On Any Other Day

Album: Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Police drummer Stewart Copeland, this song seems to be about all the things that life throws at us and the problems we face on a really bad day. We could deal with them all, if only on any other day. Copeland also sings lead on the track. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Pippin - Rhye, CA
  • From the book MTV Ruled the World - The Early Years of Music Video, here's Stewart Copeland talking about the early days of music videos at the dawn of MTV: "Up until that point, videos were not an art form. The only place I'd seen them was in England, on shows like Top of the Pops. When there would be an American group that actually couldn't show up, they would send video, which was usually just a camera following a band around a park while they walk around, and someone says, 'Hey, get an ice cream! Let's have all the lads eating ice cream!' They were sort of like Monkees' videos."
  • At the start of the song, Stewart Copeland can be heard saying: "The other ones are complete bulls--t."

    "I had a bunch of dumb lyrics before turning them into a sensible song, but when I started to lay that down, they said that the first lyrics were much better," Copeland explained to The Guardian. "I said, 'Oh, the other ones are complete bulls--t.' But we used them, so they turned out to be not such bulls--t after all."

Comments: 2

  • Pearson from Georgia It’s a weird song
    Stewart Copeland even says at the beginning “the other ones were complete bulls--t”
    The cups and plates are in a conspiracy like they’re going to arrest him for spilling his tea and throwing down the morning papers and slamming the car door on his fingers and making them rip off
  • David from Reading, EnglandThis is one of Copeland's humourous songs, telling us about all the things that have gone wrong, and how he'd be able to deal with them on any other day - as today is his birthday! (Listen to the outro, where we hear the "chipmunks" singing "Happy Birthday, Dear Daddy, Happy Birthday, To You")
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.