These Days (feat. Jess Glynne, Macklemore & Dan Caplen)

"These Days" is a poignant exploration of a romantic breakup, but it notably steers clear of anger and bitterness, instead focusing on themes of nostalgia, acceptance, and mutual respect. The song's core message is about looking back on a past relationship with fondness and maturity, acknowledging the pain of the separation while cherishing the good memories. The lyrics convey a hopeful perspective that, with time, the former partners will be able to reconnect as friends and laugh about their shared history. It's a narrative of an amicable split, where both individuals have grown and wish each other well, even as they move on to new chapters in their lives. The song captures the bittersweet feeling of reminiscing about a love that has ended but was significant and transformative for both people involved.

The song unfolds as a reflective and mature conversation between two former lovers who have since parted ways. It explores the complex emotions surrounding the end of a significant relationship, moving beyond simple sadness to a place of mutual respect, nostalgia, and well-wishing.

The narrative begins from a male perspective, likely voiced by Macklemore in the intro and Dan Caplen in the first verse. He acknowledges that his former partner has moved on with someone new and genuinely hopes she has found happiness. There's a poignant admission of gratitude; she was a guiding light who helped him discover his own truth. This sets a tone not of bitterness, but of sincere appreciation for the role she played in his life. He recalls the painful decision to leave, a choice made to "find my soul," suggesting a need for personal growth that couldn't happen within the confines of the relationship. The lyrics acknowledge the ugliness of a breakup, describing the shared experience of growing cold and distant, a pain that felt premature for their age.

The chorus, powerfully delivered by Jess Glynne, captures the core sentiment of the song. It's a hopeful projection into the future, a desire that one day they will be able to reunite as friends, to sit down and laugh about their shared past—"these days." It's about laying the troubles of their past to rest and looking back on that period with a sense of fondness, a wish to be able to return to the good moments they shared. This recurring hook is the emotional anchor, transforming a story of a breakup into an anthem of healing and amicable separation.

Macklemore's rap verse adds a layer of specific, vivid detail to this shared history. He paints a picture of reminiscing, like sifting through the ashes of their past. He remembers thinking she would carry his last name, a dream that has since changed. His life has become nomadic, traveling the world, while he hears she has settled down. He confesses to moments of weakness, like starting to type a long text message only to delete it, a relatable act of modern-day restraint. He reflects on their youthful plans—moving to Brooklyn, her studying art—and philosophizes that "love is just a tool to remind us who we are," and that even in separation, they are not alone in their journey. It is a heartfelt, specific, and mature reflection on what was lost and what was gained.

The song's structure, with its multiple vocalists, reinforces the idea of a dialogue. Each artist brings a different texture and perspective to the same story, creating a rich, multi-faceted narrative. Ultimately, "These Days" is not a song about the sorrow of a breakup, but a celebration of a love that was meaningful and a hopeful look towards a future where the pain has subsided, leaving only cherished memories and mutual goodwill.

The creation of "These Days" was a multi-year collaborative process that began in 2016. The initial demo was written by Dan Caplen, Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta, and John Ryan. After the track was passed to the British group Rudimental for production, they added their signature "spice" to it. Dan Caplen then presented the song to American rapper Macklemore during a session in Los Angeles, who was enthusiastic about being featured. The final piece of the puzzle came in 2017 when Jess Glynne was brought into a studio session and added her powerful vocals to the track. The song was officially released on January 19, 2018, as the second single from Rudimental's third studio album, "Toast to Our Differences". The production credits are shared among Rudimental, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, and Mark Ralph. The numerous songwriters include all members of Rudimental (Amir Amor, Kesi Dryden, Piers Aggett, Leon Rolle), as well as Daniel Caplen, Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, and Ben Haggerty (Macklemore).

The song maintains a steady, mid-tempo rhythm that gives it an uplifting, almost hopeful feel, contrasting with the melancholic theme of a breakup. The underlying beat is characteristic of Rudimental's pop-infused electronic style, making it both danceable and reflective. The rhyme scheme in the verses sung by Dan Caplen and the chorus by Jess Glynne is relatively simple, often following an AABB or ABCB pattern (e.g., "new"/"truth" and "soul"/"go"). This simplicity makes the lyrics memorable and easy to sing along to. Macklemore's rap verse introduces a more complex rhythmic and lyrical flow. He employs multi-syllable rhymes and internal rhymes (e.g., "traveled around the world / heard you moved to Austin," "past time / baptized"), which adds a layer of lyrical density and showcases his technical skill. The interplay between the smooth, sung melodies and the percussive rhythm of the rap verse is a key dynamic of the track.

"These Days" showcases a masterful blend of genres and vocal styles, creating a unique pop anthem. Musically, it combines Rudimental's signature drum and bass and electronic production with soulful R&B and pop elements. The arrangement is notable for its use of a horn section, piano, and synthesizers, creating a sound that is both organic and polished. The song employs a narrative structure featuring three distinct vocal perspectives: Dan Caplen's smooth verse, Jess Glynne's soaring and powerful chorus, and Macklemore's reflective and detailed rap verse. This multi-vocalist approach allows the song to function as a conversation, giving different emotional textures to the story of the breakup. The production is clean and chart-focused, with bright vocal mixing that puts the singers front and center. Macklemore's rap verse serves as a bridge, breaking from the melodic structure to deliver a more intimate and story-driven perspective before returning to the universally resonant chorus.

"These Days" was a major commercial success and had a significant cultural impact. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart after a record-tying seven weeks at number two, being held off the top spot by Drake's "God's Plan". This achievement marked Rudimental's third UK number-one, Macklemore's first as a solo artist, and Dan Caplen's first chart-topper. Crucially, it became Jess Glynne's sixth number-one single, making her the British female solo artist with the most UK chart-toppers in history at the time. The song also topped the charts in countries like Austria, Norway, and Scotland, and was a top-10 hit across Europe and Australia. It was named the most-performed song of 2018 in the UK at the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards. The official music video, which depicts Glynne and Macklemore as a couple going through the ups and downs of a relationship, was also popular and received a nomination for British Video of the Year at the 2019 BRIT Awards.

The lyrics of "These Days" employ several relatable symbols and metaphors to convey its emotional weight.

• "You were the light for me to find my truth": This metaphor, sung at the beginning, establishes the positive and transformative nature of the past relationship. The ex-partner is symbolized as a source of guidance and self-discovery, setting a tone of gratitude rather than regret.
• "Cigarettes in the ashtray / Reminiscing on those past days": This imagery in Macklemore's verse evokes a sense of quiet, perhaps melancholic, reflection. The burnt-out cigarettes can symbolize moments that have passed and are now just memories, being looked back upon.
• "I could cry you a river, get you baptized": A clever twist on the common phrase, this metaphor suggests an overwhelming amount of sadness or apology, enough to constitute a cleansing or rebirth (baptism), yet it's mentioned as a past possibility, something he wasn't ready for then.
• "Love is just a tool to remind us who we are / And that we are not alone in walking in the dark": This is a direct statement on the purpose of love within the song's narrative. It's not just a feeling but a functional tool for self-awareness and companionship, even when the path is uncertain.

The most significant recurring motif is the phrase "these days." Repeated in the chorus, it serves as the song's central theme, representing the specific period of the past relationship that the singers are reflecting on. The hope is that one day they will "laugh with each other about these days," transforming a time of potential heartbreak into a cherished memory. Another key recurring phrase is "I know it ain't pretty when our/two hearts get broke," which appears in the verses and pre-chorus. This line acts as a candid acknowledgment of the pain and difficulty of a breakup, grounding the song's optimistic outlook in a realistic understanding of heartbreak. The repetition of this line emphasizes the shared, mutual pain of the experience, reinforcing the song's non-blaming and empathetic tone.