"It's My Life"
by English New Wave band Talk Talk
as written by Mark David Hollis and Timothy Alan Friese-Greene
was originally released in 1984

Covered by Gwen Stefani and No Doubt 2003
Was quite a huge hit in Australia


Funny how I find myself in love with you
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
One half won't do
I've asked myself, how much do you
Commit yourself

It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends (it never ends)

Funny how I blind myself, I never knew
If I was sometimes played upon, afraid to lose
I'd tell myself, what good do you do
Convince myself

It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends (it never ends)

I've asked myself, how much do you
Commit yourself?

It's my life
Don't you forget
Caught in the crowd
It never ends

** Repeat chorus and fade

Hmm, what do those words mean ????

http: //songmeanings.com /songs /view/67337/

39 Comments

Here's the highest rated comment, it's pretty good.

Highest Rated +7

Others may disagree with me, but as a songwriter who was also on Capitol EMI for a while, I love this song and always have, and this is my take on what it means:

The verses are where the true meaning of the song lies. The chorus is "what suddenly occurred perfectly to Mark Hollis, which came out of his mouth as he and the band were rehearsing it, and the words fit perfectly, whatever their then meaning wasn't. And that may have been it."

The verses are the thoughts or speech of an ambivalent man realizing at last he is in love with a woman or man he saw just as a friend. They've been round each other a long time. This realization is a discovery to him. It's also threatening. How much should he commit himself? Because one half won't do. Once this fellow commits to a woman or man, he's there completely. The lyrics are a wrestling match between his heart and his freedom, because he has ethics, and his personal code tells him once you commit to a person, THAT'S IT.

Measure this against Mark Hollis later completely leaving Talk Talk and stopping touring in order to commit to his marriage and raise his sons. Rather extreme. Simon LeBon and everyone else Colin Thurston produced felt they could be musicians and commit to love and a family at the same time, and at least in Simon's case, they completely succeeded. Hollis on the other hand was unsure he could do this and chose in favor of love over music. That's tough to do. But the clouds were already rolling in ominously in this song.

That's my take. It's just: "Okay, this is serious. I realize I do love you. But if I go with this feeling, I will need to be with you completely, body and soul, and because I am that way, that decision will end my life as I know it." Hollis then probably felt about for lyrics for the chorus that would sum up or echo that feeling. "My life... er... hm... something about my life... this being my life... wait, HOLD ON, I'VE GOT IT -- IT'S MY LIFE!"

And when he sang it up into the mic, that struck gold, and there you have it: finished song.

As a songwriter, sometimes a chorus comes to you that has nothing intentional to do with the song, it's just this perfect sudden brainwave that surges up out of you and that's what you sing into the mic and then write down in your notebook to be sent to BMI or ASCAP. Such is the case with "It's My Life" and I am willing to bet on it.

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