It's My Life (Talk Talk song)

"It's My Life"
Single by Talk Talk
from the album It's My Life
B-side "Does Caroline Know?"
Released January 13, 1984
Format
Recorded 1983
Genre
Length 3:50
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Tim Friese-Greene
Talk Talk singles chronology
"Another Word"
(1984)		 "It's My Life"
(1984)		 "Such a Shame"
(1984)

"It's My Life" is a song by the English new wave band Talk Talk. Written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, it was the title track on the band's second album and released as its first single in January 1984. It reached #46 in the UK charts, but did better in several other countries, reaching #33 in Germany, #32 in New Zealand, #25 in France and #7 in Italy. It was also a success in North America, entering the Top 40 in both the United States (#31) and Canada (#30). (Notably, it peaked at #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.)

The single was re-released in the UK in 1985, but this time only reached #93. However, in 1990, "It's My Life" was reissued again to promote the compilation album Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk. This time, the song was a hit in the UK, reaching #13, the band's highest chart-placing single in its native country.

The song is also featured on the Rockstar Games video game for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the 'Flash FM' radio station. It also is one of the songs played during gameplay for Activision Anthology for the PlayStation 2. The song is featured on Saints Row: The Third on 'The Mix 107.77' radio station.

Music video

There are two versions of the video for "It's My Life". The first, envisioned by director Tim Pope as a statement against the banality of lip-synching, consists almost entirely of footage from wildlife documentaries, interspersed with shots of Talk Talk lead singer Mark Hollis standing in the midst of London Zoo, with his mouth pointedly shut tight and often obscured by hand-drawn animated lines.

The second version, recorded at the behest of EMI, consisted of the entirety of the original video projected on a green screen behind Hollis on guitar and vocals as well as his two bandmates as they lip-synched and mimed the song, deliberately poorly and with comic exaggerated gestures.[3]

Track listings

1984 release
7" single
  1. "It's My Life" — 3:50
  2. "Does Caroline Know?" — 4:36
12" single - North America
  1. "It's My Life" (extended version) — 6:14
  2. "It's My Life" — 3:50
  3. "Again, a Game…Again" — 4:09
12" single - Europe
  1. "It's My Life" (12" remix) — 6:16
  2. "Does Caroline Know?" — 4:33
  3. "It's My Life" — 3:50
1990 reissue
7" single
  1. "It's My Life" – 3:50
  2. "Renée" (live) – 7:28
CD maxi
  1. "It's My Life" – 3:50
  2. "Renée" (live) – 7:28
  3. "It's My Life" (live) – 7:58

Chart positions

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 73
Canada (RPM 50 Singles)[5] 30
France (SNEP)[6] 25
Germany (Official German Charts)[7] 33
Italy (FIMI)[8] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 31
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 30
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 32
UK (Official Charts Company)[12] 46
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 31
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 44
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[15] 29
Germany (Media Control Charts)[16] 49
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 23
Poland (Polish Singles Chart)[18] 6
UK (Official Charts Company)[12] 13

Preceded by
"Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (Talk Talk version)
5 May 1984 		Succeeded by
"I Want It to Be Real" by John Rocca

No Doubt version

"It's My Life"
Single by No Doubt
from the album The Singles 1992–2003
Released October 30, 2003
Format
Recorded 2003
Genre
Length 3:46
Label Interscope
Producer(s)
Certification Platinum (ARIA), Gold (RIAA)
No Doubt singles chronology
"Running"
(2003)		 "It's My Life"
(2003)		 "Bathwater (Invincible Overlord Remix)"
(2004)

The American rock band No Doubt recorded a cover version of the song to promote their first greatest hits album The Singles 1992–2003. Because the band was on hiatus, while lead singer Gwen Stefani recorded her solo debut studio album, they decided to record a cover to avoid having to write a new song.[19] The band listened to hundreds of songs from the 1980s and narrowed it down to "It's My Life" and INXS' song "Don't Change".[20] No Doubt were dubious about recording a cover and contemplated writing new material.[19] However, they decided on "It's My Life" after rehearsing the song with producer Nellee Hooper,[20] referring to it as a "feel good" song.[19] The song was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 47th Grammy Awards.[21] Jacques Lu Cont, the song's programmer, created the Thin White Duke mix of "It's My Life", which won the award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.[22]

This version was featured on the video game Karaoke Revolution Volume 2. On 9 December 2008 it was also made available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.

Chart performance

The cover was successful in the United States, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for 28 weeks.[23] It was moderately successful on adult contemporary stations, reaching number 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, but had high longevity and appeared atop the Adult Top 40's recurrent chart. The single was more successful in clubs, peaking at number 16 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and had some play on modern rock stations, reaching number 32 on the Modern Rock Tracks.[24] The Recording Industry Association of America certified the digital download gold for selling half a million copies.[25]

On the UK Singles Chart, "It's My Life" debuted at number 20 but was unable to reach a higher position until it was released with a remix of the No Doubt song Bathwater which boosted the single up to number 17. The single dropped off the chart after 7 weeks. It was more of a success across Europe, reaching the top ten in Italy, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden and the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, France, and Switzerland.[23] The single reached number 7 on the ARIA Singles Chart, lasting 17 weeks on the chart,[23] and was listed at number 81 on the 2004 end-of-year chart.[26] The Australian Recording Industry Association certified the single platinum in 2004 for shipping 70,000 copies.[27]

Music video

Gwen Stefani on trial from the music video

The 1930s-style music video was directed by David LaChapelle.[28] In the song's music video, Stefani portrays a black widow whose look closely resembles that of actress Jean Harlow,[29] who is put on trial and sentenced to die for the murders of three men she knew, who are portrayed by the other members of the band. She kills the first man (Tom Dumont) with rat poison mixed into his dinner, the second (Tony Kanal) by running him over with her car, and the third (Adrian Young) by throwing her hair dryer into the bathtub to electrocute him. These scenes are intercut with moments of Stefani in court and being dragged to the gas chamber wearing a prison uniform where she is executed. The video ends with the three murder victims together presumably in the afterlife, laughing at her televised execution.

The music video was moderately successful on video chart programs. On MTV's Total Request Live, it reached number 7 in November 2003[30] and was on the countdown as late as January 2004.[31] The video peaked at number 8 on MuchMusic's Countdown and remained on the program through March 2004.[32] At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, "It's My Life" won the awards for Best Group Video and Best Pop Video. It also received nominations for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.[33]

Formats and track listings

2-track
  1. "It's My Life" — 3:46
  2. "Rock Steady" (live) — 5:53
CD single
  1. "It's My Life" — 3:46
  2. "Sunday Morning" (2002 live) — 4:49
  3. "Rock Steady" (2002 live) — 5:53
  4. "Bathwater" (2002 live) — 4:01
UK CD single[34]
  1. "It's My Life" — 3:46
  2. "Rock Steady" (2002 live) — 5:53
  3. "Bathwater" (2002 live) — 4:01
UK re-issue "It's My Life" / "Bathwater" double A-side CD single[35][36]
  1. "It's My Life" — 3:46
  2. "Bathwater" (Invincible Overlord Remix) — 3:07
  3. "It's My Life" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) — 6:59
  4. "It's My Life" (Chocolate O'Brian Remix) — 5:43
  5. "Bathwater" (Invincible Overlord Remix Video)
  6. "It's My Life" (Video)

Official versions

Charts

Chart (2003-2004) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[38] 12
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[39] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[40] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[41] 9
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) 30
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[42] 14
France (SNEP)[43] 19
Germany (Official German Charts)[44] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 6
Italy (FIMI)[45] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[46] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[47] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[48] 8
Norway (VG-lista)[49] 3
Poland (Polish Singles Chart)[50] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 12
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[53] 17
US Billboard Adult Top 40[24] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 10
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary[24] 20
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[24] 16
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[24] 32
US Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents[24] 1
US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[24] 5
US Billboard Top 40 Tracks[24] 4

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
Australia Gold[54] 35,000+
US Gold[55] 500,000

References

  1. ↑ Jonathan Barnes (18 October 2010). "When the man from Talk Talk fell silent". EADT 24. Eadt.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2013. "the EMI-signed group achieved reasonable commercial success; even a couple of top 20 singles in the synth-pop classic It’s My Life"
  2. ↑ Amy Phillips (31 August 2012). "Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Resurfaces With New Music for the Kelsey Grammer TV Show "Boss"". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2013. "After hitting it big as new wave stars in the early and mid-80s, with massive singles like "It's My Life" and "Life's What You Make It", Talk Talk abandoned synth-pop and went experimental."
  3. ↑ Alan McGee (9 April 2008). "Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis?". The Guardian music blog. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  4. ↑ bulion. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". ARIA. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 40, No. 11, May 19, 1984". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Talk Talk – It's My Life" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Talk Talk – It's My Life". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "I singoli più venduti del 1984". HitParadeItalia (in Italian). Creative Commons. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
    45. It's my life - Talk Talk [#7]
  9. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Talk Talk - It's My Life search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Talk Talk – It's My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Talk Talk – It's My Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Talk Talk". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Talk Talk awards at Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Talk Talk – It's My Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "It's My Life - TALK TALK". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Charts-Surfer". Media Control Charts. Charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  17. 1 2 "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". IRMA. Retrieved 23 July 2013. 2nd and 4th results when searching "It's my life"
  18. ↑ "IT'S MY LIFE - Talk Talk". Nowe Media, Polskie Radio S.A. LP3.polskieradio.pl. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 Jennifer Vineyard and SuChin Pak (15 September 2003). "No Doubt To Tell Fans 'It's My Life'". MTV News. MTV.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  20. 1 2 Paris Montoya and Tom Lanham "It's My Life". The Singles 1992-2003. Interscope Records. 25 November 2003.
  21. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2005: Key winners". BBC News. News.bbc.co.uk. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "ASCAP Members Winning Multiple Awards include Beyoncé, OutKast, Justin". ASCAP. Ascap.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  23. 1 2 3 "No Doubt - It's My Life - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "No Doubt awards at Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. RIAA.com. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  26. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2004". ARIA Charts. Aria.com.au. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2004 Singles". ARIA Charts. Aria.com.au. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  28. ↑ Jennifer Vineyard, Corey Moss (27 October 2003). "Gwen Stefani Bumps Off Bandmates In 'It's My Life'". MTV. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  29. ↑ Jennifer Vineyard (27 October 2003). "Gwen Stefani Feeling Hella Good About Role In Scorsese Flick". MTV. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  30. ↑ "ATRL - The TRL Archive - Recap: November 2003". ATRL. vBulletin Solutions, Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "ATRL - The TRL Archive - Recap: January 2004". ATRL. vBulletin Solutions, Inc. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  32. ↑ "MuchMusic Countdown". MuchMusic. BellMedia. Retrieved 5 September 2004.
  33. ↑ "MTV Awards 2004: The winners". BBC News. News.bbc.co.uk. 3 August 2004. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  34. ↑ "It's My Life: No Doubt: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  35. ↑ "It's My Life/Bathwater: No Doubt: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  36. ↑ "It's My Life/Bathwater at Juno Records". Juno. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  37. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  38. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  39. ↑ "Ultratop.be – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  42. ↑ "No Doubt: It's My Life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  43. ↑ "Lescharts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  44. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – No Doubt – It's My Life". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  45. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  46. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – No Doubt - It's My Life search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  47. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – No Doubt – It's My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  48. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – No Doubt – It's My Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  49. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  50. ↑ "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22.
  51. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  52. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – No Doubt – It's My Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  53. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2004-03-13" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  54. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles". ARIA Charts. Aria.com.au. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  55. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
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