Another Day | |
Images and Words | |
Length | 4:24 |
Working title | |
Release date | 31 December 1991 |
Lyrics | John Petrucci |
Music | Dream Theater |
First live performance | |
Total live plays | |
Recorded | Bear Tracks Studios |
Other appearances | Another Day, Lie, Live at the Marquee, Live Scenes from New York, Greatest Hit (...and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) |
Previous song | {{{Previous song}}} |
Next song | {{{Next song}}} |
Another Day is a song by Dream Theater. It is the second song on their second album, Images and Words, the second radio release and video from the album and the first single EP release from the album. Another Day is Dream Theater's first commercially released ballad.
Personnel
- Mike Portnoy - Drums
- John Petrucci - Guitar, lyrics
- John Myung - Bass
- Kevin Moore - Keyboard
- James LaBrie - Vocals
- Jay Beckenstein - Soprano saxophone
Lyrics
Live another day Climb a little higher Find another reason to stay Ashes in your hands Mercy in your eyes If you're searching for a silent sky... You won't find it here Look another way You won't find it here So die another day The coldness of this words The message in his silence, "Face the candle to the wind..." This distance in my voice Isn't leaving you a choice So if you're looking for a time to run away... You won't find it here Look another way You won't find it here So try another day They took pictures of our dreams Ran to hide behind the stairs And said maybe when it's right for you, they'll fall But if they don't come down Resist the need to pull them in And throw them away Better to save the mystery Than surrender to the secret You won't find it here Look another way You won't find it here So try another day
Analysis
Petrucci wrote Another Day about his father, John Petrucci Sr. who was diagnosed with cancer. Petrucci Sr. would be the subject of another Dream Theater song, Take Away My Pain following his death. The video for Another Day follows the song's lyrics, with a father and son spending time together. MRI scans are visible in the background, tying in to the cancer theme.
Tone
Another Day is a mellodic ballad with pop sensabilities. The song was written to be accessible, and was presented with radio, single and video releases. Another Day does build up to a crescendo, though it never becomes heavy, instead going into a soprano sax solo by Beckenstein.
Notes
Though Another Day was written to be accessible and a possible hit, it was surpassed surprisingly by Pull Me Under which became the band's biggest hit. Despite a single and video, the song never caught on in the mainstream, the video not being used by MTV and the EP release being considered the rarest commercial release by Dream Theater, often fetching large prices on eBay.
The video features the young girl who was the model for the cover of Images and Words.
Another Day was remixed and included on Greatest Hit (...and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs).
Live performances
Another Day is a very popular song live and has been played on many tours, especially in the band's early years. The song doesn't deviate very much from the album version, though the saxophone is usually synthesized by Moore (or Derek Sherinian, Jordan Rudess).