"As the Years Go By" is the first
single
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* Single (music), a song release
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* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
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* "Single", by ...
by
rock
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fusion band
Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single "As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a major ...
from their
self-titled debut album. The single was recorded in Columbia B Studios and was released as the first single to Mashmakhan's self-titled debut album. The other single "Days When We Are Free" was used as the A-side to the
45rpm
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
. "As the Years Go By" was also fit into several compilation albums of '70s songs.
The single, which sold over one million copies worldwide and received a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
, was very well received by the public and the critics, despite its eerie minor key tune.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Lindsay Planer also praised the single's sales and its lyrics.
The song peaked at number 75 in Australia.
The single was released as in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
History
In 1970, "As the Years Go By" was originally recorded by
Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single "As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a major ...
in Columbia B Studios.
"As the Years Go By" was released as the debut single of Mashmakhan's upcoming self-titled album. "As the Years Go By" was released in an edited form, with the latter single "Days When We Are Free" as the A-side. Following "As the Years Go By" the previously mentioned single and "Gladwin" were released. The self-titled debut ''
Mashmakhan
Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single "As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a major ...
'' was released as an
LP album
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
in 1970.
Later the single appeared on several rock compilation albums. "As the Years Go By" was first included in ''Rock Artifacts, Vol. 1'' in 1990. On November 9, 1995, "As the Years Go By" plus the whole ''Mashmakhan'' album and its follow up album ''
The Family'' were included in the compilation ''
Mashmakhan/The Family''.
On April 24, 2001, "As the Years Go By" was also released on the ''Rock Treasures'' compilation by the
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
. And lastly, "As the Years Go By" was used in the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
compilation ''The 70's, Vol. 3'' by
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
of Japan on December 15, 2007.
The song was covered by the Florida-based salsa/funk band Coke on the 1972 self-titled debut, for which the lyrics and title were translated into Spanish: "Que Seria de Mi".
Track listing
Both of the songs were produced by Billy Jackson.
Reception
At its release, the single sold 100,000 copies in Canada, 500,000 copies in the United States, and over 1,000,000 copies in Japan.
The single cracked the national charts in both Canada (#1 - singles (RPM 100) chart 2 weeks, CatCon chart 7 weeks) and the United States (#31).
"As the Years Go By" sold over one million copies globally and received a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
.
The single was generally well received by critics.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Lindsay Planer stated that "As the Years Go By" not only became their biggest hit but it also became "a million-seller in (of all places) Japan" and that the lyrics "are undeniably puerile," and texturally the "connotations of the word 'love' remain eternal."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:As The Years Go By
1970 singles
Mashmakhan songs
Columbia Records singles
Epic Records singles
Oricon Weekly number-one singles