The sounds of English…
a listening experience
In my life The Beatles
Central Park, Popayán, Cauca, Colombia
In my life. The Beatles
“In My Life” is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Most of the song was written by John Lennon. He received some help from Paul McCartney during the editing of the final version. There is some question as to how much McCartney really contributed to the final version of the song.
George Martin plays what sounds like a harpsichord in the instrumental part of the bridge, although, in fact, it is a recording of a piano played-back at double speed. This song was released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. In my life ranked the 23rd spot on Rolling Stone’s Magazine’s list, The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It also achieved the fifth place on their list of The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs. The song placed second on CBC’s 50 Tracks. Finally, Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.
Sometimes it is difficult to pick out the covers for a particular song. Some songs have been interpreted by many great, renowned artists and aspiring artists that have yet to achieve fame. This makes selecting just a few versions a problematic task.
In this lesson, I have included a rendition by one of the greatest actors of all time, Sean Connery. His spoken version is a great listening exercise, for his British accent is unmistakable and easy to understand. Also added are the South African artist Dave Matthews, the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, the original release from the British group, The Beatles, productions by the American singers and songwriters John Denver and James Taylor, the Canadian artist Diana Krall, the Puerto Rican singer and composer Jose Feliciano and, to add his own touch to this impressive list of prominent world-class-artists, the British singer Ozzie Osbourne.
All in all, the result is an abundant mix of different ways to speak English that will allow you to exercise and sharpen your English language listening skills.
The original lyrics
In my life
There are places I’ll remember,
All my life, tho’ some have changed,
Some forever but not for better,
Some have gone and some remain.
Penny Lane is one I’m missing,
Up church and 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 pulled down.
All these places have their memories,
Some are dead and some are living.
The Actual Lyrics
In my life
[Verse 1: John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
[Bridge 1: John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
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
[Verse 2: John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
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 something new
[Bridge 2: John Lennon with Paul McCartney]
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
[Piano Solo]
[Bridge 2: John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
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
[Outro: John Lennon]
In my life, I love you more
Vocabulary
To edit To made corrections and changes to a document, book, computer file, film, video, or music before releasing the final version of it. Steven King was busy editing his last novel and getting ready to publish it.
To contribute To give money, goods, or your time and effort to achieve something, especially when other people are also helping. The lead singer contributed to the lyrics by adding two verses to the song.
To release To make a movie, game, album, etc. available for people to see or buy. The band just released their second album.
Abundant Existing or available in large quantities. They played an abundant number of rock songs at the concert tonight.
Album A collection of several songs or pieces of music recorded as an MP3 file, on a CD, etc. He has recorded three studio albums and two live albums in the past five years.
Husky voice A husky voice is deep and sounds hoarse (=as if you have a sore throat), often in an attractive way. Joe Cocker’s voice is said to be a deep, husky voice that is very distinctive of his singing.
Representative Someone who is thought of as a typical member of a particular group. Without a doubt, tacos are one of the most representatives foods of Mexican Gastronomy.
Tho’ some have changed, Abbreviation of although or though. Though some have changed.
Tram A long narrow vehicle that travels along metal tracks in the middle of a street and is used as public transportation in some places (British English). They usually take the tram to go shopping on Saturdays.
Tram shed A building where trams are stored and given maintenance. They lock up the trams during the night at the tram shed.
The Listening Exercises
The Beatles need no introduction, for they are one of the most representative and famous music groups of the past century. They are, in fact, the best selling music group of all time with sales of over 183 million copies in the US and approximately 600 million units worldwide. In 2008 they reached 1st place in Billboard’s Hot 100, as the all-time most successful artists in the world. This is a remastered version of their initial 1965 release in the album Rubber Soul. The lyrics are clear-cut and can be followed without problems.
Bonnie Taylor is a Welsh singer, well known for her distinctive husky voice. Her first two single hits date back to her 1977 debut studio album, The world starts tonight. In the 80’s she released her fifth studio album with the single hit, Total Elipse of the Heart, her most successful song together with It’s a heartache. Both of these songs eventually became all-time bestsellers, with sales of more than 6 million copies each. These songs also earned her three Grammy award nominations. In this cover, she sings with the accompaniment of the Prague Philharmonic Orquesta. This interpretation is included in her 2003 album, Heart Strings, and it is an excellent production of this song.
Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is undeniably a multi-talented artist. For example, in her professional role as a comedian, she has received five different awards naming her as the Funniest actress of the year, as well as various other nominations in the same category. As an actress, she has won five Best Actress awards and three Grammy awards (Best Actress, Best Record, and Best Vocal Performance).
These are just a few of the many nominations and awards she has earned in her 50-year career as an actress, singer, songwriter, comedian, and film producer. Undoubtedly a great vocalist, sales over 30 million copies, four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum Records testify to her success.
Her version of In my life is an excellent slow-paced interpretation of this song. With impeccable pronunciation, it is a unique listening exercise.
We have heard Diana Krall in a previous lesson, as the Canadian pianist performs live singing Elton John’s composition, Sorry seems to be the hardest word. Once again, she is back with another sensational cover. On this occasion, we can enjoy the honorary Ph.D. in Fine Arts from the University of Victoria’s contralto voice as she performs her rendition of In my life.
The American singer & songwriter, John Denver, has been described as one of the most beloved of his era. He was named the official poet (Poet Laurate) for the State of Colorado in 1977. Aside from his professional role as a singer, composer, record producer, and actor, the well-known artist was also highly recognized for his role as a humanitarian, focusing mainly on sustainability and conservation projects.
John Denver died in 1997 while flying his private plane as he experienced problems switching his gasoline tank and crashed near Pacific Grove, California. The State of Colorado. Even after his death, he has still received numerous posthumous recognitions. Among these, his hit song, Rocky Mountain High, was declared one of the two official state songs of Colorado by an overwhelming majority in the Senate.
James Taylor is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is a member of the Rolling Stones Magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest artists of all time. The five-time Grammy Award winner has also received a vast amount of recognition and awards. Among these are two honorary PH.D.s in Music from the Berklee and Williams Colleges of Music. The artist is well known for his own songs as for the covers that he has recorded. This live production of In my life, at the 2010 Oscar Awards presentation, makes for a smooth listening exercise, which you will find easy to enjoy.
José Feliciano’s style is unique and can be quickly recognized in any of his songs. His mellow, easy-going, acoustic singing with the rhythmic acoustic guitar backing his Latino voice is characteristic of José Feliciano. Born in Puerto Rico, his easy-going good-natured personality has won him a place in the Latino communities in the US. His hits have been on top of the US and in many European countries. In this live version, the singer plays In my life in a performance staged in Central Park. He provides a unique English speaking style to practice the listing skills.
Ozzy Osbourne is from Birmingham, England. He is known for his thick native English local accent called a Brummie accent. His career as a musician began as the lead singer for the influential heavy metal rock group, Black Sabbath. In his own words, he comments on how The Beatles influenced his life since he was a child. “I knew I was going to be a famous rock star.” In my life seems a little far from Ozzy’s typical music. Still, in a way, it could also be seen as his tribute to The Beatles and their influence in his choice to be a musician. In this video, the singer presents a live rendition of the Beatles’ song.
There are a variety of different voices singing the same beautiful lyrics. Each voice with its own pace, inflection, and personality. Listen to these different versions, and exercise your English listening skills, remember that learning is fun, so enjoy!
All photographs by ©edudelcorral
dsTalking easy, the English lessons The Listening Exercises