Time Passages (song)

{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}

{{use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Time Passages

| image = Time passages al stewart UK single.png

| alt = side-A label

| caption = Side A of the UK single

| type = single

| artist = Al Stewart

| album = Time Passages

| B-side = Almost Lucy

| released = September 1978

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = Soft rock

| length = {{Duration|m=6|s=39}} (album version)
{{Duration|m=4|s=39}}

(single edit)

| label = Arista

| writer = Al Stewart, Peter White

| producer = Alan Parsons

| prev_title = On the Border

| prev_year = 1977

| next_title = Song on the Radio

| next_year = 1979

}}

"Time Passages" is a song by British singer-songwriter Al Stewart, released as a single in 1978. It was produced by Alan Parsons and is the title track of Stewart's 1978 album release. The single reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1978,Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 603. and also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart, the longest stay at number one on this chart in the 1970s.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 417. Billboard magazine also ranked "Time Passages" as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary single of 1979.{{Cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Billboard-Magazine.htm|title=BILLBOARD MAGAZINE: 1936 to 2010 Searchable|website=www.americanradiohistory.com|access-date=2017-06-12}}

The familiar final line to the chorus is, "Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight". Less lyrically complex than a typical Al Stewart composition – the singer's previous top ten hit "Year of the Cat" exemplifying his usual style – "Time Passages" was one of two songs on the Time Passages album written by Stewart with the intent of the tracks' having hit single potential, the other being "Song on the Radio" which was the follow-up single and reached No. 29 Billboard and No. 27 Cash Box. The song describes the singer planning a trip home in late December (presumably for Christmas) and his nostalgic memories of the past.