This song is everything and more, innit? I’m very American, stereo-typically so, but I’ve fallen in love with the phrase innit. It’s so street. It’s so rock ‘n roll. It’s so informal. It’s so making tea over the stove burner.
Back to this loop. Talk Talk is such a beautiful and evocative group. It stands out among the new romantic bands of the 1980s, from light-wave (Spandau Ballet, Toto) to darkwave (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo and the Bunnymen) to straight-up new wave (Duran Duran).
How I’m going on and not getting to the point. Here’s my review. Talk Talk makes preternaturally beautiful music. There’s a magical, wistful feeling to the band’s catalog, as if paradise is somewhere near, if we can only find it. That last line may be a cliche, but it’s my cliche, and I’ve had it trademarked.
In this particular 1984 “It’s My Life” Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano) rivals the king of romance-core, Brian Ferry. Soaring range? Check. Vulnerable vibrato prone to brokenhearted breakage. Check. Pretty, gentlemanly and romantic lyrics. Check.
I’m left wondering if Brian Eno (the producer behind Roxy Music/David Bowie and David Byrne of Talking Heads have had something to do with this band? Some quick sleuthing tells me no. Maybe it’s just an inspiration.
The production is thick with aural ambiance, including what sounds to my untutored ears like a flock of electric seagulls. The keyboards are meandering but there are three distinct passages, all unforgettable. The marriage between minor and minor chords guarantees you won’t know what you’re feeling until you’ve heard “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk six times on repeat. (Or maybe that’s just me.)
And there’s the lyrics, casual as that cup of tea and yet undeniably poetic. “Funny how I find myself in love with you.” Gwen Stefani recorded a pretty cover of this song. I don’t blame her for fan-girling. For me, though, the original version is a bit more otherworldly. Apparently, I like dark glitter sprinkled over everything.
And yes, you probably already knew this, but I’m gonna listen to Flock of Seagulls’ “Space Age Love Song” as a chaser to this one.
–Sarah Torribio
Listen to more songs of the day HERE
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