Life's Been Good
Encyclopedia
"Life's Been Good" is a 1978
song by Joe Walsh
, which first appeared on the soundtrack
to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100
, remaining his biggest solo hit. In it, he satirically reflects on the rockstar lifestyle, the 1978 revocation of his drivers license, ("My Maserati
does 185 [ mph ] / I lost my license, now I don't drive"). Antics of all rockers of the era are reflected, such as the nod to Keith Moon
and others: "I live in hotels/Tear out the walls." The 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide called it "riotous", and "[maybe] the most important statement on rock stardom anyone has made in the late Seventies."
-like groove marked by bedrock guitar riff
s, synthesizer
s, and a confused delivery. Walsh's ARP Odyssey
synthesizer riff accompanies the guitar solo
in the middle of the song. The guitar solo in the outro is accompanied by the main riff. Bill Szymczyk
and Jody Boyer perform the backing vocals
.
The pre-chorus section uses a call and response
pattern.
At the end of the LP, there is a clip of an inside joke stating "uh-oh, here comes a flock of waa waas", recorded from inside the studio. After the music has faded away into silence, there's a 10-second gap before the inside joke. That inside joke would also be included at the end of disc one of the Eagles' box set, Selected Works: 1972–1999. Made after Walsh had joined the Eagles, "Life's Been Good" was incorporated into that group's concert repertoire, appearing in shows at the time as well as reunion tours. It remains a staple of classic rock
radio playlists.
During live shows, Joe Walsh is known to change lyrics, such as 'Lock the doors in case I'm attacked' to 'Lock the doors and watch the war in Iraq!' to 'I watch the Lakers
, they suck without Shaq
!' and, more recently, 'Lock the doors, and vote for Barack
.' While performing the song with the Eagles, he changes the line 'They write me letters tell me I'm great' to 'They write me letters tell me Glenn's
great' or 'They write me e-mails, tell me I'm great'. There is also a version on the 1980 Eagles Live
album that's played occasionally on the radio where the lyrics are changed to "I have a limo, ride in the trunk, I lock the doors in case I get drunk" as well as, "They write Tim
letters, tell Glenn
Don's
great."
Also in the live version, the line "I go to parties some times until four. It's hard to leave when you can't find the door" was changed to "It's hard to leave when you can't find some more.".
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
song by Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
, which first appeared on the soundtrack
FM (soundtrack)
FM is the original soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. The soundtrack won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.-Track listing:#"FM " - Steely Dan – 4:52#"Night Moves" - Bob Seger – 3:27...
to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, remaining his biggest solo hit. In it, he satirically reflects on the rockstar lifestyle, the 1978 revocation of his drivers license, ("My Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
does 185 [ mph ] / I lost my license, now I don't drive"). Antics of all rockers of the era are reflected, such as the nod to Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
and others: "I live in hotels/Tear out the walls." The 1979 Rolling Stone Record Guide called it "riotous", and "[maybe] the most important statement on rock stardom anyone has made in the late Seventies."
Content
"Life's Been Good" has a notable style: a mid-tempo, reggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-like groove marked by bedrock guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, and a confused delivery. Walsh's ARP Odyssey
ARP Odyssey
The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
synthesizer riff accompanies the guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
in the middle of the song. The guitar solo in the outro is accompanied by the main riff. Bill Szymczyk
Bill Szymczyk
Bill Szymczyk is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though he retired from the music business by 1990...
and Jody Boyer perform the backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
The pre-chorus section uses a call and response
Call and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
pattern.
- Call: Joe Walsh: "Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through"
- Response: Bill Szymczyk: "Everybody say, 'I'm cool'"
- Response: Jody Boyer: "He's cool"
At the end of the LP, there is a clip of an inside joke stating "uh-oh, here comes a flock of waa waas", recorded from inside the studio. After the music has faded away into silence, there's a 10-second gap before the inside joke. That inside joke would also be included at the end of disc one of the Eagles' box set, Selected Works: 1972–1999. Made after Walsh had joined the Eagles, "Life's Been Good" was incorporated into that group's concert repertoire, appearing in shows at the time as well as reunion tours. It remains a staple of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
radio playlists.
During live shows, Joe Walsh is known to change lyrics, such as 'Lock the doors in case I'm attacked' to 'Lock the doors and watch the war in Iraq!' to 'I watch the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, they suck without Shaq
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
!' and, more recently, 'Lock the doors, and vote for Barack
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.' While performing the song with the Eagles, he changes the line 'They write me letters tell me I'm great' to 'They write me letters tell me Glenn's
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
great' or 'They write me e-mails, tell me I'm great'. There is also a version on the 1980 Eagles Live
Eagles Live
Eagles Live is the first live album by the American rock band Eagles, a two-LP set released in 1980. The Eagles unofficially disbanded on July 31, 1980 after their concert at Long Beach. However, the band still owed Elektra/Asylum a live record from the tour...
album that's played occasionally on the radio where the lyrics are changed to "I have a limo, ride in the trunk, I lock the doors in case I get drunk" as well as, "They write Tim
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
letters, tell Glenn
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
Don's
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
great."
Also in the live version, the line "I go to parties some times until four. It's hard to leave when you can't find the door" was changed to "It's hard to leave when you can't find some more.".
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 12 | |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles |
11 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
13 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 32 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
14 |