In My Life
"In My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on their 1965 studio album, Rubber Soul. Credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, the song is one of only a few in which there is dispute over the primary author; John Lennon wrote the lyrics, but he and Paul McCartney later disagreed over who wrote the melody.[3] George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge.
For other uses, see In My Life (disambiguation)."In My Life"
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 2000, Mojo named "In My Life" the best song of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it number 23 on its 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and number 98 on the 2021 revised list, as well as fifth on its list of the Beatles' "100 Greatest Songs".
Recording[edit]
The song was recorded on 18 October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge.[14] 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".[2] 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 with the tape running at half speed, so when played back at normal pace the piano was twice as fast and an octave higher, solving the performance challenge and also giving the solo a unique timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord.[6][14]
Legacy[edit]
"In My Life" inspired pop music producers to use harpsichords in their arrangements.[15] Rolling Stone magazine ranked "In My Life" number 23 on its 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and number 98 on its 2021 list,[16] as well as fifth on its list of the Beatles' "100 Greatest Songs".[17][18] The song placed second on CBC's 50 Tracks.[19] Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.[20]
According to Walter Everett:[21]
The Beatles
Additional musician