Grow Old with Me
Encyclopedia
"Grow Old With Me" is one of the final songs written by John Lennon
. It was recorded by Lennon as a demo at his home in the Dakota Building in 1980, and later appeared on the posthumous album, Milk and Honey in 1984. It was also considered as a possible reunion single by his former bandmates during the making of The Beatles Anthology
. Since its release, the song has become a staple at wedding ceremonies.
entitled "Rabbi Ben Ezra
" and a song by Lennon's wife Yoko Ono
called "Let Me Count the Ways" (which in turn had been inspired from a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
).
Lennon and Ono had for some time admired the poetry of Robert and Elizabeth Browning, and the two songs were purposely written with the couple in mind.
Ono woke up one morning in the summer of 1980 with the music of "Let Me Count the Ways" in her head and promptly rang Lennon in Bermuda
to play it for him. Lennon loved the song and Ono then suggested to him that he should write a Robert Browning piece to accompany it. That afternoon, John was watching TV when a film came on which had the poem "Rabbi Ben Ezra" by Robert Browning in it.
Inspired by this turn of events, Lennon wrote "Grow Old With Me" as an answer to Ono's song, and rang her back to play it to her over the phone.
album. However, Lennon and Ono were working on a tight deadline to get the album finished and released before Christmas, and decided to postpone recording of the song until the following year (1981) for the follow-up album, Milk and Honey. This never happened due to Lennon's murder in December 1980.
Had the song been fully finished and recorded, Lennon and Ono had envisioned it as a "standard, the kind that they would play in church every time a couple gets married, with horns and other arrangements". A few different home recordings of it were made by Lennon and Ono and one of these versions was released on "Milk and Honey". Recorded in the couple's bedroom with a piano and rhythm box, it was the last recording ever made of the song by Lennon.
In 1998, at Ono's request, George Martin
created an orchestrated version of the recording, which was released on the John Lennon Anthology
box set.
In 2009, an acoustic version and an alternative piano arrangement came to light and now circulate among Lennon collectors.
some cassettes containing demo recordings of four of John Lennon's unfinished songs: "Grow Old With Me", "Free as a Bird
", "Real Love" and "Now and Then
". The three remaining Beatles (Paul McCartney
, George Harrison
and Ringo Starr
) did attempt to work on "Grow Old With Me" in a similar way that they had with the other Beatles "reunion" songs. "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were the only ones completed. They were forced to abandon work on "Grow Old With Me" because Lennon's original demo required too much work to bring it up to the standard needed for an official release. There do exist, however, recorded versions of "Grow Old With Me".
, a Canadian artist, was the first artist known to record a cover version of the song when he recorded and released it on his 1990 album, Better Times. The video received some airplay on Canadian music video channel, Much Music's love segment entitled Mush Music.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
recorded a cover version of "Grow Old With Me" on the 1995 album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
. This version mainly stays true to Lennon's original home recording, featuring just Mary singing with a piano for most of the song.
Damian Wilson
recorded a cover for his 2001 EP, which shares its title with the song and was eventually incorporated into his album Disciple.
In 2005, The Postal Service
released an electronica-inspired cover of the song through the Amnesty International
's "Make Some Noise" campaign. The song was later released on the 2007 benefit album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
.
In 2008, Glen Campbell
released a country version on his album Meet Glen Campbell
.
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. It was recorded by Lennon as a demo at his home in the Dakota Building in 1980, and later appeared on the posthumous album, Milk and Honey in 1984. It was also considered as a possible reunion single by his former bandmates during the making of The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
. Since its release, the song has become a staple at wedding ceremonies.
Origins and inspiration
The song was inspired from two different sources: from a poem penned by Robert BrowningRobert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
entitled "Rabbi Ben Ezra
Rabbi ben Ezra
Rabbi ben Ezra is a poem by Robert Browning about Abraham ibn Ezra , one of the great poets, mathematicians and scholars of the 12th century...
" and a song by Lennon's wife Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
called "Let Me Count the Ways" (which in turn had been inspired from a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
).
Lennon and Ono had for some time admired the poetry of Robert and Elizabeth Browning, and the two songs were purposely written with the couple in mind.
Ono woke up one morning in the summer of 1980 with the music of "Let Me Count the Ways" in her head and promptly rang Lennon in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
to play it for him. Lennon loved the song and Ono then suggested to him that he should write a Robert Browning piece to accompany it. That afternoon, John was watching TV when a film came on which had the poem "Rabbi Ben Ezra" by Robert Browning in it.
Inspired by this turn of events, Lennon wrote "Grow Old With Me" as an answer to Ono's song, and rang her back to play it to her over the phone.
Recording
The two new songs, "Grow Old With Me" and "Let Me Count the Ways" were originally meant for inclusion on the Double FantasyDouble Fantasy
Double Fantasy is an album released by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1980. Though initially poorly received, the album is notable for its association with Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, whereupon it become a worldwide commercial success, and went on to win the 1981 Album...
album. However, Lennon and Ono were working on a tight deadline to get the album finished and released before Christmas, and decided to postpone recording of the song until the following year (1981) for the follow-up album, Milk and Honey. This never happened due to Lennon's murder in December 1980.
Had the song been fully finished and recorded, Lennon and Ono had envisioned it as a "standard, the kind that they would play in church every time a couple gets married, with horns and other arrangements". A few different home recordings of it were made by Lennon and Ono and one of these versions was released on "Milk and Honey". Recorded in the couple's bedroom with a piano and rhythm box, it was the last recording ever made of the song by Lennon.
In 1998, at Ono's request, George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
created an orchestrated version of the recording, which was released on the John Lennon Anthology
John Lennon Anthology
John Lennon Anthology is a box set of home demos, alternative studio outtakes and other unreleased material recorded by John Lennon over the course of his solo career from "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969 up until the 1980 sessions for Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey.The anthology was divided by its...
box set.
In 2009, an acoustic version and an alternative piano arrangement came to light and now circulate among Lennon collectors.
Attempted Beatles version
In 1994, Yoko gave Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
some cassettes containing demo recordings of four of John Lennon's unfinished songs: "Grow Old With Me", "Free as a Bird
Free as a Bird
"Free as a Bird" is a song originally composed and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995 a studio version of the recording incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was released as a single by The Beatles.The single was released as part of...
", "Real Love" and "Now and Then
Now and Then (song)
"Now and Then" is the name given to an unreleased composition by John Lennon...
". The three remaining Beatles (Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
) did attempt to work on "Grow Old With Me" in a similar way that they had with the other Beatles "reunion" songs. "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were the only ones completed. They were forced to abandon work on "Grow Old With Me" because Lennon's original demo required too much work to bring it up to the standard needed for an official release. There do exist, however, recorded versions of "Grow Old With Me".
Cover versions
Peter RandallWilliam Peter Randall
William Peter Randall is a Canadian musician and municipal politician.While studying recorded music production and general arts and science at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, he hinted at a later political career by serving as general arts and sciences member at large...
, a Canadian artist, was the first artist known to record a cover version of the song when he recorded and released it on his 1990 album, Better Times. The video received some airplay on Canadian music video channel, Much Music's love segment entitled Mush Music.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
recorded a cover version of "Grow Old With Me" on the 1995 album Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
Working Class Hero is a 1995 tribute album to Beatles singer/songwriter John Lennon. It gets its name from a Lennon song of the same name. The album was produced by Lindy Goetz through Hollywood Records in support of the Humane Society of the United States...
. This version mainly stays true to Lennon's original home recording, featuring just Mary singing with a piano for most of the song.
Damian Wilson
Damian Wilson
Damian Wilson is a singer known in the progressive rock genre. He is lead singer with the band Headspace along with Adam Wakeman and is lead singer for Threshold....
recorded a cover for his 2001 EP, which shares its title with the song and was eventually incorporated into his album Disciple.
In 2005, The Postal Service
The Postal Service
The Postal Service is an American electronic indie pop band composed of vocalist Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Headset.-Background:...
released an electronica-inspired cover of the song through the Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
's "Make Some Noise" campaign. The song was later released on the 2007 benefit album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album of various artists covering songs of John Lennon to benefit Amnesty International's campaign to alleviate the crisis in Darfur...
.
In 2008, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
released a country version on his album Meet Glen Campbell
Meet Glen Campbell
Meet Glen Campbell is the 60th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 2008 .-Track listing:Side 1#"Sing" – 3:45#"Walls" – 3:31#"Angel Dream" – 2:29...
.
See also
- The Beatles AnthologyThe Beatles AnthologyThe Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
- The Beatles bootlegsThe Beatles bootlegsThe Beatles' bootleg recordings are performances by The Beatles that have attained some level of public circulation without being available as a legal release. The term most often refers to audio recordings, but also includes video performances...
- Now and ThenNow and Then (song)"Now and Then" is the name given to an unreleased composition by John Lennon...