". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 June 2023.