"This Is the Day" is a song written by Matt Johnson and originally released as a single by his band the The on 2 September 1983. It reached number 71 on the UK singles chart. A version of the song was included on the band's debut studio album Soul Mining, released in October 1983.
A re-recorded version of the song, re-titled "That Was the Day", was released as the lead track on the Dis-Infected extended play (EP) in 1993. The EP reached number 17 on the UK singles chart.
7" single
12" single
The artwork is by Andy Johnson. The font was designed by Fiona Skinner. An alternative layout for the logo was used on this single with the lowercase 'the' larger and set at an angle.
Fiona Skinner directed the promo video for the re-release of 1983 single. The video is a collage of images and memories illustrating Matt Johnson's childhood and Skinner and Johnson's relationship. The single was re-released around the time they split. Skinner created the farewell promo for the song.
Credits for the album version are adapted from the sleeve notes for Soul Mining.
Note
In September 2011, "This Is the Day" was covered by the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers as a single to promote their compilation album National Treasures â The Complete Singles. The CD single was only available as a limited edition with the CD/DVD version of National Treasures on the HMV website.
Digital download
HMV exclusive CD