Switchback has been asked to sing at the funeral of a dear friend this Friday. It is something that we find ourselves doing a bit more these days. One request is singing the Beatles song “In My Life” somewhere during the service.
I usually have a reluctance to singing Beatles songs. Mainly because such songs were written and performed by one of the greatest groups of all time. Just as I probably wouldn’t feel too hot covering something by Prince. Genius is genius and impossible to improve upon, only to pay homage to.
In my Life is one of those songs that I think everything thinks they know the lyrics, but don’t. Even I found myself trying to connect the lyrics together. Considered one of the best songs of all time, it is the understated lyrical content that gives the song its punch. The idea of connecting a place with a person, a memory is fundamental to our journey on this earth as human beings. A sort of resignation is in the lyrics, noting that “some are dead, and some are living” and that the places themselves are not even all there. Who among us has never had such an experience? And mysteriously, who is the person that the singer “loves more?” In many ways, it could be interpreted as an ode to the Unknown.
It is interesting to see how the songwriting partnership of Lennon and McCartney frayed at the corners when claiming “who wrote what.” John Lennon said that he wrote the lyrics. McCartney claims he was inspired by Smokey Robinson and the Temptations for the melody. Lennon said that McCartney wrote only middle eight bars of the melody. So much for partnership. I laughed when I read this bit in Wikipedia:
In a 2018 study, artificial intelligence researchers at Harvard University applied bag-of-words modeling to the notes and chords of the song, and concluded that there was a 18.9% probability of McCartney having written the verse. Lennon was given an 81.1% certainty of writing the verses, while McCartney was given a 43.5% certainty of writing the middle eight.The analysts reported "a large amount of uncertainty" regarding the middle eight.
Anyone who has worked in a longstanding duo (and even by their mid-20’s Lennon and McCartney were one) would understand that both would have absorbed each other’s styles to the point of being able to channel that energy and emotion of their partner. One could not have succeeded without the other when being the Beatles.
All ego aside, there are, I believe, certain songs that truly are inspired. In My Life is one of them because it has the simplicity that makes it poignant to all of us. Much like Amazing Grace, Danny Boy and even God Bless America, such songs have small declarative observations that in their entirety hit home in our hearts. They touch a chord of sentiment and truth at the same time that make them inspirational. Such songs, I think, write themselves and anyone who is lucky enough to be holding the pen for the muse is only along for the ride.
Here are the lyrics:
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 somethin' 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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