"Lift yourself out of the doldrums / Make yourself a cup of tea," sings Ray Davies at the beginning of "Is There Life After Breakfast?," off his 2006 album "Other People's Lives"—the first proper solo album from the erstwhile lead singer of the Kinks, though he'd been solo since 1996 and in the music business since the 1960s.
"Life After Breakfast" is really as simple as that: a meditation on the first meal of the day and everything after, our narrator directing its lyrics either to himself—perhaps he just needs a little pep talk—or to some friend who's got the blues. Davies's accent and more than one tea reference give this affair away as distinctly British: "Cheer up, son,put on the kettle," he sings. Is there life after breakfast? One hopes, doesn't one.
Regardless of what the rest of the day holds, it's generally advisable to eat something for breakfast. (AsNorm Gunderson reminds us.) The weekend is coming; options abound. Something sweet? Tryoat and apple pancakes,fluffy overnight waffles, alemony Dutch baby.
Or something a little more sumptuous, perhaps, like this recipe forsmoked salmon tartines with fried capers, a clever business that combines one of the (still confusingly) hot trends of the 2010s—remember toast?—with the classic pairing of salmon and capers. Get good bread for this and smear it with crème fraîche; get good smoked salmon, too, and you won't regret it. This dish is suitable for company, with a simple lemon-dressed salad served alongside. But it's just as good (the recipe halved, perhaps) for a late breakfast eaten at the kitchen table, everybody still in their bathrobes.
The answer, by the way, according to Ray Davies? Is there life after breakfast? "Yes, there is, after breakfast." Still, linger on the meal as long as you like.
