It's My Life

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.

Funny how I find myself In love with you (He is in love with someone but didn't realize it, he was in denial...) If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose (Although he knows it's not right, he can't help but love this person and has lost his mind for them. If he purchase his mind back, he would still choose to love them despite knowing its wrong.)

One half won't do (He wants them completely)

I've asked myself How much do you Commit yourself? (He has asked himself how much he should he commit himself to a relationship that won't work or happen.)

It's my life Don't you forget It's my life It never ends (It never ends) (Here he is talking to himself, he reminds himself that maybe he is committing too much and that his life is maybe worth more than pursuing this wrong relationship. He can't decide whether to keep trying for it or let it go...the struggle never ends.)

Funny how I blind myself I never knew (He was in denial about his love for this person, and he keeps lying to himself to cover up the things that are wrong about it. He never realized just how much he does this.) If I was sometimes played upon Afraid to lose (The other person has sometimes played him for a sucker, used him or taken advantage of him. Rather than lose them, he has lied to himself to keep believing that they care.

I'd tell myself What good you do Convince myself (Even though the other person is playing him and treating him badly, he convinces himself that they do good things for him, although he is really just trying to hold on..)

It's my life Don't you forget It's my life It never ends (It never ends) (This chorus, he is telling himself that he has the right to love them if he wants to, despite that it is wrong. He keeps reassuring himself but never ending doubt eats at him.)

I've asked myself How much do you Commit yourself? (He wonders how much does he need to commit to this relationship to make it work, he is begining to wonder if it's worth it)

It's my life Don't you forget Caught in the crowd It never ends (He has come to this realization that his life is maybe worth more than trying to make this bad relationship happen or work out, but he can't get out of it, it's like being caught in a crowd and you just follow what everyone else is doing....he can't help loving them despite wanting to walk away. It's my life Don't you forget Caught in the crowd It never ends (He can't get away from his love for this bad relationship, it's a catch 22 situation where his mind is controlled by his emotions or lust. He just goes with his feelings instead of getting out. It is a battle within him that torments him constantly...)

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

I agree with madchester...the original ROCKS, and the No Doubt version is crappy!
I don't know how much truth there is to this, but I heard they wrote the song b/c they were Pro-Animal Rights, and it was meant to be from a pet's point of view toward their owner. Silly as that may sound, it kind of makes sense to me, b/c pets love their owners unconditionally, and all they expect in return is that same unconditional love. I also heard that the band donated a large portion of the earnings from this song to several humane societies. If I remember correctly, they let the humane society use this song in a commercial, back in the 80's. Like I said, -I don't know how much truth there is to that, and I'm sure that anybody who reads this will think I'm a lunatic, but I can see where it makes sense.

it's about self-affirmation of one's morals and esteem.

one of my faves fro the 80's, a virtual anti-hit, but a brilliant, brilliant choon!

The original puts the No Doubt cover to shame.

The animal thing seems to be a good explanation of the song. The video for the song matches really well with that meaning, as it is mostly footage of animals. The video is actually pretty cool and very fitting of its time period.

All that being said, I still the think the song also touches upon how humans interact with each other. Specifically how we have a tendency to impose our beliefs and tendencies on others.

Heartbreakingly beautiful song from one of the best bands ever, Talk Talk. This song was recently murdered by Gwen Stefani and her cronies.

Talk Talk were animal rights friendly, however, this is not what the song is about. It is about autonomy in a relationship. The animals in the video are in sync with the sounds the synthesizer makes. Watch the video and you will notice that the animals shown sound like the music being played.

HE REALIZES HE IS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T LOVE HIM AND HE HAS BEEN LYING TO HIMSELF ALL ALONG. HE WAN'TS TO TAKE CONTROL OF HIS MIND AND STOP GIVING BUT HE IS CAUGHT UP IN THE EMOTIONS AND JUST FOLLOWS THEM. HE CAN'T GET AWAY DESPITE KNOWING THAT IT IS BAD, ITS A BATTLE WITHIN HIM THAT NEVER ENDS

Jeez, this song just has an awesome sound to it, it always makes me feel like I'm experiencing another world. The lyrics? Well, I guess he's saying that "I am going to live my life and do what feels right. In the past I didn't take chances because I was too afraid to lose, but not anymore. After all, this is my life."

I'm not real sure what this has to do about the relationship that he mentions just a bit. My guess is: as long as he is in in a relationship with her, he feels he is not getting what he wants out of life for some reason. The lyrics are kind of sparse anyway so it could be anything. Anyone want to elaborate?