It's My Life (Talk Talk song)

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 the 1979 BBC wildlife documentary Life on Earth, interspersed with shots of Talk Talk lead singer Mark Hollis standing in various places throughout the London Zoo. Hollis deliberately avoids performing to the camera: He keeps his hands in his coat pockets and his mouth is taped shut, 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. ==Personnel==

Talk Talk • Mark Hollis – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar • Paul Webb – fretless bass guitar, backing vocals • Lee Harris – Simmons drums, snare drum Additional musicians • Tim Friese-Greene – Oberheim OB-X and Fairlight CMI synthesizers, Roland TR-808 programming • Ian Curnow – Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizers • Robbie McIntosh – electric guitar • Morris Pert – percussion ==Track listings==

1984 release 7-inch single • "It's My Life" – 3:51 • "Does Caroline Know?" – 4:36 12-inch single – North America • "It's My Life" (Extended Version) – 6:14 • "It's My Life" – 3:51 • "Again, a Game...Again" – 4:09 12-inch single – Europe • "It's My Life" (12-inch Remix) – 6:16 • "Does Caroline Know?" – 4:33 • "It's My Life" – 3:51 1990 reissue 7-inch single • "It's My Life" – 3:51 • "Renée" (Live from Hammersmith Odeon) – 7:28 CD maxi • "It's My Life" – 3:51 • "Renée" (Live from Hammersmith Odeon) – 7:28 • "It's My Life" (Live from Hammersmith Odeon) – 7:58 ==Charts==

No Doubt recorded a cover version of "It's My Life" to promote their first greatest hits album The Singles 1992–2003 (2003). Because the band was on hiatus while lead singer Gwen Stefani recorded her solo debut album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004), they decided to record a cover to avoid having to write a new song. After considering hundreds of songs, 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 later had second thoughts about recording a cover and contemplated writing new material. 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. Commercial performance No Doubt's cover version was successful in the United States, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remaining on the chart for 28 weeks. On the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart, the song debuted at number 41 on 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. On the UK Singles chart, "It's My Life" debuted at number 20. It reached a higher position when it was released as a double A-side single with the Invincible Overlord remix of the song "Bathwater" which charted at number 17. 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 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. and was on the countdown as late as January 2004. The video peaked at number eight 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. Track listing and formats 2-track • "It's My Life" – 3:46 • "Rock Steady" (live) – 5:53 CD single • "It's My Life" – 3:46 • "Sunday Morning" (2002 live) – 4:49 • "Rock Steady" (2002 live) – 5:53 • "Bathwater" (2002 live) – 4:01 UK CD single • "It's My Life" – 3:46 • "Rock Steady" (2002 live) – 5:53 • "Bathwater" (2002 live) – 4:01 '''UK re-issue "It's My Life" / "Bathwater" double A-side CD single''' • "It's My Life" – 3:46 • "Bathwater" (Invincible Overlord Remix) – 3:07 • "It's My Life" (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix) – 6:59 • "It's My Life" (Chocolate O'Brian Remix) – 5:43 • "Bathwater" (Invincible Overlord Remix Video) • "It's My Life" (Video) Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications Release history ==References==