Note: Before singing This is my life, Shirley greets George (Webb),a well known British Super Fan. George and his wife went to see almost every concert Shirley did. They were good friends of Shirley and Sergio. After his wife died he went to all the concerts alone. Fans older than 29 (?) will remember him. George was a very nice man. I remember we had to prevent him from being squeezed at this Amsterdam concert, because everybody tried to get to the stage at the end of the concert. And it was so very hot. I think he died shortly after that concert because that was the last time I saw him. Shirley was always very generous to George and he and his wife had a special place in her heart.
From the 1980 concert in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Part 6 (Last part) This Is My Life.
This Is My Life
Music written by B. Canfora, Original Italian words by A. Amurri, English lyrics by Norman Newell. This Is My Life
recorded: January 14, 1968
released:
UK: Mar '68 on United Artists sgl UP 1207
US: Sep '68 on United Artists sgl UA 50459
Released 1968 on a single and on the album This Is My Life (La Vita).
Norman Newell wrote the English lyrics for Shirley Bassey from the Italian song La Vita. She sings this song with so much emotion, it has become a personal anthem. With "I Am What I Am" she sings this song at the end of almost every concert. It is therefore available on many live recordings and on many collections and videos. Live available for example on The Birthday Concert.
Lyrics This is my life:
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
(or to think I'll never find a 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 have to 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
About the dress Dame Shirley is wearing for this show:
Goldfinger - a sensational stage ensemble by Douglas Darnell comprising: a bias cut gown with fitted bodice, the flesh-coloured silk chiffon ground lavishly embroidered with graduated Swarovski clear crystals, gold sequins and gold pearl beads in bands radiating from an apex at the upper bodice, slit centrally to the upper leg, the flowing train lined in gold silk tissue and terminating in a large tassel of clear crystals, rhinestones, gold pearl beads and mirror sequins; and a corresponding voluminous sleeveless coat of silver silk chiffon decorated with bands of silver lurex edged with silver tinsel fringing and embroidered with gold and silver sequins, the coat further embellished at the opening, armholes and collar with gold and silver mirror sequins, imitation pearls and gold beads, lined in gold silk tissue.
Weight of gown: approx. 4kg.
Although this gown is not the first one worn by Dame Shirley to sing the theme song to the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, her first international hit, it is the one which she particularly associates with the Bond song. This gown was made in the late 1970s and according to Darnell, was first worn for a concert at the Wembley Conference Centre attended by HRH Prince Charles, 14th November, 1979. The stage coat in this lot however does date from the early 1960s, and was occasionally worn with the first Goldfinger dress. Dame Shirley wore the original dress and this stage coat together during a twelve-day engagement at the Empire Room, New York, October, 1967.
Sold at Christies for £18,000
