Iron Maiden: "Wasted Years" / "Reach Out" (1986)
Almost 40 years ago, in late August of 1986, Iron Maiden released "Wasted Years": the first single off their sixth studio album, Somewhere in Time, and also the first composed solely by guitarist Adrian Smith.
Previously, Smith and singer Bruce Dickinson had co-written Piece of Mind's "Flight of Icarus" and Powerslave's "2 Minutes to Midnight," but having contributed a solid number of tunes since joining Maiden in '82, Dickinson credits were nowhere to be found on this LP.
As fans would later learn, a combination musical differences (Bruce brought a few "acoustic-based" songs that bassist Steve Harris rejected out of hand) and sheer burn-out from the grueling World Slavery Tour were to blame, and this opened the door for Smith's greater presence.
Of the three cuts he submitted for Somewhere in Time (the other two being "Sea of Madness" and "Stranger in a Strange Land"), plus Harris' four-and-half contributions (he penned "Deja-Vu" with guitarist Dave Murray), "Wasted Years" was the obvious single candidate.
Ironically and also conveniently, so as not to worry conservative Maiden fans, in an album famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for adopting guitar synthesizers, "Wasted Years" is the only song that did NOT feature that controversial innovation.
But its lyrics were another story; breaking with Maiden's penchant for literary, historical, or fantasy-focused narratives, to explore more personal themes of alienation, physical, and mental exhaustion after spending nearly a year on the road.
And yet, the song's initially troubled lyrics had resolved into a hopeful, positive message by the time they arrived at the song's chorus, reflecting Smith's own realization that:
"So understand ... Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years; Face up, make your stand; And realize you're living in the golden years."
For the single's B-side, Maiden recorded a relatively straight hard rocker called "Reach Out," composed by Samson and Bad Company guitarist Dave Colwell, and first cut by his side project with Smith (who also sings), drummer Nicko McBrain, and members of the British group FM.
Fans lucky enough to score a 12-inch version of the single were also presented with an atypically loose, merciless, but affectionate piss-take of the band's long-serving, tight-fisted manager Rod Smallwood, entitled "The Sheriff of Huddersfield."
As for the original single's cover art, boasting an unusually discreet depiction of band mascot, Eddie, according to artist Derek Riggs, this was because the band didn't want to reveal the mascot in his new cyborg guise until Somewhere in Time arrived in stores a few weeks later.
But eagle-eyed fans may spy Dr. Who's Tardis drifting in space and references to prior Maiden LPs like The Number of the Beast (a burning lake of fire), Powerslave (pyramids), and Live After Death (a moonlit graveyard) in this time machine's control panel.
So you see, as with this song's thoughtful, multi-layered message, no attention to detail was ever wasted on a piece of Iron Maiden product, no matter its format.
More Iron Maiden: "Running Free," Iron Maiden, Sanctuary EP, Women in Uniform EP, Live!! + One EP, Killers, "Twilight Zone," “Purgatory," Maiden Japan EP, "Run to the Hills," The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, The Trooper EP, 2 Minutes to Midnight EP, Powerslave, Aces High EP, Live After Death, Run to the Hills (Live) EP, Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Fear of the Dark, The X Factor, Brave New World, Dance of Death, A Matter of Life and Death, The Book of Souls, Senjutsu.
