“In My Life" (Lennon – December 6, 1965)
Rubber Soul – Side 2, track 4 (2:24)
YouTube (Photo montage)
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –
"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. The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.
History –
"In My Life" had its genesis in a remark made by English journalist Kenneth Allsop, who pointedly asked Lennon why the personal childhood reminiscences present in Lennon's 1964 book In His Own Write never showed up in his Beatles lyrics. John attempted a song that would read like an imaginary bus trip from his boyhood home to the center of Liverpool, describing all his childhood haunts and lamenting the changes time had brought on. An draft from that early attempt read as follows:
"Penny Lane is one I'm missing
Up Church Rd to the clock tower
In the circle of the abbey
I have seen some happy hours.
Past the tramsheds with no trams
On the 5 bus into town
Past the Dutch and St. Columbus
To the Dockers Umbrella that they pulled down."
From Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, About.com, and Google –
"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. The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.
History –
"In My Life" had its genesis in a remark made by English journalist Kenneth Allsop, who pointedly asked Lennon why the personal childhood reminiscences present in Lennon's 1964 book In His Own Write never showed up in his Beatles lyrics. John attempted a song that would read like an imaginary bus trip from his boyhood home to the center of Liverpool, describing all his childhood haunts and lamenting the changes time had brought on. An draft from that early attempt read as follows:
"Penny Lane is one I'm missing
Up Church Rd to the clock tower
In the circle of the abbey
I have seen some happy hours.
Past the tramsheds with no trams
On the 5 bus into town
Past the Dutch and St. Columbus
To the Dockers Umbrella that they pulled down."
Perhaps understandably, John was less than thrilled with the outcome, later referring to it as "the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holidays Bus Trip' song." A year later, however, in need of material for Rubber Soul, Lennon revisited the idea and found that by being less specific he could write about his real emotions. This time, John was pleased with the result, so much so that he later referred to the very personal "In My Life" as "my first real major piece of work."
However, Paul's recount of the song's birth is quite different -- along with "Eleanor Rigby," it is one of only two Beatles songs on which Lennon and McCartney differ on authorship. While Paul admits that John wrote the lyrics at his home in Weybridge, McCartney claims he visited him there, and, after John had a bit of writer's block, went away for a few minutes and came up with the song's melody on Lennon's mellotron, inspired by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. (Paul has also claimed authorship of the song's signature guitar riff.) What is certain is that Paul came up with the high harmony that is sung along with the original melody, as well as the tune to the bridge section ("Though I know I'll never lose affection").
"In My Life" was laid down in three takes on October 18th. On the 22nd, producer George Martin attempted to come up with something intriguing for the third verse, left blank for s solo. After a few attempts on Hammond organ, Martin hit upon the unique idea of recording a very baroque piece on the studio piano, at half-speed and one octave down, then speeding it up to match the track. The effect was very like a harpsichord, and indeed is often mistaken for one!
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.
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."
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."
From Rolling Stone –
"In My Life" represented a crucial breakthrough for John Lennon — as well as a creative struggle. The song began with a question: During a March 1964 interview with Lennon, journalist Kenneth Allsop asked why he hadn't written more lyrics about his life and experiences. "I had a sort of professional songwriter's attitude to writing pop songs," Lennon said to Rolling Stone in 1970. "I would write [books like] In His Own Write, to express my personal emotions. I'd have a separate songwriting John Lennon who wrote songs for the meat market. I didn't consider them to have any depth at all. They were just a joke."
Taking Allsop's critique to heart, Lennon wrote a long poem about people and places from his past, touching on Liverpool landmarks like Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and Menlove Avenue. "I had a complete set of lyrics after struggling with a journalistic version of a trip downtown on a bus, naming every sight," he said. When he read the poem later, though, "it was the most boring 'What I Did on My Holidays' song, and it wasn't working. But then I laid back, and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember."
What happened next is a dispute that will never be resolved. "In My Life" is one of only a handful of Lennon-McCartney songs where the two strongly disagreed over who wrote what: According to Lennon, "The whole lyrics were already written before Paul even heard it. His contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle eight." According to McCartney, Lennon basically had the first verse done. At one of their writing sessions at Lennon's Weybridge estate, the two painstakingly rewrote the lyrics, making them less specific and more universal. (Some of Lennon's lines, like his reference to the late Stu Sutcliffe, the Beatles' former bassist, in "some are dead and some are living," remained.) McCartney also says he wrote the melody on Lennon's Mellotron, inspired by Smokey Robinson, as well as the gentle opening guitar figure.
Regardless of its true authorship, "In My Life" represented Lennon's evolution as an artist. "I started being me about the songs, not writing them objectively, but subjectively," Lennon said. "I think it was Dylan who helped me realize that — not by any discussion or anything, but by hearing his work." The Beatles were huge Dylan fans by early 1964, playing The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan nonstop in between gigs. When Dylan visited the Beatles in New York that August, he famously introduced them to marijuana. (He thought the Beatles were already pot smokers, having misheard the lyrics "I can't hide" in "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as "I get high.") Dylan and pot would be the great twin influences that led the Beatles out of their mop-top period and on to their first masterpiece, Rubber Soul.
Before that album, "We were just writing songs à la the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly," Lennon said, "pop songs with no more thought to them than that." He rightly called "In My Life" "my first real, major piece of work. Up until then, it had all been glib and throwaway."
Taking Allsop's critique to heart, Lennon wrote a long poem about people and places from his past, touching on Liverpool landmarks like Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and Menlove Avenue. "I had a complete set of lyrics after struggling with a journalistic version of a trip downtown on a bus, naming every sight," he said. When he read the poem later, though, "it was the most boring 'What I Did on My Holidays' song, and it wasn't working. But then I laid back, and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember."
What happened next is a dispute that will never be resolved. "In My Life" is one of only a handful of Lennon-McCartney songs where the two strongly disagreed over who wrote what: According to Lennon, "The whole lyrics were already written before Paul even heard it. His contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle eight." According to McCartney, Lennon basically had the first verse done. At one of their writing sessions at Lennon's Weybridge estate, the two painstakingly rewrote the lyrics, making them less specific and more universal. (Some of Lennon's lines, like his reference to the late Stu Sutcliffe, the Beatles' former bassist, in "some are dead and some are living," remained.) McCartney also says he wrote the melody on Lennon's Mellotron, inspired by Smokey Robinson, as well as the gentle opening guitar figure.
Regardless of its true authorship, "In My Life" represented Lennon's evolution as an artist. "I started being me about the songs, not writing them objectively, but subjectively," Lennon said. "I think it was Dylan who helped me realize that — not by any discussion or anything, but by hearing his work." The Beatles were huge Dylan fans by early 1964, playing The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan nonstop in between gigs. When Dylan visited the Beatles in New York that August, he famously introduced them to marijuana. (He thought the Beatles were already pot smokers, having misheard the lyrics "I can't hide" in "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as "I get high.") Dylan and pot would be the great twin influences that led the Beatles out of their mop-top period and on to their first masterpiece, Rubber Soul.
Before that album, "We were just writing songs à la the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly," Lennon said, "pop songs with no more thought to them than that." He rightly called "In My Life" "my first real, major piece of work. Up until then, it had all been glib and throwaway."
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 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 timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord.
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 timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord.
Takes: 3
Personnel
John Lennon – Lead vocals (double-tracked), rhythm guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster)
Paul McCartney – Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, lead and rhythm guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster)
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), tambourine
George Martin – Piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills")
Paul McCartney – Harmony vocals, bass guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1)
George Harrison – Harmony vocals, lead and rhythm guitar (1961 Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster)
Ringo Starr – Drums (Ludwig), tambourine
George Martin – Piano (1905 Steinway Vertegrand "Mrs. Mills")
Trivia –
According to John's longtime friend Pete Shotton, Lennon once remarked that the line "some are dead and some are living" referred to Pete and the deceased ex-Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe.
Several effects were added to the original CD mix of "In My Life" that were not present on vinyl, including heavy reverb on the vocals; this was corrected in the 2009 re-master.
George Harrison, oddly enough, performed this song often on his ill-fated 1974 "Dark Horse" tour, changing the lyrics here and there. This did not sit well with John.
"In My Life" was played at the funeral for Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, who loved the song. It was also used in the 2010 Oscars, during the montage of famous deaths during the past year.
Today in Beatles History (From The Internet Beatles Album) April 5 –
1962 – While shopping in Penny Lane, Cynthia begins feeling labor pains.
1965 – UK EP release: Beatles for Sale.
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