Known as the fifth Beatle, George Martin was responsible for many of The Beatles’ most magical musical moments. He produced most of their projects and impacted their work more than fans might realize. One song where Martin’s impact can be heard distinctly is “In My Life”, as he created the infectious solo.
George Martin based the solo for The Beatles’ ‘In My Life’ on Bach
While all The Beatles were trained musicians, none were classical music experts, nor did they know how to read sheet music. However, the band did find some inspiration in classical composers. In an interview with This Cultural Life podcast, Paul McCartney said he enjoyed Bach, and he was attracted to the “mathematical aspect” of his music.
“Of the classical composers, we didn’t really know much,” McCartney said. “What attracted me to Bach was the mathematical aspect…I kinda liked that ‘2, 4, 16’, whatever. In a way, it was a little bit similar to what we were doing.”
The Beatles wanted a solo in “In My Life” from 1965’s Rubber Soul that sounded like Bach. Since none of them were classically trained, The Beatles asked George Martin to write a solo for them, and he went home and brought one in the next day. Martin composed it via piano, and it was sped up on the song.
“We wanted a solo in ‘In My Life’,” McCartney explained. “George Martin was our go-to classicist ‘cause George had been trained classically. So, if ever we needed an orchestration or a part written down, he could just do it. It was a very handy skill ‘cause we couldn’t. So, we’d say, ‘Could you make a solo of this?’ and he went home, and we’d said, ‘It’d be nice if it was like Bach.’ So, that was enough of a brief for George.”
“George was the professor, and we were the sort of students,” he added. “So, we’d come in, and we’d have all the ideas, but he would help us put them into practice.”
‘In My Life’ was also inspired by Bob Dylan
Bach isn’t the only influence on “In My Life”. The track was primarily written by John Lennon, who wrote the track while in his “Dylan era.” Lennon was a fan of the singer’s introspective songwriting style and wanted to make his work more personal and meaningful. In his 1980 interview with Playboy, the “Imagine” singer said “In My Life” was his first “real major piece of work.”
“For ‘In My Life,’ I had a complete set of lyrics after struggling with a journalistic version of a trip from home to downtown on a bus naming every sight,” Lennon shared. “It became ‘In My Life,’ which is a remembrance of friends and lovers of the past. 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 Allsop, the British journalist, and Bob Dylan.”
How did ‘In My Life’ perform on the charts?
“In My Life” wasn’t released as a single, so it never charted. However, “In My Life” has had a lasting legacy that makes it one of The Beatles’ most memorable songs. Rubber Soul was a hit, peaking at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and the U.K. Albums chart. The full album was produced by George Martin, whose longtime collaboration with The Beatles led to the most successful run for a musical act ever.
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