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Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
(Smith) 5:06
From the coast of gold, across the seven seas,
I'm travelling on, far and wide,
But now it seems, I'm just a stranger to myself,
And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but someone else.
I close my eyes, and think of home,
Another city goes by, in the night,
Ain't it funny how it is, you never miss it til it's gone away,
And my heart is lying there and will be til my dying day.
Chorus:
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years,
Face up... make your stand,
And realise you're living in the golden years.
Too much time on my hands, I got you on my mind,
Can't ease this pain, so easily,
When you can't find the words to say, it's hard to make it through another day,
And it makes me wanna cry, and throw my hands up to the sky.
Chorus:
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years,
Face up... make your stand,
And realise you're living in the golden years.
Wasted Years was the fourteenth single released by Iron Maiden and the first from their Somewhere in Time album. Released in 1986, it was the first single to be written by guitarist Adrian Smith alone. It reached number 18 in the UK charts. The cover depicts 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 Somewhere in Time case, where the Doctor's TARDIS is parked on a rooftop. The music video, which is mostly in black and white, features images and footage of the band's everyday activities off-stage, as well as clips from previous music videos. The B-side "Reach Out" was sung by Adrian Smith, with Bruce Dickinson singing backing vocals. Adrian also played bass and guitar on the song. This song was performed live by Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith's jam band who called themselves 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 new lifestyle in LA and often complained to the band about it. Interestingly Rod Smallwood was unaware of the song until it was released on the single (the band had kept it secret). 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 mocking Smallwood was released as an unlisted untitled B-side ("Space Station No. 5"'s epilogue) in the Be Quick or Be Dead single. It's the only song on Somewhere In Time that features no synthesizers.
