China Crisis is a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Mersey… Read Full Bio ↴China Crisis is a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Merseyside, with a core band of vocalist/keyboardist Garry Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. They've produced pop music similar in style to that of the new romantic movement. Yet they've also had strong similarities to the post-punk movement of the early 80s, particularly inclusion of a broader range of musical influences and occasional flirtation with political commentary.

Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Brian Eno, Daly and Lundon had become burned out from playing with various Knowsley post-punk groups. Daly quit school and then spent much of his time indoors tinkering with synthesizers and a drum machine. Along with Lundon, Daly began writing songs using his high-tech toys. Feeling creatively stifled by the drum machine, the pair eventually asked percussionist Dave Reilly to join them, and in 1982 they released the single "African & White" as China Crisis on the independent label Inevitable. Later re-released by Virgin Records, "African & White" was also China Crisis' first hit in the U.K..

Throughout their career, China Crisis has seen moderate success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia,Philippines and the Americas. Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson to the lineup, they recorded their debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms. Another single, "Christian", hit U.K. #12, followed by two singles from second album, Working with Fire and Steel Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2.

China Crisis spent 1984-1985 making their biggest chart run, beginning with their first top-ten hit, "Wishful Thinking". Third album Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker, and resulted in the hit singles "Black Man Ray" and "King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)". The album was followed up in 1986 with What Price Paradise, though China Crisis worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical raves though not much commercial movement.

Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & The Bunnymen by digesting a cornucopia of musical genres, everything from jazz to progressive rock. Despite the stylistic deviations, China Crisis maintained their distinctive sound through a number of albums in the '80s and '90s. Tragically, Wilkinson hanged himself on July 17, 1999. In 2000, Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, Green Indians.

Day After Day
China Crisis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Day after day
In my hometown
Trade undismayed
And so proud
Life under no illusions
Illusions fade away
No mindless politician
Is needed

When grown men
Who've worked for years
In return, in a word
Are reduced to tears

Rain fall on down
Onmy home town
Fall on us all
On new ground
Survival of the happiest
The politics of being
For the mindless politician
There's no place

When grown men
Who've worked for years
In return, in a word
Are reduced to tears

Day after day
In my hometown

Stay who will stay
In the old town

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of China Crisis’s song Day After Day talk about life in a small town and the day-to-day struggles of its inhabitants. The song highlights the pride that people take in their work and trade, and how they continue undismayed despite the challenges they face. There is no space for illusions in this town, where people work hard and are very realistic. The lyrics emphasize the power of the people in these small communities and how they do not need mindless politicians.

The song also touches on the struggles that grown men face despite working hard for years. It details the plight of these people who are reduced to tears in return for their hard work. Despite all the struggles, rain falls on the hometown, providing new ground to build and grow. The politics of being happy and surviving is explored in contrast to the mindless politicians who seem to be of no use. The song ultimately ends with a call for people to stay in the old town despite the hardships they face.

The song captures the reality of life in small-town communities where people work hard to survive, and the sense of community and pride that drives them. The lyrics are evocative, and the song is easy to relate to for anyone who has lived in a small town.

Line by Line Meaning

Day after day
The passage of time in a sequence of redundant events

In my hometown
A place of familiar surroundings where one grew up

Trade undismayed
Business as usual despite the challenges

And so proud
Feeling of dignity and honor in their local heritage

Life under no illusions
A realistic view of the world without deceits

Illusions fade away
False perceptions eventually vanish

No mindless politician
An absence of senseless leaders

Is needed
The community is self-sustaining

When grown men
Mature individuals

Who've worked for years
Toiled for an extended time

In return, in a word
In exchange or as a consequence