There is quite a number of songs around that bear the title “Anytime At All.” Of course, the one that sticks most in the memory and that most people are aware of is that old Lennon/McCartney gem from The Beatles’ so-called middle phase.
Actually, that is exactly the one Grammy-nominated, India born, Switzerland residing, singer-songwriter Ajay Mathur wants to refer on his latest single of the same name (full title, “Anytime At All (Aftermath of Silence)”).
While this single (with two versions of the song) was released recently, Mathur initially wrote it in the aftermath of John Lennon’s murder back in the ’80s.
To Mathur, the song and the horrible event that produced it were too personal to fully develop for decades. He only picked it up again during the second wave of the COVID pandemic, making it clear to him how he wanted to really proceed with it.
As he puts it, “[p]eople exit our lives for many different reasons – end of a relationship, geographic separation, death by illness, carelessness or maliciousness of others – and we are forced to face the void. Recognizing that they are never really gone is where we can begin to find peace and comfort. ‘Anytime At All (Aftermath of Silence)’ describes that moment of clarity, that the people who have touched you deeply are always going to be there with you. All you’ve gotta do is call.”
That personal touch and feel can be heard throughout both versions here, both From Mathur himself, but also his collaborators Michael Dolmetch (Piano), Steve Birrer (Pedal Steel), and engineer Austin Asvavonda (War on Drugs, Rolling Stones).
No wonder the song won The Akademia Music Award in the category of Best Pop Rock Song.
