Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Encyclopedia
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" is a song written by the English
folk-rock singer and songwriter Sandy Denny
. Denny originally recorded the song as a demo
in 1967, singing and playing guitar on the track. Later that year, she briefly joined the folk band The Strawbs
, and re-recorded the song, again with only her voice and guitar, for what became the album All Our Own Work
, which would not be released until 1973.
American folk singer Judy Collins
heard a tape of the original demo recording in 1968, and decided to cover the song. She released her recording first as the B-side of her cover of "Both Sides, Now", and then as the title track of her album Who Knows Where the Time Goes
, both released in 1968. Hers was the first widely-available recording of the song.
In 1968 Denny joined the folk-rock band Fairport Convention
. She recorded the song on her second album with the band, the 1969 album Unhalfbricking
. This version had a more rock influence.
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" has since become a signature song
for both Denny and Fairport Convention, and has been covered by many artists.
In 2007, the Unhalfbricking version was voted "Favourite Folk Track Of All Time" by listeners of BBC Radio 2
.
Having described these observations, Denny then writes that for her, some things are timeless ("Before the winter's fire, I will still be dreamin'; I have no thought of time") and in the last line of the short chorus asks rhetorically
"Who knows where the time goes?".
The song is in the key of E major
.
, Mary Black
, Eva Cassidy
, Judy Collins
, Lonnie Donegan
, Nanci Griffith
, Susanna Hoffs
, Deanna Kirk
, Charlie Louvin
, Cat Power
, Eddi Reader
, Julianne Regan
(with Fairport Convention), Kate Rusby
, Nina Simone
(on her 1970 live album Black Gold
), Matthew Sweet
, Barbara Dickson
and Kate Wolf
. It is the title track of Rondi Charleston
's 2011 jazz
album.
and A Walk on the Moon
. The Nina Simone version is used in the 2002 film The Dancer Upstairs
.
In the 2011 Broadway production of "Jerusalem," by Jez Butterworth, the song is played in its entirety towards the end of the final act. A young girl puts an LP record on a turntable and the song plays as Mark Rylance's character, Johnny Byron, dances with her and is then brutally beaten by the girl's stepfather and his brothers. The version used is the live recording from BBC Radio “Sounds of the Seventies”, host John Peel, rec. September 11, 1973. The actress, Lucy Hale
sung it on the 9th episode of Pretty Little Liars (T.V Series) in the leading role of Aria Montgomery
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folk-rock singer and songwriter Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
. Denny originally recorded the song as a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
in 1967, singing and playing guitar on the track. Later that year, she briefly joined the folk band The Strawbs
The Strawbs
Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964. Although the band started out as a bluegrass group they eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock, glam rock and progressive rock...
, and re-recorded the song, again with only her voice and guitar, for what became the album All Our Own Work
All Our Own Work
All Our Own Work is a studio album by Sandy Denny and the Strawbs. Recorded in 1967, it contains one of Sandy Denny's best known songs "Who Knows Where the Time Goes".-Side one:#"On My Way" – 3:03...
, which would not be released until 1973.
American folk singer Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
heard a tape of the original demo recording in 1968, and decided to cover the song. She released her recording first as the B-side of her cover of "Both Sides, Now", and then as the title track of her album Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)
Who Knows Where the Time Goes is a 1968 album by Judy Collins. It peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.Produced by David Anderle with numerous well-known musicians including Stephen Stills, the album had a rock-country-arthouse feel, typically eclectic for Collins, and included...
, both released in 1968. Hers was the first widely-available recording of the song.
In 1968 Denny joined the folk-rock band Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
. She recorded the song on her second album with the band, the 1969 album Unhalfbricking
Unhalfbricking
The band's male vocalist Iain Matthews left during the recordings for Unhalfbricking to make his own album Matthews' Southern Comfort, after recording just one track, "Percy's Song". Sandy Denny sang lead vocals on all the other songs, including her own compositions, "Autopsy", and "Who Knows Where...
. This version had a more rock influence.
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" has since become a signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
for both Denny and Fairport Convention, and has been covered by many artists.
In 2007, the Unhalfbricking version was voted "Favourite Folk Track Of All Time" by listeners of BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
.
Structure
The song is a slow-paced reflection in three verses on observed events ("Across the purple sky all the birds are leaving")Having described these observations, Denny then writes that for her, some things are timeless ("Before the winter's fire, I will still be dreamin'; I have no thought of time") and in the last line of the short chorus asks rhetorically
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the answer to the question must be. When a speaker states, "How much longer must our people...
"Who knows where the time goes?".
The song is in the key of E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
.
Cover versions
Cover versions have been recorded by, among others 10,000 Maniacs10,000 Maniacs
10,000 Maniacs is a United States-based alternative rock band, which formed in 1981 and continues to be active with various line-ups.-1981–1993:...
, Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
, Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...
, Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
, Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
, Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
, Deanna Kirk
Deanna Kirk
On a summer morning in late nineties, Deanna Kirk took the stage at her music club Deanna's in New York City. The Steinway Grand piano that had once been delivered to the club by Blue Note recording artist Jackie Terresson, like everything else in the place, had been torched beyond recognition and...
, Charlie Louvin
Charlie Louvin
Charles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children...
, Cat Power
Cat Power
Charlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
, Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
, Julianne Regan
Julianne Regan
Julianne Regan is an English singer, song writer, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboard player. She is best known for being the lead singer of the band, All About Eve.- Early life :...
(with Fairport Convention), Kate Rusby
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
(on her 1970 live album Black Gold
Black Gold (album)
Black Gold is a live album by Jazz singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone recorded in 1969 at the Philharmonic Hall, New York.The album is especially notable because it features the civil rights anthem song "To Be Young Gifted And Black"...
), Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
, Barbara Dickson
Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
and Kate Wolf
Kate Wolf
Kate Wolf was an American folk singer and songwriter. Though her career was relatively short, she had a significant impact on the folk music scene, and many musicians continue to cover her songs...
. It is the title track of Rondi Charleston
Rondi Charleston
Rondi Charleston is a Juilliard-educated jazz vocalist and songwriter with four albums to her credit. She is also an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television journalist and investigative reporter for Primetime....
's 2011 jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album.
Soundtrack appearances
The Fairport Convention version was used as the closing music in the 2009 film Don't Worry About Me. The Judy Collins version can be heard in the films The Subject Was RosesThe Subject Was Roses (film)
The Subject Was Roses is a 1968 American drama film directed by Ulu Grosbard. The screenplay by Frank D. Gilroy is based on his 1964 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same title.The film stars Patricia Neal, Martin Sheen and Jack Albertson...
and A Walk on the Moon
A Walk on the Moon
A Walk On The Moon is a 1999 drama film starring Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin. The movie, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival of 1969 and the moon landing of that year, was distributed by Miramax Films.- Plot summary :Pearl Kantrowitz and her...
. The Nina Simone version is used in the 2002 film The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs (film)
The Dancer Upstairs is a 2002 film starring Javier Bardem, and the directorial debut of John Malkovich. The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Nicholas Shakespeare.- Plot :...
.
In the 2011 Broadway production of "Jerusalem," by Jez Butterworth, the song is played in its entirety towards the end of the final act. A young girl puts an LP record on a turntable and the song plays as Mark Rylance's character, Johnny Byron, dances with her and is then brutally beaten by the girl's stepfather and his brothers. The version used is the live recording from BBC Radio “Sounds of the Seventies”, host John Peel, rec. September 11, 1973. The actress, Lucy Hale
Lucy Hale
Karen Lucille "Lucy" Hale is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Becca Sommers in Bionic Woman, Rose Baker in Privileged, Sherrie in the horror film Scream 4, and as Aria Montgomery on the hit ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars...
sung it on the 9th episode of Pretty Little Liars (T.V Series) in the leading role of Aria Montgomery
Aria Montgomery
Aria Marie Montgomery is a fictional character in the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard. She is portrayed by Lucy Hale in the television adaptation, which premiered on ABC Family in June 2010...
.