
Peak
15
Weeks
23
Score
2,703
Chart Year
1981
Alan Parsons, who wrote this song with his Project bandmate Eric Woolfson, told Songfacts: "It's kind of a sad song. I think it's been an inspiration for many people who are growing old or have become ill. It gets played at funerals. It's a slightly melancholy song." This is the most popular song from the album The Turn of a Friendly Card, which has many songs from the perspective of a man in middle age contemplating both the content of his past and what is left of his future. >> Eric Woolfson, who died in 2009, played piano and sang lead on this track. Parsons said in his Songfacts interview: "It's actually a very difficult song to sing, because it goes through an enormous vocal range. Eric did a great job." The Alan Parsons Project was a studio band that didn't perform live until the '90s, when digital sampling made it possible to reproduce their songs. This is an example of a song with rich instrumentation and lots of layers. In addition to a string section, here's the personnel: Vocals, Piano: Eric Woolfson Guitars: David Paton, Ian Bairnson Backing Vocals: Chris Rainbow Bass: David Paton Drums, Percussion: Stuart Elliott
Time Flowing like a river Time Beckoning me Who knows when we shall meet again If ever But time Keeps flowing like a river To the sea Goodbye my love Maybe for forever Goodbye my love The tide waits for me Who knows when we shall meet again If ever But time Keeps flowing like a river (on and on) To the sea To the sea Till it's gone forever Gone forever Gone forevermore Goodbye my friend Maybe for forever Goodbye my friend The stars wait for me Who knows where we shall meet again If ever But time Keeps flowing like a river (on and on) To the sea To the sea Till it's gone forever Gone forever Gone forevermore Forevermore Forevermore Forevermore Forevermore
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 18, 1981 | 82 | 44 |
| 2 | Apr 25, 1981 | 73 | 53 |
| 3 | May 2, 1981 | 63 | 63 |
| 4 | May 9, 1981 | 56 | 70 |
| 5 | May 16, 1981 | 47 | 79 |
| 6 | May 23, 1981 | 44 | 82 |
| 7 | May 30, 1981 | 42 | 84 |
| 8 | Jun 6, 1981 | 38 | 88 |
| 9 | Jun 13, 1981 | 35 | 91 |
| 10 | Jun 20, 1981 | 30 | 96 |
| 11 | Jun 27, 1981 | 25 | 101 |
| 12 | Jul 4, 1981 | 22 | 104 |
| 13 | Jul 11, 1981 | 20 | 106 |
| 14 | Jul 18, 1981 | 19 | 107 |
| 15 | Jul 25, 1981 | 17 | 109 |
| 16 | Aug 1, 1981 | 15 | 111 |
| 17 | Aug 8, 1981 | 15 | 111 |
| 18 | Aug 15, 1981 | 15 | 111 |
| 19 | Aug 22, 1981 | 37 | 89 |
| 20 | Aug 29, 1981 | 53 | 73 |