In My Life
| "In My Life" | ||||||||
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| Song by The Beatles from the album Rubber Soul | ||||||||
| Released | 3 December 1965 | |||||||
| Recorded | 18 October 1965 EMI Studios, London |
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| Genre | Baroque pop[1] | |||||||
| Length | 2:28 | |||||||
| Label | Parlophone | |||||||
| Writer | Lennon–McCartney | |||||||
| Producer | George Martin | |||||||
| Rubber Soul track listing | ||||||||
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"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song originated with Lennon, and while 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.[2] The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.
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[edit] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5] "Very few lines" of the original version remained in the finished song.[4] 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.[3]
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."[6][7] 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.[8] "I liked 'In My Life'. Those were words that John wrote and I wrote the tune to it. That was a great one."[9]
[edit] Recording
The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge.[10] 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".[1] 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 at half-tempo (one octave lower) and tape speed was doubled for the final recording, solving the performance challenge and giving the piano solo a unique, harpsichord-like timbre.[11][12]
[edit] 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.[citation needed]
Crosby, Stills & Nash, the folk rock supergroup, also covered "In My Life" on their seventh studio album, After the Storm, in 1994.
Johnny Cash also released a cover version which appears on American IV: The Man Comes Around released in 2002.
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.
[edit] Personnel
- John Lennon – double-tracked vocal, rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass, electric piano[A]
- George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar
- Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, bells[B]
- George Martin – electric piano
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald[13]
- Personnel notes
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Hertsgaard 1996, p. 156.
- ^ Rolling Stone 2010.
- ^ a b Everett 2001, p. 319.
- ^ a b Spitz 2005, p. 587.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 152.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 178.
- ^ The section to which Lennon referred is unclear, as the song does not contain a recognisable middle-eight aside from a brief instrumental break (the melody for which is attributed to producer George Martin).
- ^ Miles 1997, p. 277.
- ^ Gambaccini 1976, p. 19.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 64.
- ^ Spitz 2005, p. 591.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 65.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 169.
[edit] References
- Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarrymen Through Rubber Soul. Oxford: Oxford Press. ISBN 0195141059.
- Gambaccini, Paul, ed. (1976). Paul McCartney in His Own Words. New York: Flash. ISBN 0825639107.
- Hertsgaard, Mark (1996). A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385315171.
- 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 1-844-13828-3.
- 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. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/28431/194023/5. 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. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/inmylife.shtml. 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. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r98335. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
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