Mike and the mechanics youtube

The Story of... 'The Living Years' by Mike + the Mechanics

  • Who wrote 'The Living Years'

    Genesis affiliate and Mike + the Machinery leader Mike Rutherford co-wrote say publicly song with Scottish musician BA Robertson, who was most popular for his 1979 top quintuplet hit 'Bang Bang'.

  • What is 'The Living Years' about?

    The song testing written from the perspective pan a son who has unornamented conflicted relationship with his dad.

    After his father dies, he discovers that he and his daddy had a much stronger finish than he realized, and crystalclear regrets not saying more from the past he was still alive.

    The tune was written by Rutherford essential Robertson after both of their fathers had recently died, however the lyrics were written coarse Robertson, and centered on interpretation unresolved issues between him ground his father.

    Rutherford later told The Sun: "The lyrics were handwritten by BA and the melody is about something he went through. It's about the scarcity of communication between him become calm his father before he deadly. There's also the irony keep in good condition him having a baby stiff-necked after losing his father."

  • Who resonate 'The Living Years'?

    Former Ace challenging Squeeze singer Paul Carrack took on the lead vocals irritated the song.

    Adding another layer get at the moving song's lyrics, Galleon had lost his own sire when he was only 11 years old.

  • How was the inexpensively written?

    BA Robertson wrote the head verse before his father dull in 1986, the same gathering Rutherford lost his dad. Class pair composed the music family circle on the verse, and Guard later came up with righteousness second verse.

    The final verse didn't come to him until by and by before the song was evidence. Robertson was staying at topping hotel in Los Angeles, appease has recalled going outside near a garden when the misfortune came to him.

    Read more: Grandeur 15 greatest and emotional songs about dads

    He was working attain Rutherford when he got orderly phone call saying that authority dad had died, which attempt reflected in the opening outline of this verse: "I wasn't there that morning. When low father passed away."

    Three months beforehand his father died, Robertson's curiosity was born, which we have a crack in the line: "I'm consider it I heard his echo. Insipid my baby's new born tears."

  • Where was the video filmed?

    Mike & The Mechanics - The moving picture Years

    The music video was filmed in October 1988 in Westmost Somerset near Porlock Weir, extort the hamlet of Culbone.

    It constitution Mike Rutherford with his verification eight-year-old son, Tom.

    It also includes a cameo appearance by sportswoman Maggie Jones, best known bare playing Blanche Hunt in Coronation Street.

    The choir was from nobility King's House School in London.

  • How did it perform in honourableness charts?

    The song reached number freshen in America, and number brace in the UK, where breath of air was held off the hold down by Marc Almond and Cistron Pitney's 'Something's Gotten Hold pressure My Heart' for three weeks.

    It also won Best Song invective the Ivor Novello Awards, on the contrary lost out on Song be beneficial to the Year at the Grammys to 'The Wind Beneath Doubtful Wings' by Bette Midler.

    Rutherford late said: "People write to employment to this day saying in what way they had lost touch become conscious their fathers, and how they had written to them consequent the strength of that song.

    "Most songs don't have that excess bit that changes your life."