In My Life

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"In My Life"
Song

"In My Life" is a song by the Beatles released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, written mainly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song originated with John Lennon, but Paul McCartney and Lennon later disagreed over the extent of their respective contribution to that song, specifically the melody. George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge. 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.[3][4] The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.[5]

Composition

According to Lennon, the song's origins can be traced to when the English journalist Kenneth Allsop made a remark that Lennon should write songs about his childhood.[6] 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.[7] Those original lyrics are on display at The British Library.

File:Original lyrics to John Lennon's 'In my life'.jpg
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 generalized meditation on his past.[8] "Very few lines" of the original version remained in the finished song.[7] 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.[6]

In a 1980 interview, Lennon referred to this song as his "first real major piece of work" because it was the first time he penned personal lyrics about his own life.[9]

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."[8][10] 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.[11][12] "I liked 'In My Life'. Those were words that John wrote, and I wrote the tune to it. That was a great one."[13]

Recording

The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge.[14] 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 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.[7][14]

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald [15]
Personnel notes
  1. ^ MacDonald was unsure if Starr played bells.

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ a b Hertsgaard, Mark (1996). A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles. New York: Delacorte Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-385-31517-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  2. ^ Doyle Greene (10 March 2014). The Rock Cover Song: Culture, History, Politics. McFarland. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-1-4766-1507-3.
  3. ^ "The Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Beatles Songs". Rolling Stone. August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. ^ "5. In My Life". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Mojo lists". Rocklistmusic. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b Everett, Walter (2001). The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarrymen Through Rubber Soul. Oxford: Oxford Press. p. 319. ISBN 0-19-514105-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  7. ^ a b c Spitz, Bob (2005). The Beatles: The Biography. New York: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 587–91. ISBN 1-84513-160-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  8. ^ a b Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 152, 178. ISBN 0-312-25464-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  9. ^ Sheehan, Ivan (3 December 2015). "Finding John Lennon's "first real major piece of work"". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  10. ^ 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).
  11. ^ Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. New York: Macmillan. p. 277. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  12. ^ Compton, Todd (2017). Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney. San Jose: Pahreah Press. p. 130-132. ISBN 978-0-9988997-0-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  13. ^ Gambaccini, Paul, ed. (1976). Paul McCartney in His Own Words. New York: Flash. p. 19. ISBN 0-8256-3910-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  14. ^ a b Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 64–5. ISBN 0-517-57066-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  15. ^ MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). p. 169. ISBN 1-84413-828-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  16. ^ "For the Boys - Bette Midler : Awards". AllMusic. 12 November 1991. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  17. ^ Kids Incorporated Fans (23 May 2012). "Kids Incorporated - In My Life" – via YouTube.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Rubber Soul.
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