[Kronomyth 10.1]
Lennon’s End Oranges.
John was dead, and what we got four our troubles was the thab three playing a trite tune that fell remarkably short of our own imaginations of the fab four’s reconstitution. At least that was my impression all those years ago. Today, I’ll admit it’s not a bad song, no more or less annoying than Harrison’s “When We Was Fab,” though less intriguing than The Beatles playing alongside the zombified Lennon on “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.” Although the label may have had ulterior motives of profit, there can be no doubt that George Harrison wrote the song as an homage to his friend with no motive of profit or career advancement. That it became his highest charting single in years was unfortunate for all involved. The flip side is one of the album tracks written before Lennon’s murder, “Writing’s On The Wall,” which is eerily prescien—though where The Beatles are concerned coincidence and chance are presumptions that the unenlightened use to guard themselves from the truth. At the end of the year, this was released as a back-to-back single with “Teardrops” because, apparently, Warner Brothers felt we hadn’t suffered enough.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. All Those Years Ago (George Harrison) (3:42)
B1. Writing’s On The Wall (George Harrison) (3:54)
Back-to-back hits (yes, I know) single
A1. All Those Years Ago
B1. Teardrops
Did You Know?
- “All Those Years Ago” was originally written for Ringo Starr, but Harrison rewrote the lyrics and released it himself after Lennon’s death. Of course you did.
- This marks the first time that George, Ringo and Paul appeared on the same song since Let It Be.
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch and cassette single on May 4, 1981 in the UK (Dark Horse, K17807/M), the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand (Dark Horse, DRC49725), Belgium, France and the Netherlands (Warner Bros., WB17087) and Germany (Dark Horse, DH 17807). Regional versions feature different picture sleeves. Also released as one-track promotional 7-inch in Japan (Dark Horse, PS-1013) and as one-track promotional 12-inch in the US (Dark Horse, PRO-A-949).
- Re-released on 7-inch single on November 9, 1981 in the US (Dark Horse, GDRC0410) with “Teardrops” on the flip side.
