In My Life

For other uses, see In My Life (disambiguation).

"In My Life"
Song by the Beatles from the album Rubber Soul
Released	3 December 1965
Recorded	18 October 1965 EMI Studios, London
Genre	Baroque pop
Length	2:28
Label	Parlophone
Writer	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Rubber Soul track listing
14 tracks Side one "Drive My Car" "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" "You Won't See Me" "Nowhere Man" "Think for Yourself" "The Word" "Michelle" Side two "What Goes On" "Girl" "I'm Looking Through You" "In My Life" "Wait" "If I Needed Someone" "Run for Your Life"
Music sample "In My Life"

"In My Life" is a song by the Beatles written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney). The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. George Martin contributed the instrumental bridge. Released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, it is ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" as well as fifth on their list of the Beatles' 100 Greatest Songs. The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.

Composition

According to Lennon, the song's origins can be found when the English journalist Kenneth Allsop made a remark that Lennon should write songs about his childhood. Afterwards, Lennon wrote a song in the form of a long poem reminiscing on his childhood years. The original version of the lyrics was based on a bus route he used to take in Liverpool, naming various sites seen along the way, including Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Those original lyrics are on display at The British Museum.

Original lyrics to John Lennon's "In My Life"

However, Lennon found it to be "ridiculous", calling it "the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holidays Bus Trip' song"; he reworked the words, replacing the specific memories with a generalised meditation on his past. "Very few lines" of the original version remained in the finished song. According to Lennon's friend and biographer Peter Shotton, the lines "Some [friends] are dead and some are living/In my life I've loved them all" referred to Stuart Sutcliffe (who died in 1962) and to Shotton.

Regarding authorship of the melody, Lennon's and McCartney's recollections differ. Referring to McCartney, Lennon said "his contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle-eight itself." McCartney claimed he set Lennon's lyrics to music from beginning to end, taking inspiration for the melody from songs by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. "I liked 'In My Life'. Those were words that John wrote, and I wrote the tune to it. That was a great one."

Recording

The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge. At that time, Lennon had not decided what instrument to use, but he subsequently asked George Martin to play a piano solo, suggesting "something Baroque-sounding". Martin wrote a Bach-influenced piece that he found he could not play at the song's tempo. On 22 October, the solo was recorded with the tape running at half speed, so when played back at normal pace the piano was twice as fast and an octave higher, solving the performance challenge and also giving the solo a unique timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord.

Personnel

• John Lennon – double-tracked vocal, rhythm guitar
• Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass
• George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, bells
• George Martin – electric piano

Personnel per Ian MacDonald

Cover versions

• "In My Life" is one of the Beatles' most frequently-recorded songs.^{[citation needed]} One of the more noteworthy cover versions was one by Bette Midler in 1992, released from the soundtrack of her 1991 movie For the Boys. It peaked at #20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in the US.
• Judy Collins recorded the song as the title cut of a 1967 hit LP.
• Oliver released a version of the song on his 1969 hit album, Good Morning Starshine.
• Keith Moon covered this song in 1975 for his solo album Two Sides of the Moon
• Twiggy performed the song on her guest star appearance on The Muppet Show (1976)
• Crosby, Stills, & Nash, the folk rock supergroup, also covered "In My Life" on their seventh studio album, After the Storm, in 1994.
• Dušan Prelević released a cover of the song on his 1996 album Ja, Prele.
• Johnny Cash also released a cover version which appears on American IV: The Man Comes Around released in 2002.
• Marques Houston covered the song on the finale of the sitcom Sister, Sister.
• Bonnie Tyler recorded the track for her 2003 album Heart Strings.
• Allison Crowe released her interpretation in 2004 on Tidings.
• Ozzy Osbourne covered this song for his tribute album Under Cover in 2005.
• Jake Shimabukuro released a Ukelele interpretation on his album My Life in 2007
• Charice recorded the track for her 2009 album My Inspiration.
• Chantal Kreviazuk's cover was used as the theme song for the series Providence.
• Glee Cast Undergraduates covered the version in the episode "Goodbye".
• Sean Connery recorded a version for George Martin's In My Life album.
• Bill Frisell covered this song on his album All We Are Saying in 2011.
• The Idea of North, Australian vocal group, recorded the track for its 2011 album Extraordinary Tale.
• Jim Brickman covered this song on his album Romance in 2012.
• Lulu Roman (of Hee Haw fame) covered the song on her 2013 album At Last.

Personnel notes

• A ^ MacDonald was unsure if Starr played Bells.

Notes

References

• Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarrymen Through Rubber Soul. Oxford: Oxford Press. ISBN 0-19-514105-9. 
• Gambaccini, Paul, ed. (1976). Paul McCartney in His Own Words. New York: Flash. ISBN 0-8256-3910-7. 
• Hertsgaard, Mark (1996). A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-31517-1. 
• Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1. 
• MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-84413-828-3. 
• Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4. 
• "The Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Beatles Songs". Rolling Stone. August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010. 
• Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4. 
• "Sold on Song: Top 100 - In My Life". BBC News. BBC - Radio 2. 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2009. 
• Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 1-84513-160-6. 
• Unterberger, Richie (2009). "Overview of Keep Me in Mind". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 November 2009.