It’s New Year’s Eve, and once again we’re wondering where the whole year went. That leads us to the perfect classic song of the day for the last day of the year, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”
Folksinger Sandy Denny wrote “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” back in 1966. While Ms. Denny recorded a few demos of the song in 1966 and 1967, the first mainstream recording of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” was by singer Judy Collins, on her 1968 album titled after the song. This is probably the version most people know.
Also in 1968, Sandy Denny joined the folk-rock group Fairport Convention. That group released a version of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” on their 1969 album, Unhalfbricking.
“Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” became a signature song for Sandy Denny, both solo and with various groups. It was the last song she sang at her last live performance, at Byfield in Northhamptonshire, England, on April 1 1978. She passed away on April 21 of that year, following the effects of a series of major falls. She was just 31 years old.
“Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” has been covered by a number of different artists over the years. Perhaps the most notable are the versions by Nanci Griffith on her 1998 album, Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful), and by Eva Cassidy on her posthumous 2002 album, Imagine.
So, at the end of this very chaotic and confusing year, let’s remember the words of the late Sandy Denny:
Sad, deserted shore,
your fickle friends are leaving,
Ah, but then you know,
it’s time for them to go,
But I will still be here,
I have no thought of leaving,
I do not count the time.
For who knows,
where the time goes?
Who knows,
where the time goes?
