Wasted Years
Encyclopedia
"Wasted Years" is the fourteenth single released by Iron Maiden
and the first from their Somewhere in Time album. It's the only song on the album that features no synthesizers. Released in 1986, it was the first single solely written by guitarist Adrian Smith
, who also sings backing vocals. It reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart
s.
The cover depicts the band mascot Eddie
's point of view as he flies a spaceship chasing the Doctor's TARDIS
. A similar Doctor Who
reference can be seen on the back of the album's sleeve, where the Doctor's TARDIS is parked on a rooftop.
The promotional video features black and white footage of the band playing the song in studio, mixed with various scenes from band's previous promotional videos, together with clips of off-show activities during World Slavery Tour
.
Wasted Years is featured in Rock Band.
providing backing vocals. This song was previously performed live by Nicko McBrain
and Smith's side project The Entire Population of Hackney
.
The demential song "Sheriff of Huddersfield" is about Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood
's decision to move to Los Angeles
and buy a house in the Hollywood Hills
. Apparently he had trouble adjusting to the LA
lifestyle and often complained to the band about it. Interestingly Smallwood was unaware of the composition until it was released on the single, as the band had kept it secret from him. The song opens with the spoken line "We're on a mission from Rod", a parody of the tagline for The Blues Brothers
. Later, a similar comedy piece called "Bayswater Ain't a Bad Place to Be", again mocking Smallwood, was released as an unlisted untitled b-side ("Space Station No. 5"'s epilogue) in the "Be Quick or Be Dead
" single.
bootlegs.
Song is composed from keys of E minor
and G major
. Adrian Smith plays the solo.
, Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour, Real Live Tour
(only on few dates), The Ed Hunter Tour
, and Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
.
Janick Gers
played the solo on Real Live Tour due to Smith leaving Iron Maiden in 1990. He also played all Smith's guitar parts on few dates of Ed Hunter Tour, while Smith was absent. In current Iron Maiden line-up shows (since 1999), Smith's trademark intro riff is doubled by Gers.
Apart from singing backing vocals, Adrian Smith also sang lead vocals on chorus, on at least one Somewhere Back in Time Tour date.
During Somewhere On Tour years, band used to lip-sync the track on various TV shows. The most famous recording comes from Germany, where Maiden swapped instruments on stage while the song was "performed", as a humorous protest to lip-syncing.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and the first from their Somewhere in Time album. It's the only song on the album that features no synthesizers. Released in 1986, it was the first single solely written by guitarist Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith
Adrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
, who also sings backing vocals. It reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
s.
The cover depicts the band mascot Eddie
Eddie the Head
Eddie, also known as Eddie The Head, is the mascot for the British heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is a perennial fixture of the group's artwork, appearing in all of their record covers and in their merchandise, which includes t-shirts, posters and action figures...
's point of view as he flies a spaceship chasing the Doctor's TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
. A similar Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
reference can be seen on the back of the album's sleeve, where the Doctor's TARDIS is parked on a rooftop.
The promotional video features black and white footage of the band playing the song in studio, mixed with various scenes from band's previous promotional videos, together with clips of off-show activities during World Slavery Tour
World Slavery Tour
The World Slavery Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their fifth album, Powerslave, beginning in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984 and ending at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California on 5 July 1985...
.
Wasted Years is featured in Rock Band.
B-sides
The b-side "Reach Out" was sung by Adrian Smith, with regular lead singer Bruce DickinsonBruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
providing backing vocals. This song was previously performed live by Nicko McBrain
Nicko McBrain
Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
and Smith's side project The Entire Population of Hackney
The Entire Population of Hackney
The Entire Population of Hackney is the name used for a project featuring members of Iron Maiden, FM and Urchin that played two concerts in 1985. It is also the name used for a bootleg recording of the first show...
.
The demential song "Sheriff of Huddersfield" is about Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood
Rod Smallwood
Rod Smallwood, co-manager of the British band Iron Maiden and co-founder in 1976 of then Smallwood-Taylor Enterprises, today Sanctuary Group which is the world's largest music management company. The company was named after the Maiden song by the same name...
's decision to move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and buy a house in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
. Apparently he had trouble adjusting to the LA
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
lifestyle and often complained to the band about it. Interestingly Smallwood was unaware of the composition until it was released on the single, as the band had kept it secret from him. The song opens with the spoken line "We're on a mission from Rod", a parody of the tagline for The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. Later, a similar comedy piece called "Bayswater Ain't a Bad Place to Be", again mocking Smallwood, was released as an unlisted untitled b-side ("Space Station No. 5"'s epilogue) in the "Be Quick or Be Dead
Be Quick or Be Dead
"Be Quick or Be Dead" is the first single from the Iron Maiden album Fear of the Dark, released in 1992. The song is about several political scandals taking place at the time of its release, including the Robert Maxwell banking scandal, European stock market crashes, and the BCCI case...
" single.
Composition
The song deals with subject of homesickness and alienation while on tour, but the mere fact that band is touring is well worth it. It reflects on negative aspects of very long and exhausting World Slavery Tour, personal problems that band members were going through in that period. The original working title was "Golden Years", as can be heard on numerous Somewhere On TourSomewhere On Tour
The Somewhere On Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 10 September 1986 to 21 May 1987.-Tour dates:-Setlist:# "Intro: Theme from Blade Runner"# "Caught Somewhere In Time"...
bootlegs.
Song is composed from keys of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
and G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. Adrian Smith plays the solo.
Live performances
Wasted Years is one of three tracks from Somewhere In Time that have been played on more than two concert tours, other two being second album single, Stranger in a Strange Land and Heaven Can Wait. It was featured on Somewhere On TourSomewhere On Tour
The Somewhere On Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 10 September 1986 to 21 May 1987.-Tour dates:-Setlist:# "Intro: Theme from Blade Runner"# "Caught Somewhere In Time"...
, Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour, Real Live Tour
Real Live Tour
The Real Live Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 25 March 1993 to 28 August 1993. It was the last tour which featured lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson before he left to pursue a solo career.- Tour dates:- Setlist :# Intro...
(only on few dates), The Ed Hunter Tour
The Ed Hunter Tour
The Ed Hunter tour began in Saint John, New Brunswick Canada. Iron Maiden began rehearsals at Harbour Station, the city's largest arena for about a week, then performing there for one night before embarking on the tour...
, and Somewhere Back in Time World Tour
Somewhere Back In Time World Tour
Somewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focussed on the band's 80s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son...
.
Janick Gers
Janick Gers
Janick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...
played the solo on Real Live Tour due to Smith leaving Iron Maiden in 1990. He also played all Smith's guitar parts on few dates of Ed Hunter Tour, while Smith was absent. In current Iron Maiden line-up shows (since 1999), Smith's trademark intro riff is doubled by Gers.
Apart from singing backing vocals, Adrian Smith also sang lead vocals on chorus, on at least one Somewhere Back in Time Tour date.
During Somewhere On Tour years, band used to lip-sync the track on various TV shows. The most famous recording comes from Germany, where Maiden swapped instruments on stage while the song was "performed", as a humorous protest to lip-syncing.
Track listing
- "Wasted Years" (Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
) – 5:06 - "Reach Out" (Dave ColwellDave ColwellDave "Bucket" Colwell is a guitarist from the United Kingdom and has been a member of Bad Company, Samson, ASAP, The Eastenders, The Entire Population of Hackney, Angel Street and FM...
) – 3:31 - "Sheriff of Huddersfield" (Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
) – 3:35
Chart performance
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Wasted Years" | Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
11 | Somewhere in Time |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
18 | |||
| 1990 | "Wasted Years/ Stranger in a Strange Land Stranger in a Strange Land (song) "Stranger in a Strange Land" is the second single by Iron Maiden from their 1986 album Somewhere in Time. The song is unrelated to Robert A. Heinlein's novel by the same name. The lyrics are about an Arctic explorer who dies and is frozen in the ice. After a hundred years his body is found... " |
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... Re-release of both singles as part of "The First Ten Years The First Ten Years The First Ten Years is a series of 10 CDs and double 12" singles by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released between 24 February and 28 April 1990, in commemoration of the band's ten year recording anniversary.... " box set. Exceeded the length limit of the UK Singles chart. |
9 | — |
Personnel
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
– vocals - Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, synthesized guitars, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(Lead vocals on "Reach Out") - Dave MurrayDave Murray (musician)David Michael Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.-Biography:...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, synthesized guitars - Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Nicko McBrainNicko McBrainMichael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....