Danny Michel is a singer-songwriter based just outside Guelph, Ontario, Can… Read Full Bio ↴Danny Michel is a singer-songwriter based just outside Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Born in 1970 and raised in Kitchener, Ontario , he began his professional career playing with the Rhinos before beginning a solo career. In the late 1990s, he moved to Ottawa, where he developed a loyal following with a weekly show at the Manx Pub on Elgin St. In his live shows, he often uses looped live samples of his guitar and other instruments to create a richly layered solo performance. While at the Manx he often entertained with cover versions of songs by some of his favourite artists, including David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and the Rheostatics. At the same time, he began to amass an extensive repertoire of original tunes, and briefly joined local power-pop band Starling.

As a songwriter, he has released six albums, including an album devoted to covers David Bowie songs. His albums have often been recorded in a home-studio with him performing most, if not all, instruments. He is a talented guitarist who is universally lauded for his lyrics, having been compared to Elvis Costello and received accolades from renowned Canadian author Timothy Findley.

In 2004, Danny was nominated for Best New Artist at the Juno Awards following the release of his album "Tales from the Invisible Man" the previous year. The award went to Michael Bublé.

Good Old Days
Danny Michel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Time ticks and drips away
Days burn, distintegrate
Years roll along and fade
Don′t let them slip away

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today

These are the good old days

Love falls and breaks apart
Words sting and break a heart
Say what you ought to say
Before it's far too late

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Way back when, do you remember when
We never felt right and we never fit in
Times were tight, we could never win
And all them places I′d never been

I don't wanna sit and reminisce
I don't wanna miss a piece of this
I got the pedal to the medal and no regrets
I don′t wanna miss, I don′t wanna miss none of this

Sax solo

Hang on and don't let go
I love you more and more
Stay till the sun comes up
Three cheers, raise your cup

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days
Right here, right now, today
These are the good old days

Way back when, do you remember when?
Way back when, do you remember when?

Way back when, do you remember when?
Way back when, do you remember when?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Danny Michel's song "Good Old Days" center around the theme of cherishing the present moment and not letting time slip away without making the most of it. The first verse paints a picture of time moving quickly and relentlessly, urging the listener not to let their days slip away without making the most of them. The second verse touches on the theme of love and communication, urging the listener to speak their truth before it's too late and to cherish the people they love. The chorus repeats the message that the present moment is a precious one, the "good old days" that we will one day look back on with nostalgia.

The bridge of the song begins with the lines "Way back when, do you remember when? / We never felt right and we never fit in." These lines add depth to the theme of living in the present by acknowledging that the present moment may not always be perfect, but it is still a moment to be cherished. The lines "I don't wanna sit and reminisce / I don't wanna miss a piece of this" reinforce the idea that it is important to live life fully and not get too caught up in nostalgia for the past.

One interesting aspect of the song is the use of the saxophone solo towards the end. This solo adds a jazzy, upbeat element to the song, emphasizing the celebratory and joyful tone of the lyrics. The repetition of the lines "way back when, do you remember when?" also adds a lyrical catchiness to the song that makes it easy to sing along to.

Line by Line Meaning

Time ticks and drips away
Time is continuously passing and slowly disappearing without us always being aware.

Days burn, disintegrate
Days fly by and don't last forever, they disappear into nothingness.

Years roll along and fade
The years keep coming and going, and they eventually come to an end, fading into the past.

Don't let them slip away
Don't let the moments and opportunities that come with time go to waste or be forgotten.

Right here, right now, today
This very moment in time is important and significant, even if it doesn't seem that way.

These are the good old days
The present is valuable, and we should appreciate and cherish it as if it was the past we long for.

Love falls and breaks apart
Love can be fragile and easily damaged, falling apart without proper care and attention.

Words sting and break a heart
The words we choose to express ourselves can have a powerful impact in either a positive or negative way. We should be mindful of hurting others.

Say what you ought to say
Speak your truth and don't shy away from expressing your thoughts and feelings authentically.

Before it's far too late
Time is running out, so don't wait too long to express what you need to express and do what you need to do.

Way back when, do you remember when
Looking back on the past can bring up memories of what once was.

We never felt right and we never fit in
The past wasn't always easy, and we may have struggled with feeling like we belonged.

Times were tight, we could never win
The past may have been difficult, and we may have faced many challenges that felt insurmountable.

And all them places I'd never been
There were probably many experiences and opportunities that we missed out on in the past.

I don't wanna sit and reminisce
We shouldn't get stuck in the past or constantly dwell on what was. We should focus on the present moment instead.

I don't wanna miss a piece of this
We don't want to miss out on anything important that's happening right now.

I got the pedal to the medal and no regrets
We're giving it our all in the present and have no regrets about it.

I don't wanna miss, I don't wanna miss none of this
We want to fully experience everything the present has to offer and not let any of it slip by unnoticed.

Hang on and don't let go
Hold on tight and don't let go of what's important, even if it's hard.

I love you more and more
The love we have for someone can only grow stronger over time.

Stay till the sun comes up
Stay in the moment and don't let it end until the very end.

Three cheers, raise your cup
Celebrate the moment and raise a glass to the present.

Writer(s): EARL JOHN DALEY, NICK MANASSEH, DANIEL WAYNE CLARKE

Contributed by Sarah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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