Miki Howard (born Alicia Michelle Howard on September 30, 1961 in Chicago, … Read Full Bio ↴Miki Howard (born Alicia Michelle Howard on September 30, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) is an African-American singer and actress who had a string of top ten hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The daughter of gospel singer Josephine Howard of the legendary group The Caravans,and Clay Graham of Pilgrim Jubilees, Howard was discovered by R & B group Side Effect at age 16. About 1985, Howard decided she was ready to begin a solo career. A demo in the right hands landed a recording contract at Atlantic Records.

Her first hit for Atlantic was the Billboard R&B top ten single "Come Share My Love". She followed that with a remake of Glenn Miller's 1940 tune "Imagination". Her success continued with two more top ten singles, "Baby Be Mine" and "That's What Love Is". The latter was a duet with hit-making R&B crooner Gerald Levert, and was the result of the creative union Howard formed with Levert. The pair later became romantically involved, and that romance spawned one of Howard's biggest hits, "Love Under New Management". The song was written during their brief love affair, but was released after their romance had dissolved.

In 1992 Howard portrayed Billie Holiday in Spike Lee's Malcolm X , followed by a featured role in John Singleton's Poetic Justice with pop icon Janet Jackson. Howard recorded two more albums during the 1990s "Miki Sings Billie" (1993) and "Can't Count Me Out" (1996) In 2001, the album "Three Wishes" was released on the Peak label. The album peake dat #60 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #25 on the Independent Albums chart. The song "Nobody" received radio airplay. The album received a Grammy nomination for "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album" at the 2002 Grammy Awards. In 2006, Miki's album "Pillow Talk - Miki Sings the R&B Classics" was issued on the Shanachie label. The "Pillow Talk" album peaked at # 60 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Howard is currently working on regenerating her career after taking some time out to raise her children. She undertook a world tour with Roy Ayers and the Jazz Allstars. In June 2008, she released her ninth studio album, Private Collection. The album was released on her own her legally owned new independent label, Branicka Records. On November 1, 2010, "Unsung: Miki Howard" was televised on TV One. In February 2011. Miki Howard continues to tour and record.

Days of Wine and Roses
Miki Howard Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
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

(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-oo-oo

Overall Meaning

The song "Days of Wine and Roses" by Miki Howard speaks about how time passes us by and takes away the happiness and joy like a child playing that soon forgets about his plaything. The lyrics describe chasing after something that is never coming back, represented by the closing door marked "nevermore." The song takes us on a journey through a field or a meadow land, where we're lost and searching for something that we can never find. The melancholic mood is set as the singer recalls the good memories of the past, represented by the golden smile that introduced her to the days of wine and roses.

Furthermore, the song seems to suggest that the beauty of life is only fleeting and that we must cherish the moments that we have before they vanish. The lyrics impart a poignant message that love and happiness can be lost so easily, leaving us with nothing but memories that we try to hold onto desperately. The evocative lyrics and mournful melody combine to make the song a timeless classic that resonates with listeners all over.

Line by Line Meaning

The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
The fleeting moments of enjoyment and pleasure disappear quickly, similar to how a child runs and laughs while playing.

Through a meadow land toward a closing door
The good times seem to be leading toward an end, like walking through a meadow that eventually leads to a closed door.

A door marked 'nevermore' that wasn't there before
The end of the good times is unexpected and final, represented by a door that suddenly appears and is marked as permanently closed.

The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
The singer is left alone with only her thoughts and memories, symbolized by a passing breeze that seems to briefly bring back past experiences.

Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The singer is reminiscing about a happy memory, specifically the moment someone who meant a lot to her smiled at her for the first time.

The days of wine and roses and you
The singer is thinking about the past when she was happy with someone special, expressed through the metaphor of days filled with wine and roses.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY N. MANCINI, JOHNNY MERCER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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