"In My Life"
The fusion of new lyrical themes, timbral experimentation, and innovative production techniques throughout Rubber Soul reached a high point in “In My Life.” The fusion of new lyrical themes, timbral experimentation, and innovative studio techniques that defines Rubber Soul finds one of its clearest expressions in “In My Life.” Lyrically, the song reflects on memory, love, and the passage of time, drawing from Lennon’s recollections of his childhood in Liverpool. Early drafts even referenced Penny Lane directly, a street later immortalized in the Beatles’ 1967 single of the same name.
Musically, the track is anchored by an instrumental interlude that recalls the texture of Baroque polyphony interweaving independent melodic lines in the style of composers such as J.S. Bach. To create this effect, producer George Martin recorded a piano solo at half speed and an octave lower, then played it back at normal speed. The result was a bright, harpsichord-like tone, reinforcing the song’s classical allusions and demonstrating the Beatles’ growing interest in stylistic hybridity.
The authorship of “In My Life” remained a point of friendly dispute. Lennon maintained that, apart from the middle eight, the song was his; McCartney remembered arriving at Lennon’s house to find the opening stanzas without a melody, and setting the words to a tune inspired by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. He also recalled contributing the guitar riff that opens the track.
A section
A / E /|F♯m / A7/G /|D / Dm /|A / / /| ×2
( I / V / | vi / V⁷/IV / | IV / iv / | I / / / | )
The A section opens with a tonic–dominant–minor submediant motion (I–V–vi) before introducing a secondary dominant (V⁷/IV) that leads to IV. The shift from major IV (D) to its parallel minor iv (Dm) is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key (A minor), a frequent Beatles device that adds a brief darkening of the harmonic color.
B section
F♯m / / / | D / / / | G / / / | A / / / |
( vi / / / | IV / / / | ♭VII / / / | I / / / | )
F♯m / / / | B / / / | Dm7 / / / | Dm7 / / /
(vi / / / | II / / / | iv⁷ / / / | iv⁷ / / / |)
The B section begins on the vi, then moves through IV to ♭VII (G major), which introduces a Mixolydian color — the flattened seventh degree characteristic of the Mixolydian mode, often used in rock to momentarily relax the pull toward the tonic. The II chord (B major) functions as a secondary dominant (V of V) but avoids the expected resolution, shifting instead to iv⁷, another borrowed chord from the parallel minor that lends the cadence a softer, more introspective quality.
Riff
A / / / | E / / / |
(I / / / | V / / / | )
The short guitar riff acts as a harmonic reset, pulling the harmony back to the stability of I–V after the modal and borrowed colors of the B section. Together, the verse’s harmonic framework combines familiar pop progressions with subtle departures, creating a balance between predictability and surprise and produces a push and pull that mirrors the song’s lyrical reflectiveness and sets up the broader textures of the next section. Such balance between accessibility and experimentation exemplifies The Beatles’ growing maturation as songwriters, as they began to expand beyond conventional pop formulas into more nuanced musical and emotional territory. This analysis begins at the start of the verse (0:09) and ends at the repeat of the intro guitar riff (0:46)