The act alternates long, seemingly inebriated monologues by Kiki with music. The musical numbers, often medleys, draw on an enormous range of popular music, from Broadway musicals to Nirvana and from Britney Spears to REO Speedwagon.
Although they were based in New York City, the duo traveled to and performed in other American cities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as well as in Europe. In 2004, Kiki and Herb gave their farewell performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall. The one night only show was titled "Kiki and Herb Will Die for You" and featured a number of celebrities including Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Mizrahi, Jake Shears, Michal Cavadias, and Rufus Wainwright. Bond has moved to London to study scenography. Mellman continues to work on projects in New York.
In 2005 the duo reunited for a tour of select U.S. cities titled "The Resurrection Tour."
Those Were The Days
Kiki & Herb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
The song "Those Were The Days" by Kiki & Herb is a nostalgic reflection on the past, specifically on the carefree days of youth and the memories associated with a particular tavern. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about the good times that were had at this tavern, where they would laugh and dream about their future. The chorus emphasizes how they believed these times would never end and that they were invincible and could achieve anything they set their minds to.
As the lyrics continue, the singer acknowledges that time has passed them by and their original aspirations and ambitions have lost their luster. They wonder if they will ever be able to recapture the joy and enthusiasm of their former selves. In the final verse, the singer revisits the tavern and feels a sense of loss and melancholy. However, upon seeing their old friend, they are filled with the warmth of nostalgia and the realization that their dreams, though perhaps dormant, still exist within them.
The song speaks to the universal experience of growing older and feeling a sense of longing for the past. It is a reminder to cherish the memories of our youth while still looking forward to the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time there was a tavern
There was a place where we used to go and socialize.
Where we used to raise a glass or two
We used to drink and have a good time together.
Remember how we laughed away the hours
We laughed and had fun together for long periods of time.
And dreamed of all the great things we would do
We had big dreams and aspirations for ourselves.
Those were the days my friend
We look back on those times fondly.
We thought they'd never end
We thought those times would never come to an end.
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We enjoyed ourselves so much that we thought it would never stop.
We'd live the life we choose
We believed we had control over our lives and could choose our own paths.
We'd fight and never lose
We were confident in ourselves and believed we could overcome any challenge.
For we were young and sure to have our way.
We were young and believed we could achieve anything.
La la la la
N/A
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
We truly believe those were the best days of our lives.
Then the busy years went rushing by us
Time passed by quickly and we became busy with our lives.
We lost our starry notions on the way
We lost our naive and idealistic views as we became adults.
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
If by chance we were to run into each other at the tavern.
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
We would acknowledge and reminisce about the good times we had at the tavern.
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Recently, I was outside of the tavern.
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
Everything was different from how we remembered it.
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
I saw myself in the reflection of the glass and it seemed strange to me.
Was that lonely woman really me
I felt alone and wondered if I had really changed that much.
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I heard laughter and recognized the people laughing.
I saw your face and heard you call my name
I recognized your face and you called out my name.
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
We have aged but we may not be any wiser than we were before.
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
We still hold onto the same dreams and aspirations we had when we were young.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Raskin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind