Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 18, 22 October 1965
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Norman Smith
Released: 3 December 1965 (UK), 6 December 1965 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: harmony vocals, bass
George Harrison: harmony vocals, lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: piano, tambourine
Available on:
Rubber Soul
One of the highlights of the Rubber Soul album, In My Life was written mostly by John Lennon, and started out as a nostalgic set of memories of Liverpool.
There was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies, that Paul wrote those and I just wrote straight, shouting rock 'n' roll. But of course, when I think of some of my own songs – In My Life, or some of the early stuff, This Boy – I was writing melody with the best of them.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
For In My Life, I had a complete set of lyrics after struggling with a journalistic vision of a trip from home to downtown on a bus naming every sight. It became In My Life, which is a remembrance of friends and lovers of the past. Paul helped with the middle eight musically. But all lyrics written, signed, sealed, and delivered. And it was, I think, my first real major piece of work. Up till then it had all been sort of glib and throwaway. And that was the first time I consciously put my literary part of myself into the lyric. Inspired by Kenneth Alsopf [sic], the British journalist, and Bob Dylan.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
He first had the idea for the song in 1964, when journalist Kenneth Allsop asked Lennon why his songs were less revealing and challenging than his books. Musing on this, Lennon decided to take a nostalgic look at specific places and memories from his Liverpool past.
I think In My Life was the first song that I wrote that was really, consciously about my life, and it was sparked by a remark a journalist and writer in England made after In His Own Write came out. I think In My Life was after In His Own Write... But he said to me, 'Why don't you put some of the way you write in the book, as it were, in the songs? Or why don't you put something about your childhood into the songs?' Which came out later as Penny Lane from Paul – although it was actually me who lived in Penny Lane – and Strawberry Fields.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
In the same interview, Lennon described how the song's early draft was significantly different from the final version.
In My Life started out as a bus journey from my house on 250 [sic] Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning every place I could remember. And it was ridiculous. This is before even Penny Lane was written and I had Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, Tram Sheds – Tram Sheds are the depot just outside of Penny Lane – and it was the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holidays Bus Trip' song and it wasn't working at all. I cannot do this! I cannot do this!But then I laid back and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember. Now Paul helped write the middle-eight melody. The whole lyrics were already written before Paul had even heard it. In In My Life, his contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle eight itself.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
The original draft mentioned a list of Liverpool landmarks, including Penny Lane, the Abbey pub in Childwall, the Old Dutch café, and the Dockers' Umbrella – the colloquial name for the Liverpool Overhead Railway, now demolished.
Penny Lane is one I'm missing
Up Church Road to the clock tower
In the circle of the abbey
I have seen some happy hoursPast the tram sheds with no trams
On the 5 bus into town
Past the Dutch and St Columbus
To the Dockers Umbrella that they pulled down
I love this song and I adore these comments as well. May I please try to clarify this issue. I believe they are referring to the musical link created by the melody of “With lovers and friends… ” heading back to … “In my life”. That may be considered the “middle 8” here, and it is genius. The song is genius, combining classical music with popular music and coming up with something unique and beautiful.
Paul is only writing that he took the musical ideas John handed him, told him to go have a cup of tea, sat down and put it all together. John is only saying he wrote the lyrics and had the general musical idea beginning with “There are places I remember…”. They really do not disagree that much. Both could be basically right. Paul could feel he tied it all together musically and John could remember that he had the musical idea and Paul tied it together with a twist on “With lovers and friends…”. Both agree on George Martin’s classical music input on the piano… Are they so far apart? I don’t think so. John certainly did not have a complete musical composition when he went to Paul. Paul certainly did not say he came up with the basic idea… they both deserve credit, and we may accept both 80 % to 90 % of both accounts.
Peace and love to all.
Cheers.
Vive les Beatles pour une éternité !
Umm… not quite. John is saying that all Paul contributed (musically) was the instrumental middle 8 bars, and some harmony ideas. This is a Lennon song musically and lyrically through and through.
Paul disagrees, read Many Years From Now
well, with the proviso that none of us were there, the disagreements are interesting. Basically Lennon is saying the melody is his and Paul helped tie the song together musically. Basically 80% Lennon and 20% Paul. Paul is saying that he wrote the intro bit and the music for the song…more of a 50/50 mix…Similar to their disagreement on Rigby…Lennon says he wrote about 50% of the lyrics…Paul said Lennon contributed about 20% with George, Ringo and Pete Shotten all helping with lyrics…So, who’s right? Who knows?
The song belongs to John. Sorry, Paul.
Considering the number of songs they worked on and the fact that people’s memories can be unreliable,if they only disagreed on who wrote two of those songs, I’d say that ain’t bad at all. In both cases they agree that there was some collaboration; the disagreement is over the extent. I can easily imagine how such disagreements arise- they frequently arise in other bands. That’s one reason why crediting all the songs they wrote to Lennon-MccCartney was a good idea: there was no need to argue over the precise amount of credit each one should have for each song. At some points John wrote more; at others Paul wrote more. It seems to have more less evened out over time.
Of all the Beatles songs I love, know by heart, and have played for decades (which is almost all of them), this is, at once, the most heartbreaking and exhilarating.
Whenever I hear this track (and I’ve heard it thousands of times) images of people always flash through my mind. Like a dream, almost. But not a dream, just memories crowding one upon the other that feel dream-like at this point.
Sadness. Happiness. Melancholy. Wishfuillness. All of it in a rush.
Only music (lyrics, melody, and arrangement) can do that to a human. Nothing else.
This is the all time best “life” song that has ever been written. The words the melody the feeling. My wife and I walked my daughter down the isle to an amazing piano player do this in slow tempo. Hope some of you Beatle fans can one day do the same at your daughters wedding.
This song ranks up with the greatest Beatles tunes, Strawberry Fields, I Am The Walrus, Elanor Rigby, and A Day In The Life. Those songs were all masterpieces, the kind of songs where you could say, even if a person never did anything else in life, that song alone made them great.