Informative, Music Blog, Theme Prompt

It’s My Life

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“Pondering Existential Thoughts”.
This is my response to the challenge.

Bill & Me with our youngest grandchild, Colette, 2022
© NAR

This week at Jim Adam’s Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Pondering Existential Thoughts”. Our challenge? To write about a song that makes us think about life. I have chosen two songs to share with you; they are both extremely close to my heart.

In 1991, my husband had a very mild heart attack. He was lucky; he made a complete recovery and never had another cardiac issue. His heart healed so well, that his cardiologist says he can’t see any damage to his heart at all. Now, 35 years later, my husband takes care of himself and sees his cardiologist regularly. But back then, it was a scary time. We had two little boys and I didn’t want them to be frightened so I held it together. Then one day, several weeks later, Bill and I were home alone doing a jigsaw puzzle and listening to music when one of the songs made me burst into tears. It got me thinking about life and death, all the things I had and could have lost, how precious and fleeting it all is. That song was “Isn’t Life Strange” by The Moody Blues.

Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1964, The Moody Blues were pioneers of orchestral rock, blending classical, psychedelic, and pop elements. Originally an R&B band with the 1965 hit “Go Now,” they evolved into a legendary group known for the 1967 concept album Days of Future Passed and hits like “Nights in White Satin”. The band’s iconic lineup consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals), John Lodge (bass/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards), and Ray Thomas (flute). The Moody Blues sold over 70 million albums, was active for over five decades, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

1972’s hit “Isn’t Life Strange” was written by bassist John Lodge for The Moody Blues Seventh Sojourn album. It is a reflective orchestral rock song with a melody based on Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Featuring shared vocals by Lodge and Justin Hayward, the lyrics explore life’s surprises, the “quicksand of time”, and the philosophical mysteries of existence. The song addresses how life gives us unexpected moments …. both pleasant and unpleasant …. that sometimes seem like a “dream” or “smoke”.“Isn’t Life Strange” reached #13 in the UK and #29 on the US Billboard Hot 100; it remains a beloved, melancholic, and deeply philosophical track in the band’s catalog. 

This is “Isn’t Life Strange” by the Moody Blues

As a mother, I remember thinking I could never love another living thing as much as I love my children …. and then I had grandchildren! These aren’t just any babies; they are my babies’ babies and nothing could be more precious. So it came as no surprise that I would sing the same song as a lullaby to my grandbabies as I did my own babies. I didn’t even have to think about it; after 30-something years, the same song came out of my mouth, straight from my heart. That song is “In My Life” by The Beatles.

One of the highlights of the Rubber Soul album, “In My Life” was written mostly by John Lennon, and started out as a nostalgic set of memories of Liverpool. Lennon considered it his “first real major piece of work” because it was a genuine autobiographical reflection, referencing lost friends as well as his mother. The song is a deeply thoughtful love song which looks back at cherished people and places. Ultimately, John is declaring that his current love surpasses them all, making it a deeply personal first major work that blends nostalgia with profound appreciation for the present. Often cited as one of the best songs of all time, “In My Life” ranked #23 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. No wonder it’s been a favorite song for me to sing to my children and grandchildren.

This is “In My Life” by The Beatles

LYRICS

There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better;
Some have gone and some remain.

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.

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you.
And these mem’ries lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new.

Tho’ 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.

Tho’ 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.

In my life I love you more.

Songwriters: John Lennon/Paul McCartney
©1965 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Pondering Existential Thoughts

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow the link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by for a look and a listen.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2026

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

51 thoughts on “It’s My Life”

  3. My goodness cuteness overload. All three of you. Such a sweet picture. I love both songs today. In My Life always brings the waterworks. Happy tears though.
    Thanks for sharing

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Nancy, that’s a great pic of you, your hub, and your youngest grandchild. Grandchildren are our rewards for somehow getting through all of what came before. They are proof God exists ❤

    Thanks for bringing that Moody Blues song back to me. Been so many years since hearing it. I think Rolling Stone put out a book with a title, “What a Long Strange Trip” and I think The Grateful Dead has a song with that line in it also. All good memories.

    I’ll skip the AI Beatles video, but I know that song so well. I think Lennon was a boddhisatva.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Excellent comments, Lisa; thank you! When you think of how many song we’ve heard over the years, the number is impossible to calculate. It’s mind-blowing, really. Still, some stay with us much longer than others … like these two. They are classics which will forever be in my heart. Once again, many thanks. ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. A beautiful memory and nice to be able to look back and smile. I don’t know if my daughter will ever have children. She says she won’t. Not all things are planned but secretly I wish she would. I shouldn’t say that and never say it to her because I don’t want her having kids for me, I want her to want them. Great songs.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. To start with, that is a beautiful picture of you with your husband and your precious grandchild Colette!

    Your story is moving, and I can only imagine how you must have felt. That beautiful song by the Moodys was all new to me – unlike “In My Life,” a song that has made me well up – perhaps even more so when Johnny Cash was singing it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Great selections today, Nancy. I can see how listening to Isn’t Life Strange made you burst into tears because life is so unpredictable, we get overwhelmed with the nature of human existence and the passage of time. I am not going to comment on The Beatles In My Life, because there is nothing that I could say that you don’t already know, but it is a very reflective song.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. A lovely heartfelt post Nancy ❤️ I love the family photo with your granddaughter and I feel the same way about my son and grandchildren.

    I don’t remember the Moody Blues song but I enjoyed it. What can I say about In My Life? It brings tears to my eyes when I hear it. I think it was someone here on SLS some time back who said it would be a good funeral song. I tend to agree, in the most beautiful and positive way.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. What a tender commentary, Nancy. This was like sitting down having a conversation with you, and I loved it.

    The Moody Blues have always been in a class unto themselves in my book- such aesthetically pleasing yet intelligent music, I cannot think of any band that compares to them on that level.

    And, In My Life was a classic choice that I really enjoyed being one of my first listens of the day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. How wonderful to wake up to these two fabulous songs made my day and to learn a bit more about you and your beautiful family Nance. That Beatle’s number is one of my favourites and I haven’t heard the Moody Blues one in an age I’d forgotten how good it is – ‘Isn’t life strange/ A turn of the page, a book without light /- unless with love, we write.’ what more is there to say 💞

    But thanks🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. Nancy, I enjoyed getting to know more about you and that 1991 heart attack must have been a scare and what good news to hear he has not had issues at all. Also, the 2022 photo was perfetc for what you wrote about – and the songs – and Colette is adorable

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Tell me what you're thinking. 🖊️