In My Life

In 1964, journalist Kenneth Allsop challenged John Lennon: why didn't he write songs with the complexity of his prose? Lennon responded with "In My Life"—his "first real major piece of work."

The initial draft was a literal travelogue of his Liverpool childhood—a bus ride from his home at 251 Menlove Avenue into the city center. It named Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, the Tram Sheds, the Dockers' Umbrella. Lennon found this "ridiculous" and "boring."

The breakthrough came when he replaced the proper nouns with universal nouns: "places," "moments," "friends," "lovers." This editorial decision is what allows the song to work at funerals. The listener doesn't hear about Menlove Avenue—they hear about their childhood street, their schoolyard, their lost landmarks.

The baroque instrumental break—that harpsichord-like sound—is actually a recording trick. Producer George Martin wrote a Bach-inspired piano solo but couldn't play it fast enough at the song's tempo.

His solution: record the piano at half-speed, one octave lower. When played back at normal speed, it doubled the tempo and raised the pitch, transforming the piano's timbre into something resembling an 18th-century harpsichord.

This "wind-up piano" sound is crucial to the song's funeral appeal. It creates a sense of timelessness and church-like reverence, distancing the song from rock's sweating crowds and placing it in a sonic space that feels sacred—permissible alongside hymns.

The couplet about "dead and living" wasn't rhetorical—it was factual. According to Lennon's childhood friend Peter Shotton, the line references two specific people:

• The living: Shotton himself, still Lennon's close friend
• The dead: Stuart Sutcliffe, the original Beatles bassist and Lennon's soulmate from art college, who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1962

This biographical specificity—the song was written by a grieving friend about a grieving friend—ensures its emotional authenticity when played at millions of other funerals.

The "safe choice": Funeral directors call it a crossover hit. No mention of God or heaven—acceptable for secular and humanist services. But the harpsichord and respectful tone work in religious settings too. Rarely draws objections from clergy.

The present tense: "In my life I love you more"—not "loved." The love continues. This suggests relationships persist beyond death, giving the song a statement of faith without theology.

A song that grows: Lennon wrote it at 25, projecting how he'd feel when old. Young mourners hear it as tragedy of a life cut short. Aged mourners hear acceptance—"memories lose their meaning" describes how the past fades, leaving only the essence of love.

Kurt Cobain (1994): At the Nirvana frontman's Seattle memorial, "In My Life" played over the PA. Despite grunge's rejection of polished pop, Cobain was a devoted Beatles fan who called Lennon his idol. Dave Grohl said it allowed mourners to "celebrate Kurt's love of The Beatles one last time."

James Taylor at the Oscars (2010): Taylor performed a stripped-back acoustic version during Hollywood's "In Memoriam" montage, cementing the song as the industry's standard farewell soundtrack.

Johnny Cash's version (2002): Recorded on American IV shortly before his death. When a 70-year-old Cash sings "Some are dead and some are living," the weight of his own impending mortality is palpable. Often chosen for patriarchs who lived full lives.

Best placements:

• Photo tribute: The most common use. 2:26 fits 30-40 photos perfectly. "There are places I'll remember" syncs with childhood images; "lovers and friends" matches weddings and grandchildren
• Recessional: The major key and harpsichord solo provide melancholy but not despair—sending mourners out with enduring love, not finality

Not recommended for:

• Committal: Too short and slightly too "pop" for the moment of the curtain closing. Longer instrumentals like Elgar's "Nimrod" work better

A flexible "You": At a wedding, "You" is the spouse. At a birth, the child. At a funeral, the deceased. The song accumulates emotional weight through a lifetime until finally it's played for them.