Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was born in 1939 to Marvin Gay, Sr. and Alberta Gay in Washington, D.C.. Gaye began his career in Motown in 1958, and soon became Motown's top solo male artist. He scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them "Ain't That Peculiar", "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", as well as several hit duets with Tammi Terrell, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"" and "You're All I Need to Get By", before moving on to his own form of musical self-expression.
Along with Stevie Wonder, Gaye is notable for fighting the hit-making—but creatively restrictive—Motown record-making process, in which performers, songwriters and record producers were generally kept in separate camps. Gaye forced Motown to release his 1971 album What's Going On, which is today hailed as one of the best albums of all time. Subsequent releases proved that Gaye, who had been a part-time songwriter for Motown artists during his early years with the label, could write and produce his own singles without having to rely on the Motown system. This achievement would pave the way for the successes of later self-sufficient singer-songwriter-producers in African American music, such as Luther Vandross and Babyface.
During the 1970s, Gaye would release several other notable albums, including Let's Get It On and I Want You, and released several successful singles such as "Come Get to This", "Got to Give It Up" and "Sexual Healing". By the time of his shooting death in 1984, at the hands of his clergyman father, Gaye had become one of the most influential artists of the soul music era.
The Days of Wine and Roses
Marvin Gaye Lyrics
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Through a meadow land toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before
The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you
Of the golden that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you
Marvin Gaye's "Days of Wine and Roses" is a poignant reflection on the ephemerality of life and love. In the song, the days of happiness and romance are compared to wine and roses - transient things that are here one moment and gone the next. The first verse describes how these days "laugh and run away like a child at play," a metaphor that captures the fleeting nature of joy and love. The scene is set in a "meadow land toward a closing door," suggesting that these happy times are moving towards an end.
The second verse brings a sense of loss and regret as the singer recalls the past. As the lonely night discloses memories of a "golden smile" that once introduced him to the days of wine and roses, we get the sense that this happiness is gone forever, leaving only memories. The final line, "and you," adds an important layer to the song, as the singer seems to suggest that the love of a specific person was what made the days of wine and roses so special, even if that love is now gone.
Overall, "Days of Wine and Roses" is a bittersweet reflection on the fleeting nature of happiness and the inevitability of loss. The song captures an essential truth about the human experience - that even the most beautiful things in life are temporary, and we must learn to cherish them while we can.
Line by Line Meaning
The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
Life's good moments, like those spent with loved ones, seem to swiftly pass away
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
We move through life towards an inevitable end
A door marked 'nevermore' that wasn't there before
We shouldn't dwell on the past, as it's something we can never have again
(The lonely night discloses) just a passing breeze filled with memories
When we're alone, memories of happier times come flooding back
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
We often remember the people who showed us kindness and love
The days of wine and roses and you
The happy days we spent with our loved ones are something we cherish forever
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY N. MANCINI, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind