Day-In Day-Out
Encyclopedia
"Day-In Day-Out" is the first track on David Bowie
's album Never Let Me Down
. It was issued as a single ahead of the album's release.
The song criticised the urban decay
and deprivation in American cities at the time, concerned largely with the depths a young mother has to sink to in order to feed her child, including attempting to shoplift and becoming a prostitute.
's video, which Bowie said is "not going to sell the song at all," made the song's message explicit, showing the young couple's struggle against an uncaring society, watched by a pair of angels through fake video cameras. This was banned by some TV stations (though contrary to popular belief, not the BBC
, who showed the first part of the video on their Top of the Pops
music show), even after edits removed the female protagonist's heavily implied rape, and an alternate version of a scene where the couple's child spells out "Mom", "Food" and "Fuck" in building blocks (representing the child's cycle of dependency; the alternate version had the child spell out the meaningless words "Mom", "Look" and "Luck") – as a result, EMI
issued it on a video EP. The video was nominated for a 1987 MTV Video Music award
in the category of "Best Male Video," but lost to Peter Gabriel
's video for "Sledgehammer
."
When Bowie heard of the video being banned, he stated: "I think it's ludicrous. [The censors] got caught up in the usual yellow press kind of excitement because of what it looked like instead of what it said." He responded to later question about the controversy by making this statement:
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's album Never Let Me Down
Never Let Me Down
Never Let Me Down is an album by David Bowie, released in April 1987. Written over a 3-month period and recorded in Switzerland, Bowie regarded the album at the time as a "move back to rock 'n roll music...
. It was issued as a single ahead of the album's release.
The song criticised the urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
and deprivation in American cities at the time, concerned largely with the depths a young mother has to sink to in order to feed her child, including attempting to shoplift and becoming a prostitute.
Music video
Julien TempleJulien Temple
Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
's video, which Bowie said is "not going to sell the song at all," made the song's message explicit, showing the young couple's struggle against an uncaring society, watched by a pair of angels through fake video cameras. This was banned by some TV stations (though contrary to popular belief, not the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who showed the first part of the video on their Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
music show), even after edits removed the female protagonist's heavily implied rape, and an alternate version of a scene where the couple's child spells out "Mom", "Food" and "Fuck" in building blocks (representing the child's cycle of dependency; the alternate version had the child spell out the meaningless words "Mom", "Look" and "Luck") – as a result, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
issued it on a video EP. The video was nominated for a 1987 MTV Video Music award
1987 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1987 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 11, 1987, honoring the best music videos from May 2, 1986, to May 1, 1987. The show was hosted by MTV VJs Downtown Julie Brown, Carolyne Heldman, Kevin Seal, Michael Tomioka, and Dweezil Zappa, and it took place at the Universal Amphitheatre...
in the category of "Best Male Video," but lost to Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's video for "Sledgehammer
Sledgehammer (song)
"Sledgehammer" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So. It hit number one in Canada on 21 July 1986 where it spent four weeks; number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and number four in the UK singles chart, thanks in part to a...
."
When Bowie heard of the video being banned, he stated: "I think it's ludicrous. [The censors] got caught up in the usual yellow press kind of excitement because of what it looked like instead of what it said." He responded to later question about the controversy by making this statement:
7": EMI America / EA 230 / EAX 230 (UK)
- "Day-In Day-Out" – 4:14
- "Julie" – 3:40
12": EMI America / 12 EA 230 (UK)
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dance Mix)" – 7:15
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dub Mix)" – 7:17
- "Julie" – 3:40
12": EMI America / 12 EAX 230 (UK)
- "Day-In Day-Out (Remix)" – 6:30
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dub Mix)" – 7:17
- "Julie" – 3:40
12": EMI / V-19239 (US)
- "Day-In Day-Out (Groucho Mix)" – 6:29
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dance Mix)" – 7:15
- "Day-In Day-Out (Single Version)" – 4:14
- "Julie" – 3:40
12": EMI / SPRO 9996/9997 (US)
- "Day-In Day-Out (7" Dance Edit)" – 3:35
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dance Mix)" – 7:15
- "Day-In Day-Out (Edited Dance Mix)" – 4:30
Download: EMI / iEAX 230 (UK)
- "Al Alba" – 5:37
- "Julie" – 3:40
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dance Mix)" – 7:15
- "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dub Mix)" – 7:17
- "Day-In Day-Out (12" Groucho Mix)" – 6:29
- The digital downloads were made available in 2007, 20 years after the single's original release.
- Al Alba is the song Day-In Day-Out sung in Spanish.
- The "Remix," "12" Groucho Mix" and the "Groucho Mix" are all the same mix
Video EP
- "Day-In Day-Out"
- "Loving the AlienLoving the Alien"Loving the Alien" is a track from the album Tonight by David Bowie. One of only two tracks on the album written solely by Bowie, the song was a surprisingly late release as a single , reputedly because Bowie read a review saying it would make a good single.It was remixed as a single...
" - "Day-In Day-Out (Extended Dance Mix)"
- The video for "Loving the Alien" was issued to pad out the tape. The "Extended Dance Mix" video was a re-edited version of the main video. The original Video EP includes the unedited versions of the videos; subsequent releases (like Bowie - The Video CollectionBowie – The Video CollectionBowie – The Video Collection is a video album by David Bowie, released in 1993. It included most official music videos made by Bowie between 1972 and 1990.-Track listing:...
) contained the censored versions.
Production credits
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s:- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
- David Richards (record producer)David Richards (record producer)David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
- David Bowie
- MusicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s:- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
: Vocals - Carlos AlomarCarlos AlomarCarlos Alomar is an American guitarist, composer and arranger best known for his work with David Bowie, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician...
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Sid McGinnisSid McGinnisSid McGinnis is an American musician and guitarist, best known for his work on the CBS Television show, Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra....
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Erdal KizilcayErdal KizilcayErdal Kizilcay is a multi-instrumental musician of Turkish birth who has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.-With David Bowie:*Never Let Me Down...
: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- David Bowie
Other releases
- The limited edition release contained a 7" red vinyl disc in a numbered box with a set of stickers and a photo booklet.
- It appeared on the following compilations:
- The Glass Spider TourGlass SpiderGlass Spider is a video album by David Bowie, recorded during the 1987 Glass Spider Tour at Sydney Entertainment Centre.-Release details:...
(1988/2007) - (live video and audio) - Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
- The Singles CollectionThe Singles Collection (David Bowie album)The Singles Collection is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1993 in the UK and as The Singles 1969 to 1993 in the United States...
(1993) - Bowie - The Video CollectionBowie – The Video CollectionBowie – The Video Collection is a video album by David Bowie, released in 1993. It included most official music videos made by Bowie between 1972 and 1990.-Track listing:...
(1993) - (censored video) - Best of BowieBest of BowieBest of Bowie is a career-spanning greatest hits album by multi-platinum recording artist David Bowie. The songs range from his second album to 2002. It was released 35 years after his first album, David Bowie....
(2002) - (audio in some regions, censored and extended video in all regions) - The Platinum Collection (2005)
- The Best of David Bowie 1980-1987The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987The Best of David Bowie 1980-1987 is a David Bowie compilation album. The CD was originally released by EMI as part of The Platinum Collection in 2005/06. The 2007 release is part of EMI's two-disc Sight & Sound series, each of which features a CD and DVD of material from the same artist...
(2005/2006)
- The Glass Spider Tour
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Singles Chart | 3 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| US Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 10 |
| UK Singles Chart | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 21 |