About The Song
“Wasted Years” is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the band’s fourteenth single released and the first from their sixth studio album, Somewhere in Time (1986). Released in 1986, it was the first single solely written by guitarist Adrian Smith, who also sings backing vocals.
The song reached number 18 in the UK Singles Charts, as well as the top 10 in Finland and the Netherlands’ Single Top 100.
The song deals with subject of homesickness and alienation, as well as the negative aspects of the band’s nearly year long previous tour and personal problems that Smith and other band members were going through in that period.
The cover depicts the band mascot Eddie’s point of view as he flies a time machine. Only a part of Eddie’s face is seen, as a reflection in a screen. According to artist Derek Riggs, this is because the band did not want to reveal the mascot in his new cyborg guise until the album was released a few weeks later. As with the Somewhere in Time album sleeve,[4] the single cover also features the TARDIS from the BBC series Doctor Who. Riggs describes the illustration as “a duffer. It’s a technical illustration of a keyboard of a time machine, with Eddie reflected in the window, because it was the only thing we could think of that wouldn’t give Eddie away”.
Adrian Smith has performed the song live with his bands Psycho Motel and Smith/Kotzen, performing the lead vocals himself.
Video
Lyrics
Wased years!
One, two, three-
From the coast of gold, across the seven seas
Travelin’ 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 I 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, will be ’til my dying day, Adrian!
So understand
Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
Realize 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, hard to make it through another day
And it makes me wanna cry, throw my hands up to the sky
So understand
Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
Realize you’re living in the golden years, hey!
So understand, Adrian!
Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
Realize you’re living in the golden years
So understand
Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
Realize you’re living in the golden years, hey!