In my life. Beattles

According to Lennon, "In My Life" was his "first real major piece of work" because it was the first time he wrote about his own life.

"In My Life" is a song by the Beatles written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon-McCartney). The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. 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.

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 had 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 mem'ries lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new.

 

Tho' 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.

 

Tho' 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.

VOCABULARY

Remain /rɪˈmeɪn/= permanecer

Recall /rɪˈkɔːl/= recordar

Tho' = Though

• What Does Tho Mean? The internet slang term “tho” is a contraction or a shorthand version of the English word “though.” It is used to mean “on the contrary” or more simply, “however.”

• "She's been sick for two weeks. She seems better today tho" .- “Tho” is a shortened form of “though.” You are more likely to see it in text messages or in very casual writing by young people. “Though” is used to emphasize a contrast, such as in your sentence above: the contrast is she was sick but she seems better.

Examples

The drinks were expensive, tho' the cocktail selection was good

I really like that boy. I don't know his name, tho.

I want to go to the party, tho I don't think that I can.

LYRICS

COVERS

COVER BY ED SHEERAN

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-beatles/in-my-life

This is an autobiographical song about John Lennon's life. He wrote most of the lyrics after being asked why a book he wrote, In His Own Write, revealed more about him than his songs did.

The lyrics about friends refer to Stu Sutcliffe, an early Beatle and great friend of John's who died in 1962, and another friend named Pete Shotton. Lennon also thought of his Aunt Mimi and wife Cynthia, as well as other friends. One of the most beautiful Beatles songs, John called it "A little piece of art work."

The Beatles left a hole for the instrumental break when they recorded this. Producer George Martin filled it in the next morning by playing a piano solo and speeding up the tape to make it sound like a harpsichord. Lennon had asked him to fill it with something "baroque."

Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney cited "In My Life" as one of the best Beatles songs. It was also one of George Harrison's favorites. He performed a rocked-up version on his 1974 US tour, altering the lyrics a bit by singing "I love you all" and "For people and things that came and went before."

There is some debate over how involved McCartney was in writing this song. McCartney claimed he wrote the whole melody, but Lennon took credit for the bulk of the song's composition, telling Playboy in 1980, "Paul helped with the middle eight." In 2018, a Harvard statistician pegged it as a Lennon composition.

This was voted the best song of all time by a panel of songwriters in a 2000 Mojo magazine poll. The panelists included McCartney, Brian Wilson, Lamont Dozier, and Carole King.

In an interview in the January 1971 edition of Rolling Stone, John Lennon recalled the writing of this song: "I wrote that in Kenwood (his home at the time). I used to write upstairs where I had about ten Brunell tape recorders all linked up, I still have them, I'd mastered them over the period of a year or two - I could never make a rock and roll record but I could make some far out stuff on it. I wrote it upstairs, that was one where I wrote the lyrics first and then sang it."

Judy Collins, Ozzy Osbourne and Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Diana Krall and Boyz II Men are among the many artists who have covered this song. 

According to John Lennon: The Life and Legend (The Sunday Times: A Special Tribute 1980), Lennon began writing this in 1964. He forgot about the song for a while and he wrote it again one year later, with lyrics talking about people from his childhood and younger years. In John's original handwritten lyrics he made reference to several places in Liverpool:

 

Penny Lane is one I'm missing

Up Church Rd to the clocktower

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 pilled down

 

The Dockers Umbrella was the world's first overhead railway (opened 1893). St. Columbus could refer to a school the bus passes. >>

The music was inspired by The Miracles song "You've Really Got A Hold On Me."

This song was played at Kurt Cobain's funeral. The Beatles were an early and important music influence on him. Cobain even cited Lennon as his "idol" in the various journals he kept throughout his career with Nirvana. >>

In 1998, George Martin produced an album called In My Life with guest vocalists performing various Beatles songs. These vocalists weren't all singers; the cover of "In My Life" features the actor Sean Connery. >>