In My Life

"In My Life"
Song by the Beatles from the album Rubber Soul
Published	Northern Songs
Released	3 December 1965
Recorded	18 and 22 October 1965, EMI Studios, London
Genre	Pop rock[1]
Length	2:28
Label	Parlophone
Writer	Lennon–McCartney
Producer	George Martin
Music sample "In My Life"

"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 Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, he and Lennon later disagreed over the extent of his contributions (specifically the melody). George Martin, who produced the recording, contributed the instrumental 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.^[2][3] 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 traced to when the English journalist Kenneth Allsop made a remark that Lennon should write songs about his childhood.^[4] 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.^[5] Those original lyrics are on display at The British Library.

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.^[6] "Very few lines" of the original version remained in the finished song.^[5] 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.^[4]

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.^[7]

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][9] 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.^[10] "I liked 'In My Life'. Those were words that John wrote, and I wrote the tune to it. That was a great one."^[11]

Recording

The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge.^[12] 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".^[13] 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.^[14][15] The piano solo was included in the "Strawberry Fields Forever" in the 2006 Cirque du Soleil Love remix.

Personnel

• John Lennon – double-tracked vocal, rhythm guitar
• Paul McCartney – harmony vocal, bass
• George Harrison – harmony vocal, lead guitar
• Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine, bells^{[upper-alpha 1]}
• George Martin – piano

Personnel per Ian MacDonald^[16]

Personnel notes

1. MacDonald was unsure if Starr played bells.

Cover versions

• George Harrison did a soul-arranged version during his Dark Horse US Tour. Billy Preston did a Hammond organ solo. Also, this was the first time the song was performed by any Beatle.^[17][18] It is recorded on a bootleg called "Let's hear one for Lord Buddha", which concert was on November 10, 1974, in Long Beach, Califonia.
• 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. This version also appeared as background music for a tribute to NASCAR on ABC at the end of the 2000 Brickyard 400 which was the final broadcast of NASCAR on ABC until 2007.^[19]
• Chantal Kreviazuk's cover was used as the theme song for the series Providence.

Notes

1. Doyle Greene (10 March 2014). The Rock Cover Song: Culture, History, Politics. McFarland. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-1-4766-1507-3.
2. Rolling Stone 2010.
3. "5. In My Life". 100 Greatest Beatles Songs. Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
4. Everett 2001, p. 319.
5. Spitz 2005, p. 587.
6. Sheff 2000, p. 152.
7. Sheehan, Ivan (December 3, 2015). "Finding John Lennon's "first real major piece of work"". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
8. Sheff 2000, p. 178.
9. 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).
10. Miles 1997, p. 277.
11. Gambaccini 1976, p. 19.
12. Lewisohn 1988, p. 64.
13. Hertsgaard 1996, p. 156.
14. Spitz 2005, p. 591.
15. Lewisohn 1988, p. 65.
16. MacDonald 2005, p. 169.
17. http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=buddalp
18. http://www.beatlesbible.com/forum/the-songs/beatles-songs-that-have-never-been-performed-live-together-or-solo/#p61400
19. "For the Boys - Bette Midler : Awards". AllMusic. 12 November 1991. Retrieved 1 July 2012.

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.

External links

• Alan W. Pollack's Notes on "In My Life"
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics