Somewhere in England

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Somewhere in England is the ninth studio album by English musician George Harrison, released on 1 June 1981 by Dark Horse Records. The project took a long time to finish as Harrison fought with Warner Bros. over the album’s direction. It was also the first Harrison release after John Lennon’s murder, and the song “All Those Years Ago” became a tribute to Lennon.

Recording began in March 1980 at Harrison’s studio in Oxfordshire. Warner Bros. rejected the original version as “too laid back,” so Harrison reworked it and added new material. In November 1980 Ringo Starr came to the studio to help with two Harrison songs and a cover for Starr’s own album. After Lennon was killed in December 1980, Harrison completed “All Those Years Ago” with new lyrics and invited Paul and Linda McCartney and Denny Laine to provide backing vocals.

Three more songs were added to the album—“Blood from a Clone,” “Teardrops,” and “That Which I Have Lost”—and four tracks were dropped: “Tears of the World,” “Sat Singing,” “Lay His Head,” and “Flying Hour.” A new cover photograph was taken at the Tate Gallery in London, and the album was finally released.

The lead single, “All Those Years Ago,” came out on 11 May 1981 and became a big hit, reaching No. 2 in the United States and No. 13 in the United Kingdom, helping the album’s popularity. The album reached No. 11 in the US and No. 13 in the UK, but it did not achieve gold status in the US. The second single, “Teardrops,” peaked at No. 102 in the US.

Critics were mixed. People magazine called it one of Harrison’s best albums and praised the Lennon tribute, while Robert Christgau was less impressed.

Over the years some songs from the project appeared in other releases. “Lay His Head” later appeared as a B-side and was remixed for a 1987 release, and the 2004 remaster added bonus tracks and restored the original cover art. The iTunes edition adds another bonus track, and fans recalling the album in a 2006 poll highlighted songs such as “Life Itself” along with other tracks from the sessions.