Single:
Those Were the Days entered the Australian singles chart* on 28 September 1968 and peaked at #2. The song was #6 on the Top 100 of 1968.
Album:
Those Were the Days is on Mary’s 1968 debut album Post Card.
Songwriters:
Boris Fomin, Gene Raskin
Producer:
Paul McCartney
Record label of Australian release:
Apple
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS CLIP BELOW: Original Russian version
Wikipedia:
Those Were the Days is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put a new English lyric to the Russian romance song Dorogoi dlinnoyu, composed by Boris Fomin with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism.
Mary Hopkin’s 1968 debut single of Those Were the Days, which was produced by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Were_the_Days_(song)
Dusty Old Thing:
The Russian song has a folk melody that is very common in Slavic countries. And Raskin, though he did change the words in the translation, kept the very sentimental feeling of the original Russian lyrics. While the Russian version talks about long horse rides and seven-stringed guitars, the 1960s Raskin’s song talks about going to the tavern and having naive dreams, both equally nostalgic.
Read more: dustyoldthing.com/1968-mary-hopkin-those-were-the-days
Lyrics:
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS CLIP: Дорогой длинною
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