Though she is now over 75 years old, her career as a singer and social activist continues to this day.Ĭollins grew up in Denver, Colorado where she showed considerable promise as a classical pianist. Judy Collins has now been a popular singer for over 50 years. For me, In My Life is one of those songs. One of the enjoyable things is that people have different choices about which Beatles songs represent the cream of the crop. The Beatles left us with a terrific legacy of great songs however, among these tunes there are a few that are so special that they belong in a separate category of greatness. Later, John would write Strawberry Fields Forever about a home for children in his neighborhood, while Paul McCartney would set down his own childhood memories in Penny Lane. Rolling Stone magazine lists it as #23 in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and they also ranked it #5 in their list of the 100 Greatest Beatles Songs.īy the way, although John Lennon scrapped the notion of including a list of Liverpool places from his boyhood for In My Life, that idea did not go to waste. In 2000, Mojo magazine rated In My Life the best pop song of all time. Many people, including me, place this song right up there with the greatest Beatles tunes. In My Life has certainly stood the test of time. This song, that appeared on the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album, had a significant effect: suddenly, harpsichord parts began appearing all over the place in pop songs. It is an octave higher than Martin played it, and it sounds just like a harpsichord. The net result was the instrumental bridge that you hear. He played the bridge slowly on piano, and then ran the tape back at double speed. John Lennon asked their producer George Martin to provide a piano part that “sounded Baroque.” Eventually, George came up with an ingenious solution he wrote a solo reminiscent of a Bach piece. After their first session in October 1965, the Beatles had completed the song except for the bridge. I have heard my friend Glenn Gass lecture on this particular song a few times every time, he asks “What is that instrument in the solo?” And despite the fact that I know the answer, I always blurt out “A harpsichord.” The middle of the song contains a most ingenious musical bridge. And the photos contrast the Beatles’ look when they first became famous with their faces near the time of their breakup. Both the melody and the Beatles harmonies perfectly complement the beautiful lyrics. Isn’t this terrific? Like the lyrics, the melody is straightforward and yet moving. But here is a music video with the audio of the Beatles’ In My Life. I don’t have video of the Beatles performing this live. In fact, Paul specifically mentions that he was inspired by Smokey Robinson’s songs, and composed the melody along those lines. John’s memory was that he wrote the melody and that Paul chipped in with the harmony and the bridge, while Paul claims that he was responsible for the entire melody. Now, it just needed an equally simple but moving melody.Īnd here the story becomes interesting, because In My Life is one of the few tunes where John and Paul McCartney’s recollections differed seriously. The lyrics are straightforward and direct, yet profound. So John ended up writing a song that brilliantly captured a spirit of fond reminiscence, spoken to a person who he loves most of all. I know I’ll often stop and think about them With lovers and friends I still can recall So here is Lennon’s final version of the song. He settled on a song that looked back on his life in much more general terms. The first draft contained references to specific places that Lennon would pass while riding on a Liverpool bus, such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields however, Lennon then ditched those lyrics. John Lennon’s hand-written lyrics to In My Life.
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