George Harrison’s ‘All Those Years Ago’ Acknowledged John Lennon’s Bad Side
TL;DR:
- George Harrison’s “All Those Years Ago” was inspired by the death of John Lennon in 1980.
- “All Those Years Ago” reached No. 2 in the United States and its parent album was a hit too.
- “All Those Years Ago” was not nearly as popular in the United Kingdom.
George Harrison‘s “All Those Years Ago” is a song about John Lennon. George acknowledged John’s flaws in the song. Subsequently, he said he didn’t like when fans put John and other deceased celebrities on a pedestal.
George Harrison’s ‘All Those Years Ago’ was a great song in George’s mind
The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters includes an interview from 1992. In it, George was asked whether he enjoyed playing any of his songs with Eric Clapton on the live album Live in Japan. “This one that I wrote originally back in 1980, I believe, when John got killed,” he said. “It was called ‘All Those Years Ago.'”
George explained why he liked “All Those Years Ago” so much. “It was particularly nice to do this one because it’s got a lot of parts to it, a lot of little synth parts and a lot of stuff, and it shows the band up, the arrangement, and all the parts and also it’s got a good solo in the end with Eric,” he added.
George Harrison said John Lennon was special but other musicians were special too
In “All Those Years Ago,” George said he looked up to John even though he wasn’t perfect. In a 1989 interview, George revealed he didn’t like it when fans posthumously put John on a pedestal. “Well, that’s the problem that’s happened since,” he opined. “You know, OK, John was special, but there’s a lot of other special people, too.
“If you die … they made people like Janis [Joplin] and Jimi Hendrix and all them people who died, suddenly became like these super incredible people,” he continued. “But I think it’s harder to live in a way. It’s much easier to die than it is to live. And in fact, dying and living are the same thing. We’re half-dead anyway. The moment you’re born you start the road to death.”
How ‘All Those Years Ago’ performed in the United States and the United Kingdom
“All Those Years Ago” became a big hit in the United States. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. “All Those Years Ago” appeared on the album Somewhere in England. The album reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “All Those Years Ago” peaked at No. 13 on the charts in the United Kingdom. It spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. Meanwhile, Somewhere in England climbed to No. 13 in the U.K. and spent four weeks on the chart.
“All Those Years Ago” is a stirring tribute to John, even if it acknowledges his flaws.
