"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 number 46 on the UK chart, but did better in several other countries, reaching number 33 in Germany, number 32 in New Zealand, number 25 in France, and number 7 in Italy. It was also a success in North America, entering the Top 40 in both the United States and Canada. Notably, it peaked at number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single was re-released in the UK in 1985, but this time only reached number 93. However, in 1990, "It's My Life" was reissued again to promote the compilation albumNatural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk. This time, the song was a hit in the UK, reaching number 13, the band's highest chart-placing single in its native country.
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 various places throughout the London Zoo. He keeps his hands in his coat pockets and his mouth pointedly shut tight, the latter often obscured by hand-drawn animated lines that occasionally appear in the documentary footage sequences as well. 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.
Track listings
1984 release
7" single
"It's My Life" – 3:51
"Does Caroline Know?" – 4:36
12" single – North America
"It's My Life" – 6:14
"It's My Life" – 3:51
"Again, a Game...Again" – 4:09
12" single – Europe
"It's My Life" – 6:16
"Does Caroline Know?" – 4:33
"It's My Life" – 3:51
1990 reissue
7" single
"It's My Life" – 3:51
"Renée" – 7:28
CD maxi
"It's My Life" – 3:51
"Renée" – 7:28
"It's My Life" – 7:58
Charts
Chart
Peak position
Australia
73
Canada
30
Chart
Peak position
Certifications
Gigabyte version
In 1995 Swedish Dancegroup Gigabyte covered the song, releasing it as a double release with their own song Gave My Heart Away. Compared to the original, it is very adapted to the 1990s and therefore corresponds to the direction of Eurodance, even if some text passages have been moved. At the same time the cover appeared on the compilation Super Dance 10.
The American ska band No Doubt recorded a cover version of the song to promote their first greatest hits albumThe Singles 1992–2003. Because the band was on hiatus, while lead singer Gwen Stefani recorded her solo debut album, they decided to record a cover to avoid having to write a new song. Eventually, after the band listened to hundreds of songs from the 1980s, they narrowed it down to two contenders – "It's My Life" by Talk Talk and "Don't Change" by Australian rock band INXS. "A Question of Lust" by English electronic band Depeche Mode was another close contender. No Doubt were dubious about recording a cover and contemplated writing new material. However, they decided on "It's My Life" after rehearsing the song with producer Nellee Hooper, referring to it as a "feel-good" song. No Doubt's version of "It's My Life" was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 47th Grammy Awards. 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. 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.
Commercial performance
No Doubt's cover version was successful in the United States, reaching number ten on the BillboardHot 100, and remaining on the chart for 28 weeks. On the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart the song debuted at number 41 on the 10 October 2003 issue and after six weeks reached and peaked at number five staying there for two non-consecutive weeks, it remained on the top-ten of the chart for nine weeks and remained on it for 20 weeks. It was moderately successful on adult contemporary stations, reaching number 20 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, but had high longevity and appeared atop the Adult Top 40's recurrent chart. The single was more successful at nightclubs, peaking at number 16 on the US Dance Club Songs chart, and had some play on modern rock stations, reaching number 32 on the US Alternative Songs chart. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the digital download Gold for selling 500,000 copies. 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 seventeen. The single dropped off the chart after seven 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. The single reached number seven on the ARIA Charts in Australia, lasting 17 weeks on the chart, and was listed at number 81 on the 2004 year-end chart. The Australian Recording Industry Association certified the single Platinum in 2004 for shipping 70,000 copies.
Music video
The 1930s-style music video for the song was directed by David LaChapelle. In the video, Stefani portrays a black widow whose look closely resembles that of actress Jean Harlow, who is put on trial and sentenced to death for the murders of three men she knew, who are portrayed by the other members of the band. She kills the first man with rat poison mixed into his dinner, the second by running him over with his car, and the third 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 and was on the countdown as late as January 2004. The video peaked at number 8 on MuchMusic's Countdown and remained on the program through March 2004. 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.
