Till the End of the Day

Album: The Kink Kontroversy (1966)
Charted: 6 50
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Belying the optimistic lyric ("Baby, I feel good, from the moment I arise..."), this song was written by Kinks lead singer Ray Davies when he was going through a very difficult time.

    The Kinks were on the rise, with a run of hits starting with "You Really Got Me" in 1964. The band couldn't enjoy it, however, because they were pressured into a rigorous cycle of touring, recording and promotion that put enormous strain on the group. Davies was married and hardly able to enjoy the benefits of his stardom; in May 1965 he had his first child, a daughter named Louisa. With the strains of fatherhood now upon him as well, he sunk into a depression, but was still expected to write some hits. After a few days off, he came back to work determined to make everyone think he was A-OK, so he wrote this chipper song, which he later explained was a total lie.

Comments: 1

  • Ken from Philadelphia, PaThe Kinks are possibly the most underrated band of all time, and this is quite likely their best song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.