Lennon/McCartney

 

 

Rating: ***** (excellent)

 

 

 

 

Again, a masterpiece written by John, and one of his best love songs ever, if not the best. Producer George Martin plays a delicious, baroque-sounding piano solo; the effect was the result of playing the piano at half-speed and then replaying it at double-speed. ‘In My Life’ was named as ‘the greatest song ever written’ some years ago, by a group of 20 famous songwriters (including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Jerry Leiber).

 

 

John (1980): “It was the first song I wrote that was consciously about my life. (Sings) ‘There are places I’ll remember/ All my life though some have changed...’ Before, we were just writing songs a la Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly -- pop songs with no more thought to them than that. The words were almost irrelevant. ‘In My Life’ started out as a bus journey from my house at 250 Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning every place I could remember. I wrote it all down and it was ridiculous... it was the most boring sort of ‘What I Did On My Holiday’s Bus Trip’ song and it wasn’t working at all. But then I laid back and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember. Paul helped with the middle-eight. It was, I think, my first real major piece of work. Up till then it had all been sort of glib and throw-away. And that was the first time I consciously put my literary part of myself into the lyric.”

Paul (1984): “I think I wrote the tune to that; that’s the one we slightly dispute. John either forgot or didn’t think I wrote the tune. I remember he had the words, like a poem... sort of about faces he remembered. I recall going off for half an hour and sitting with a Mellotron he had, writing the tune... which was Miracles inspired, as I remember. In fact, a lot of stuff was then.”

 

 

Recording

Recorded: October 18, 1965 at Abbey Road, London, England with the instrumental break overdubbed October 22, 1965   Instrumentation: John Lennon - lead vocal, rhythm guitar Paul McCartney - bass guitar, backing vocal George Harrison - lead guitar Ringo Starr - drums, tambourine George Martin - piano

 

 

Releasing

	Release Date	Title	Format	Label
UK	1965, December 3	RUBBER SOUL (UK)	LP	Parlophone
	1973, April 19	THE BEATLES / 1962-1966 (Red Album)	LP	Apple
	1977, November 19	LOVE SONGS	LP	Parlophone
US	1965, December 6	RUBBER SOUL (US)	LP	Capitol
	1973, April 2	THE BEATLES / 1962-1966 (Red Album)	LP	Apple
	1977, October 21	LOVE SONGS	LP	Capitol

 

 

Lyrics

IN MY LIFE   There are places I’ll remember all my life Though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain   All these places have their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I’ve loved them all   But of all these friends and lovers There is no one compares with you And these memories lose their meaning When I think of love as something new   Though I know I’ll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I’ll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more   Though I know I’ll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I’ll often stop and think about them In my life I love you more In my life I love you more

 

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