‘Reflections of My Life’ was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell and singer Dean Ford (credited to his birth name, Thomas McAleese). Released in late 1969, it was the band's first release on Decca following an earlier spell at CBS.
The song went on to chart worldwide, reaching number three in the UK in 1969, No. 10 in the US in 1970 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 7 on the Cash Box Top 100. Initial sales were significant in both countries, and the one million mark was reported in November 1971, when the group was presented with a gold disc for global sales. The track featured a lead vocal by Ford backed by vocal harmonies, and included a reverse tape guitar solo (backmasking) by Campbell.
‘Reflections of My Life’ has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 the writers were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the US alone.
The Marmalade were a Scottish pop group who enjoyed several hits in the UK between 1968 and 1976. Originally a band called Dean Ford & The Gaylords, they changed their name to Marmalade in 1967. They are best remembered in Britain for their cover of the Beatles song ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ which topped the UK charts around Christmas 1968. In 1969, they signed to Decca Records, and their contract gave them complete freedom to write and produce their own records. The fruits of this arrangement was the recording of this song with its distinctive backwards guitar break, which was their only American hit.
This song was written by vocalist Dean Ford and the band's main songwriter, keyboardist Junior Campbell. Campbell went on to pen the theme from the British TV series Thomas The Tank Engine, which was narrated in its first two seasons by Ringo Starr.
Label – Decca
Songwriters – Junior Campbell, Dean Ford
Producers – Marmalade
SONG LYRICS
The changing of sunlight to moonlightReflections of my life
Oh how they fill my eyes
The greetings of people in trouble
Reflections of my life
Oh how they fill my eyes
Oh my sorrows
Sad tomorrows
Take me back to my own home
Oh my crying (Oh my crying)
Feel I'm dying, dying
Take me back
To my own home
The changing of sunlight to moonlight
Reflections of my life
Oh how they fill my eyes
{Instrumental}
I'm changing, arranging
I'm changing
I'm changing everything
Everything around me
The changing of sunlight to moonlight
Reflections of my life
Oh how they fill my eyes
The world is
A bad place
A bad place
A terrible place to live
Oh but I don't want to die ...
Oh my sorrows
Sad tomorrows
Take me back to my own home
Oh my crying (Oh my crying)
Feel I'm dying, dying
Take me back
To my own home