This Is My Life

Music written by B. Canfora. Original Italian words by A. Amurri and the English lyrics by Norman Newell.

This Is My Life recorded: January 14, 1968 released:   UK: March 1968 on United Artists single UP 1207   US: September, 1968 on United Artists single UA 50459

Released 1968 on a single and on the album This Is My Life (La Vita).

Norman Newell has written the English lyrics for Shirley Bassey from the Italian song La Vita. She sings this song with so much emotion, it has become something like her personal anthem. Together with "I Am What I Am" she sings this song at the end of almost every concert. So it is available on many live recordings and on many collections. Live available for example on The Birthday Concert.

Because there are also many different studio versions, here a little list:

• The 1968 English/Italian version La Vita.

• The 1968 English album version with a length of 3:07, that is on most of the collections.

• The Original UK 7" single contained a version with a length of 3:41 which sounds very much like "La Vita" from 1968, but with the English lyrics. I have this recording also on a USA collection by Springboard International from about 1976 (SPB-4045). My German and Dutch single contain the standard album version, so this version seems to be on the original UK single release only.

• 1978 a 7" single (UP 36502, Holland 1979: UA 5C 006-82651) "disco" version remixed by Hank Cicalo without the slow intro and verse one, but verse two twice - length 3:40. (B-side: The Magic Is You.) This version is also referred to as the "European Single Version". Though on the collection Original Gold according to the cover should be this version on the CD, it indeed contains the 1968 album version.

• And 1979 a 12" European maxi-single (UA K 052 Z 82651) with the slow intro and verse one and stretched at the end which makes it very long: 6:51. (B-side: The Magic Is You.)

• A 12" U.S. maxi-single (but 33 rpm) from 1979 (UA D6007D and UA-P5007-D) with alternate vocals by Shirley re-recorded and re-mixed by Rick Gianatos. It does not include the slow intro but indeed verse 1 in disco beat - time stated: 6:17 (intro 0:37). (B-side: Copacabana (At The Copa).)
  Read about Rick Gianatos working together with Shirley Bassey.

• And I've another 12" "disco" maxi-single from United Artist 1979 (EMI Electrola 1 C 052-82 734 YZ, 45rpm, length 6:08) with "Copacabana (At The Copa)" on the B-side. Despite of the 9 seconds difference noted to the version above, these two versions seem to be the same. At least I've listened to them and found no difference.
  Though You may prefer the original version of the song, the "disco" versions were very successful. In the Netherlands for example this maxi was her biggest hit ever, reaching No. 4 in the charts.

• I have a 45rpm single with another version "re-recorded and mixed by Rick Gianatos, remixed from the United Artists LP The Magic Is You", length: 4:25 (intro 0:19). The intro is different and shorter than on the other Rick Gianatos version and at the end it is fading down during an instrumental part, but the rest seems to be the same.

• A really different version re-mixed by Meco Monardo & Tony Bongiovi has been released 1979 by United Artists USA on UA-D6001-D (UAST-20388), length 6:15. This version has also been released on a CD-maxi-single "This Is My Life - the lost disco mixes".
  For more information on Meco and Tony read Mecoman or The Official MECO Fan Page.

• Another new "disco" version has been released 1978 on the album The Magic Is You on CD and LP and on a single with a length of 4:53 (sometimes 4:51). This version is available on CD for example on the 1992 collection The Magic Is You.

• And together with the London Symphony Orchestra on the album I Am What I Am (length 3:51).

The Delta Lloyd insurance has used "This Is My Life" as background music for one of their TV commercials. I can send You an 1.7MB MPEG file of that ad, or view on-line at TBWA Netherlands.
 

Lyrics:

Funny how a lonely day, can make a person say:

What good is my life

Funny how a breaking heart, can make me start to say:

What good is my life

Funny how I often seem, to think I'll find another dream

In my life

Till I look around and see, this great big world is part of me

And my life

This is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that's the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me

This is my life
And I don't give a damn for lost emotions
I've such a lot of love I've got to give
Let me live
Let me live

Sometime when I feel afraid, I think of what a mess I've made

Of my life

Crying over my mistakes, forgetting all the breaks I've had

In my life

I was put on earth to be, a part of this great world is me

And my life

Guess I'll just add up the score, and count the things I'm grateful for

In my life

This Is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that's the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me

This is my life
And I don't give a damn for lost emotions
I've such a lot of love I've got to give
Let me live
Let me live

This is my life
This is my life
This is my life
(transcribed by Roman <scribbler@gmx.net>)