John Anderson – Years

About The Song

“Years” is a song co-written by John Anderson, Dan Auerbach, David R. Ferguson, and Patrick McLaughlin. It was recorded by American country music artist John Anderson and released on January 17, 2020, as the lead single and title track from his album Years. The full album was issued on April 10, 2020, via Easy Eye Sound. The track runs 2 minutes and 56 seconds.

The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The parent album Years did not reach the Billboard Top Country Albums chart according to available discography records. It marked Anderson’s twenty-second studio album and his first project produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and longtime Nashville engineer David R. Ferguson. Recording took place at Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

All tracks on the album were co-written by John Anderson and Dan Auerbach, with additional co-writers credited on individual songs. For “Years,” the additional writers are David R. Ferguson and Patrick McLaughlin. The album contains ten original tracks and features a guest appearance by Blake Shelton on “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone.” Other tracks include “I’m Still Hangin’ On,” “Celebrate,” “What’s a Man Got to Do,” “Wild and Free,” and “Slow Down.”

Production credits list Dan Auerbach and David R. Ferguson as producers. Session contributions associated with the album and the title track include work by musicians such as Gene Chrisman on drums and percussion, Russ Pahl on acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and bass, Mike Rojas on piano and related keyboards, and additional players including Billy Sanford, Dave Roe, Mark Howard, and Matt Combs. Auerbach also contributed electric guitar, background vocals, and percussion.

The single “Years” was the first of three promotional releases from the album, followed by “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone” (featuring Blake Shelton) on February 7, 2020, and “I’m Still Hangin’ On” on March 20, 2020. An official music video directed by Josh Bishop accompanied the single release. The album followed Goldmine (2015) in Anderson’s catalog and was issued on LP, CD, and digital formats.

Primary sources including Wikipedia discography entries, AllMusic, Rolling Stone reporting on the album announcement, and official Easy Eye Sound materials confirm the January 17, 2020 single release date, the April 10, 2020 album release, the songwriting credits to Anderson, Auerbach, Ferguson, and McLaughlin, the production team, the absence of independent Billboard single chart performance, and the recording location at Easy Eye Studio.

Video

Lyric

Years
Everybody knows
You gotta let ’em go
And they kinda roll by
Like tears
Just a measure of time
Playin’ with your mind
Passin’ you by
Those years

Look around
Up and down
They’re nowhere to be found
Like the wind
Old friends
They come and go again

Don’t look back in sorrow
Just hope you see tomorrow
Those years

Everybody knows
You gotta let ’em go
And they kinda roll by
Like tears
Just a measure of time
Playin’ with your mind
Passin’ you by
Those years

You and me
Came to be
We raised a family
When we’re gone
They live on
To see what we won’t see

Don’t look back in sorrow
The children have tomorrow
Those years

Everybody knows
You gotta let ’em go
And they kinda roll by
Like tears
Just a measure of time
Playin’ with your mind
Passin’ you by
Those years

Everybody knows
You gotta let ’em go
And they kinda roll by
Like tears
Just a measure of time
Playin’ with your mind
Passin’ you by
Those years
Oh…