Their first hit, "I'm Into Something Good", was produced by Mickie Most, reaching #1 in the UK (1963) and #13 in the US (1964). Other hits followed such as "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1965) and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am". The last was said at the time to be "the fastest-selling song in history". The band played on these singles but many of their subsequent singles employed session musicians, including Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, with contributions from the band. The band's singles were written by top songwriters of the day. Regardless of how the records were made, the guitar player, Lek Leckenby, was a gifted guitarist. Indeed, all the other members were capable players and Peter Noone was a charismatic front man. The band was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1965, both for "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter". Noone and the band deliberately emphasized their Manchester accents on the record, which was never intended to be a single.
Born in Manchester, England, Noone was a child TV star in Coronation Street and in other TV work. He was still only 15 when he achieved international fame as teenage heart-throb as leader of the Hermits.
Herman's Hermits, whilst hugely successful in the mid-1960s, never topped the British charts again after their first hit, "I'm Into Something Good". However, they had two US No. 1's with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am". The band disliked both songs, and never released them as singles in Britain. They appeared in several movies, including When The Boys Meet The Girls (1965) and Hold On! (1966). They also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show.
They enjoyed consistent success in Britain throughout the rest of the decade but they were even more popular in America for a while. Their hits continued until 1967's "No Milk Today". Soon, however, the Monkees had replaced Herman's Hermits as the simple pop rock act, and the Hermits' career declined. "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" engendered a revival, but the Hermits never again cracked the top 10 in the U.S. This song was, however, successfully covered by The Carpenters in their album "A Kind of Hush", released in 1976. The band continued releasing records throughout the 1970s with little success. In the end, Herman's Hermits were a band which were both blessed and cursed by the 'niche' in which originally they found success.
(Adapted from Wikipedia)
No Milk Today
Herman's Hermits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The bottle stands forlorn a symbol of the dawn
No milk today it seems a common sight
But people passing by don't know the reason why
How could they know just what this message means
The end of all my hopes the end of all my dreams
How could they know a palace there had been
No milk today it wasn't always so
The company was gay we turn'd night into day
But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only
Just two-up, two-down
No milk today it wasn't always so
The company was gay we turn'd night into day
As music played the faster did we dance
We felt it both at once the start of our romance
How could they know just what this message means
The end of all my hopes the end of all my dreams
How could they know a palace there had been
Behind the door where my love reigned as queen
No milk today my love is gone away
The bottle stands forlorn a symbol of the dawn
But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only
Just two-up, two-down
No milk today my love is gone away
The bottle stands forlorn a symbol of the dawn
No milk today it seems a common sight
But people passing by don't know the reason why
How could they know just what this message means
The end of all my hopes the end of all my dreams
How could they know a palace there had been
Behind the door where my love reigned as queen
No milk today it wasn't always so
The company was gay we turn'd night into day
But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
All that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
The song "No Milk Today" by Herman's Hermits is a story of lost love and the emptiness that remains in the absence of the beloved. The first line, "No milk today my love is gone away," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is feeling the loss of his love and compares it to a common occurrence, the absence of milk. The milk bottle, standing forlorn, becomes a symbol of the dawn, representing the beginning of a new day without his love.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about the past, when his love was still with him, and life was full of joy and excitement. They turned night into day and danced to the music. However, all that is left now is a dark and lonely place, which becomes a shrine when he thinks of his love. The terraced house in a mean street back of town represents the emptiness that remains after his love is gone.
The chorus, "How could they know just what this message means, the end of all my hopes, the end of all my dreams," expresses the singer's despair and his feeling that nobody can truly understand the depth of his pain. The palace behind the door, where his love reigned as queen, is a memory that haunts him, knowing that it will never be the same again.
Overall, "No Milk Today" portrays the universal theme of lost love and the pain that accompanies it. The song's lyrics are poignant and relatable, capturing the emotions that many people feel when they lose someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
No milk today my love is gone away
My loved one has left me and there is no milk today to console me.
The bottle stands forlorn a symbol of the dawn
The empty milk bottle is a symbol of how my hopes and dreams were crushed with the dawn of my loved one's departure.
No milk today it seems a common sight
It is common to see no milk on a day-to-day basis, but for me, it represents the loss of my love.
But people passing by don't know the reason why
Those who pass by don't understand the significance of the empty milk bottle and what it represents for me.
How could they know just what this message means
Others cannot understand the deep emotional pain that I am feeling and what the empty milk bottle symbolizes for me.
The end of all my hopes the end of all my dreams
The departure of my loved one has ended all of my hopes and dreams for the future.
How could they know a palace there had been
Others cannot comprehend the joy that my loved one brought to my life and the happiness that we shared together.
Behind the door where my love reigned as queen
Behind closed doors, my loved one was the ruler of my heart and the center of my world.
No milk today it wasn't always so
There were times in the past when there was milk to drink and my life was not consumed by heartache and loneliness.
The company was gay we turn'd night into day
In those happier times, my loved one and I would spend our nights dancing and enjoying each other's company.
But all that's left is a place dark and lonely
Now, all that remains is a dark and lonely place without my loved one to brighten it up with their presence.
A terraced house in a mean street back of town
My home is a terrace house in a less-than-desirable location at the back of town, but it becomes a place of sentimental value to me when I think of my loved one.
Becomes a shrine when I think of you only
My home becomes a sacred place of memories and nostalgia when I think of my lost love.
Just two-up, two-down
My home is small and modest, but it holds a great deal of emotional significance for me and the memories I associate with it.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Graham Gouldman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@verabeatrizraposodeabreu5171
My childhood..... I miss those 60's years.
@dynastiekpolitiekdynastiek6243
Ik ook...😞
@ritacarlos4784
Me too
@gaylasmith5279
At 65, I live and care for for my 92-year-old Mother. She has always adored Peter Noone. At the height of the British Invasion, she regularly played Herman's Hermits records. I still play their cds and she smiles beautifully! So wish I could tell Mr. Noone the joy he has always brought to us.
@user-rc1fi5gz6g
I look like Peter Noone
@paulshotter2094
Herman hermits no milk today classic song from the sixties
@christineivins9625
I used to stay awake with the radio, waiting for this song. Absolute classic.
@robertpincus6528
Wow. Real live Herman's Hermits. Love it.
@carolinecarolina6873
Fantastic to discover again when you have no internet today....how could they know
@haraldssongs264
Mit diesem Lied lasse ich mich immer wieder gerne in die 60 er Jahre zurückholen . Danke Herman' s Hermits.