In addition, Belew is well-regarded for his contributions, particularly on guitar, to various other artists' recordings. In 1977, he performed with Frank Zappa, appearing in Zappa's 1979 concert film Baby Snakes, as well as Zappa's controversial album Sheik Yerbouti. He also supported David Bowie on his "Heroes" tour that was released as "Stage". He also played on the 1990 Sound + Vision tour. On both tours he was musical director, playing guitar and singing backing vocals.
Belew's other session credits include the 1980 album Remain in Light by the Talking Heads, Lights Out by Peter Wolf, and Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album Graceland. He worked with Laurie Anderson during the mid-1980s, appearing in her concert film Home of the Brave. During the 1990s, he contributed to three Nine Inch Nails albums, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Ghosts. He played synthesized guitar on the song "God Shuffled His Feet" by Crash Test Dummies in 1993.
In the late-1980s, Belew formed the pop band The Bears with ex-Raisins members and released two albums, The Bears and Rise and Shine. A third album, Car Caught Fire, followed in 2001.
He features prominently on Tori Amos's 2001 cover album, "Strange Little Girls". He also contributed his lead guitar stylings to Porcupine Tree's album Deadwing (2005) as well as to a track ("I Can't Get Behind That", also featuring Henry Rollins) on the 2004 Ben Folds-produced William Shatner album Has Been.
Bad Days
Adrian Belew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But i didn't know it'd never go away
Until i answered when my telephone rang
Bad days coming my way
'cause i heard my baby saying
She's gonna be leaving me
Bad days must be on my tracks
'cause i heard my baby saying
Bad days
Followed by those awful nights
I could've told you she was tired of my ways
I had no more surprises up my sleeve
But when she went away it sure surprised me, oh
Bad days must be on my back
'cause i sense my baby's never
She's never coming back
Bad days must be here to stay
'cause it seems so long since she
Since she went away
Bad days
And always those awful nights
So this morning when i slept so late
I couldn't move beneath the heavy weight
I heard somebody at my backyard gate, oh
There she was coming through the haze saying
"hold me, baby, and i hope i'm not too late"
Bad days are never coming again
Because i heard my baby say she's
She's never leaving me
Happy days
And no more of those awful nights
The lyrics of Adrian Belew's song Bad Days recount the experience of heartbreak and the accompanying gloom that follows for the singer. The song opens with a foreboding of the singer's hopelessness as he anticipates the darkening of his life's skies. Through a telephone conversation, the singer learns that his lover is leaving him, signaling the beginning of his "bad days." The nights that follow are said to be "awful," suggesting that the singer is unable to sleep or find rest due to the pain of his heartbreak. The song's narrator seems resigned to his fate and can interpret the signals that his lover is leaving him. In the second verse, the singer repeats the "bad days" refrain, revealing his acknowledgment of the fact that his actions contributed to the ending of the relationship, and he can understand why his lover has left him. His world is bleak and seemingly never-ending, suggesting a feeling of hopelessness and despair.
However, the song's structure changes in the last verse when the singer recounts his lover's return. Through her coming to him, he experiences a profound sense of joy, and the skies clear up again. The song's conclusion, which features the "happy days" refrain, shows that while sadness and heartbreak may be a part of life, hope and happiness are still possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew the weather was supposed to turn gray
I was aware that things were about to get bad
But i didn't know it'd never go away
I did not expect the bad times to persist indefinitely
Until i answered when my telephone rang
It was not until I answered the phone that things started to go bad
Bad days coming my way
I am about to enter a period of hardship
'cause i heard my baby saying
The cause of my bad days is the words spoken by my significant other
She's gonna be leaving me
My partner is planning to leave me
Bad days must be on my tracks
I cannot shake these bad times
She won't be coming back
I have lost my significant other and they will not be returning
Bad days
I am experiencing a period of difficulty
Followed by those awful nights
My bad days are accompanied by unpleasant nights
I could've told you she was tired of my ways
I should have known that my partner was unhappy with me
I had no more surprises up my sleeve
I had no other tricks or ideas to make things better
But when she went away it sure surprised me, oh
Regardless, my partner's departure still came as a shock to me
Bad days must be on my back
I cannot escape these hard times
'cause i sense my baby's never
My partner is permanently gone
She's never coming back
I have lost her for good
Bad days must be here to stay
I am facing a prolonged period of hardship
'cause it seems so long since she
The time since her departure feels never-ending
Since she went away
Since my significant other left me
And always those awful nights
Accompanied by nights full of sorrow and difficulty
So this morning when i slept so late
Today, I slept longer than usual
I couldn't move beneath the heavy weight
I felt weighed down and unable to move
I heard somebody at my backyard gate, oh
Someone was at my back door
There she was coming through the haze saying
My partner appeared, somewhat unexpectedly
"hold me, baby, and i hope i'm not too late"
She wanted me to embrace her and hoped she had not lost me for good
Bad days are never coming again
My tough times have passed
Because i heard my baby say she's
My partner assured me that she
She's never leaving me
Is never going to leave me
Happy days
I can look forward to a time of happiness
And no more of those awful nights
I will not have to endure any more unpleasant nights
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADRIAN BELEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind