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Read the original blog post12.41pm
31 March 2008
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Written by: Harrison
Recorded: March – October 1980; November 1980 – February 1981
Producers: George Harrison, Ray Cooper
Released: 11 May 1981 (US), 15 May 1981 (UK)
Available on:
Somewhere In England
Live In Japan
Personnel
George Harrison: vocals, electric guitar, synthesizer
Al Kooper: electric piano
Herbie Flowers: bass guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine: backing vocals
Ray Cooper: tambourine
‘All Those Years Ago’ is the fourth song on George Harrison’s ninth solo album Somewhere In England.
The song was a tribute to John Lennon, who died on 8 December 1980. See more…
John was special, but there’s a lot of other special people, too. If you die… they made people like Janis and Jimi Hendrix and all them people who died, suddenly became like these super incredible people. 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.
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8.09pm
20 January 2012
Offline George :
… While they treated you like a dog.
And also :
Now we're left cold and sad
By someone the devil's best friend
Someone who offended all.
What is his purpose?
And George mention two f John songs , All You Need Is Love and Imagine .
Did He refer to another song?
...They've forgotten all about God
He's the only reason we exist...
10.33pm
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1 May 2011
Offline ‘Treated you like a dog’ would be referring to all the rubbish that John had to put up with, mainly from the press and the powers that be, eg the ‘bigger than Jesus’ fuss, his hassled in remaining in the US and fighting deportation, marrying Yoko, the beatles splitting.
Now we’re left cold and sad
By someone, the devil’s best friend
Someone who offended all.
would be referring to the effect of Johns murder on George, and us, and the scumbag (who must remain nameless at all times) who took John away.
George mentions no other songs during the song. The complete lyrics are:
Im shouting all about love
While they treated you like a dog
When you were the one who had made it
So clear
All those years ago.
Im talking all about how to give
They dont act with much honesty
But you point the way to the truth when you say
All You Need Is Love .
Living with good and bad
I always look up to you
Now were left cold and sad
By someone the devils best friend
Someone who offended all.
Were living in a bad dream
Theyve forgotten all about mankind
And you were the one they backed up to
The wall
All those years ago
You were the one who imagined it all
All those years ago.
Deep in the darkest night
I send out a prayer to you
Now in the world of light
Where the spirit free of the lies
And all else that we despised.
Theyve forgotten all about god
Hes the only reason we exist
Yet you were the one that they said was
So weird
All those years ago
You said it all though not many had ears
All those years ago
You had control of our smiles and our tears
All those years ago
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Matt Busby, WeepingAtlasCedars"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
10.31am
20 January 2012
Offline Thanks and forgive me , what means :
And you were the one they backed up to
The wall
...They've forgotten all about God
He's the only reason we exist...
10.41am
20 January 2012
Offline I want to know more about John Lennon and Yoko Ono marriage and its relationship with the breakup of the Beatles.
...They've forgotten all about God
He's the only reason we exist...
12.55pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline The free dictionary writes “with one’s back to the wall: in a difficult or desperate situation”, kind of like having little or no room to manoevre or breathe or escape.
A good book that has some general overview of Yoko’s background before she met John and the effect of johnandyoko on the beatles is Cant Buy Me Love by Jonathan Gould. Im sure a few others here can recommend some other books to read. And you’ll get a thousand different views on the efect of Yoko on the beatles online, some well thought out and balanced, some less so.
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WeepingAtlasCedars"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.24pm
4 December 2010
Offline meanmistermustard said:
The free dictionary writes “with one’s back to the wall: in a difficult or desperate situation”, kind of like having little or no room to manoevre or breathe or escape.
I think people who faced the firing squad had to stand against a wall, just to elaborate on the origin of the phrase.
“You said it all, but not many had ears” is a great line.
I told her I didn’t
11.28pm
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1 May 2011
Offline Totally agree Walrus, George's writing skills really shone thru here. Sometimes tributes arent that great, in fact they are lame, but George, Ringo and Paul did a very fitting one for John.
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Matt Busby"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
7.20am
9 January 2015
Offline it remains a mistery what were the original lyrics, wrote when George readed tha Playboy’s interview before John’s death and originally given to Ringo to be sung. does someone know if the three met together to record that? i don’t think, it seems they recorded separately
11.15am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline They weren’t all together when recording it. Paul, Denny and Linda did go round to George’s to add harmonies but either they used Ringo’s drums from the original recording or he recorded them elsewhere earlier – i forget which.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
10.34am
14 June 2016
Offline George has the best John tribute song, in my opinion. The lyric use and melody is spot on. It’s nostalgic and bittersweet, and really hits the mark for me. Especially when watching the music video.
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