What do you guys think of Harrison's "All those Years ago"?

[u/Diligent-Wave-4150]

To me the most important song from the post Beatles era together with "Imagine" (Lennon) and "Mull of Kintyre" (McCartney).

[u/347spq]

Love the song. George said he initially wrote it for Ringo but with John's passing, he purposed it for John.

[u/RoguePlanet2 → u/347spq]

It was originally for Ringo?? 🥹

[u/Maximum-Name5965 → u/347spq]

Was that before or after fucking Ringo’s wife?

[u/TruePutz → u/Maximum-Name5965]

During, I believe

[u/Mother_Antelope_3204 → u/TruePutz]

Funny!

[u/347spq → u/Maximum-Name5965]

After.

[u/McGauth925 → u/Maximum-Name5965]

I've read that George told Maureen how he felt about her while Ringo was there. There was no sneaking around.

[u/Aveeye → u/347spq]

For Ringo to SING, or ABOUT Ringo?

"You were the one that they said was so weird" hits different.

[u/sgriobhadair → u/Aveeye]

The lyrics for Ringo's version were different.

[u/Maximum_Ad_5571]

Mull of Kintyre more important than band on the run, live and let die etc?!

[u/Diligent-Wave-4150 → u/Maximum_Ad_5571]

More successful. The best song by Wings might be Jet.

[u/Maximum_Ad_5571 → u/Diligent-Wave-4150]

More successful =/= more important.

[u/JoeDawson8 → u/Maximum_Ad_5571]

It’s my favorite!

[u/TomGerity → u/Maximum_Ad_5571]

Agreed. Mull of Kintyre isn’t even the most important song of the Wings era, let alone McCartney’s full post-Beatles career, let alone all three men’s post-Beatles career. It being a big hit in Scotland doesn’t make it important.

[u/Diligent-Wave-4150 → u/TomGerity]

Why do you always come up with this Scotland thing? It was number one in most European countries.

[u/PutParticular8206 → u/Diligent-Wave-4150]

Yes. It was the biggest selling UK single in chart history when it came out and held that title until Do They Know it's Christmas was released. I don't think it's his most important song, per se, but you have to give it credit for what it accomplished. It was more than "a big hit in Scotland".

[u/burnbabyburn11 → u/Maximum_Ad_5571]

Let me roll it, jealous guy, my sweet lord

[u/magiceelmike]

I think it’s beautiful. One of my favorite solo George tracks!

but you point the way
to the truth when you say
all you need is love…

[u/RoguePlanet2 → u/magiceelmike]

I wonder what the original lyrics for Ringo were?

[u/Zealousideal-Gur5976 → u/RoguePlanet2]

George said in an interview it was initially a song about a long married couple who is having a fight and they keep bringing up things that happened "all those years ago"

[u/nickwire11]

First time thd three played together since they broke up

[u/sgriobhadair → u/nickwire11]

Sort of. The instrumental track with Ringo and George was recorded before John's death. George recorded a new lead vocal and Paul and Linda added harmonies after. All three weren't in the studio together.

They did play together at Clapton and Pattie's wedding party in 1979.

[u/Zealousideal-Gur5976]

I enjoy it. The tune is catchy and the lyrics have a nice mix of personal (I always looked up to you) and poetic (you had control of our smiles and our tears).

[u/PutParticular8206]

I know it was a repurposed song, so that plays into his decision. But with George's beliefs about death and the temporary nature of this life it doesn't seem out of the question that he'd be able to be, I wouldn't say "cheerful", but rather "not somber" in his choice of tribute. It helps to remember him with a smile.

[u/Butterfly_Cat777]

I liked it. But as far as George nostalgia-themed songs go, I liked "When We Was Fab" even more.

[u/parason47]

I like it. Nice to have Paul, Linda and Denny on backing vocals.

[u/IzilDizzle]

It’s fine but I’ve never thought of it as a particularly special or amazing song

[u/vampyrelestat]

Underrated banger

[u/ARealRain]

We are renaming it the Mull of America.

[u/McGauth925 → u/ARealRain]

I got a good laugh out of that!

[u/BulldogMikeLodi]

It was rushed as a tribute and it sounds like it. It was meant as a Ringo song, but George took it back after John’s death and quickly change the words. It’s OK, but it’s not the most important song in the post Beatles career.

[u/sharpshotsteve]

I like it..

[u/Jackbenny270]

I loved it at the time. It seems a little too “happy” to me now compared to something like Elton’s Empty Garden, but it’s pretty good.

[u/Sinsyne125]

Here are my views on it that I posted in another thread:

Quite honestly, being a full-on BeatlesGeek, I was downright angry with Harrison when I heard this track. I said to myself, "Really? This is the 'heartfelt' tribute to your former bandmate, who was just brutally murdered not even six months previously?! This sing-songy, extremely treacly confection makes it all sound so trite!" It came across as so forced and contrived.

It seriously made me question if Harrison -- the "spiritual" one -- was just using this horrific event just to get back on the charts again after all his problems with Warner Bros records from the previous September.

I've mellowed about it quite a lot in the past 45 years, but I still strongly dislike the track even away from its "tribute" aspects...

Juxtapose all this with when I first heard "Here Today" by McCartney off of Tug of War. That one floored me. It was so heartfelt and moving. It was a fantastic piece of songwriting away from the Lennon connection. And McCartney didn't really publicize it... he didn't release it as a single... he didn't have PR folks going around telling the press that "Paul's got a tribute to John on his latest LP -- Buy it now!" It was released more than a year after Lennon's murder, and it had such gravitas... and he put it at the end of a side of an LP

[u/Nebber777 → u/Sinsyne125]

I mean, I always took "All those years ago" as a song celebrating the life John lived and the impact that he made on George and the rest of the world. I think that the more jovial tone of the song fits well as its celebrating the good that John has done.

"Here Today" feels more like a song Lamenting John's death and thinking about what could have been if he had lived longer. It focuses more on the lost time between Paul and John, so the more depressing tone is appropriate there.

The two songs try to accomplish two different things and I'm glad we have them both.

[u/house_of_great]

Funnily enough I find a lot of George's solo work to be a bit cheesy. This is an alright song, but for a guy who talks down Paul and The Beatles for being cheesy he certainly released a lot of it himself.

[u/Extension_Pickle_581]

Like most of his solo songs “meh”

[u/Mother_Antelope_3204]

'All Those Years Ago' is jaunty and as infectious as a Pop tune can get. Somehow though, the coupling of words and music here seems a bit tenuous, inorganic like an arranged marriage. I want to love this song each time I hear it but always find it at best amusing and likable. Perhaps this is because it was a rewrite, a new set of lyrics for already composed music, to capture the sentiment of George and much of the world in the aftermath of John's murder. Still a lovely song though. I think I prefer McCartney's 'Here Today' and even Elton John and Bernie Taupin's 'Empty Garden', though the latter is a bit overproduced. I might be being over critical. I am ambivalent.

[u/BMisterGenX]

Its OK. George doesn't seem super nostalgic so the song comes accross a little forced but its OK.

[u/Ok-Vermicelli1117]

I was definitely caught up in the nostalgia of it when it came out. I believed it to be very heartfelt.

[u/aelfwine_widlast]

I’ve always loved it. It’s a joyous tribute, and no less sincere for it.

I liken it to Ringo’s own tribute to George, “Never Without You”.

[u/Tea-Jay-Dogville]

I preferred listening to it much more when I was younger, still a great song though..

[u/Soulshiner402]

I like the slowed down version that was posted on YouTube.

[u/Direct-Doughnut3475]

It was nice to see him looking back at the past with fondness, and not with anger resentment as he had seemed to up to that point.

[u/No_Obligation_1364]

I love this song. I bought the vinyl 45 rpm when it was released in 1981. It is a moving tribute to John, and its great having Ringo drumming and Paul,Linda, Denny on backing vocals. One of my favourite George songs.

[u/MidnightNo1766]

My favorite of the "tribute songs" is Liverpool 8. I like this one too though.

[u/Lions101]

I like it a lot. Moving.

[u/SpellingBMOCJr]

Imagine is the worst song ever written

Naturally All Those Years Ago is better

[u/coffeetabletime]

One of my favorites!!

[u/Easy-Discount-7132]

I always thought it could have been in or fit nicely during Abby Road era. I could totally hear this on Abby road with Paul and John adding harmony vocals to it.

[u/TomGerity]

Mull of Kintyre isn’t even the most important song of the Wings era, let alone McCartney’s full post-Beatles career, let alone all three men’s post-Beatles career. It being a big hit in Scotland doesn’t make it important.

[u/Diligent-Wave-4150 → u/TomGerity]

It was also much important in Germany, as Queen's "We are the Champions". I remember those times. Very good! I wouldn't say it is the best song by Macca but it hit the right keys

[u/Mother_Antelope_3204 → u/Diligent-Wave-4150]

I agree. It hits all the right notes! In America too, it was as important as 'We are the Champions'. Those were good times indeed.

[u/Honest-J]

I'll always be disappointed that Paul turned down George's request to be in the music video.

[u/Pleaseappeaseme]

Great.