| Life's Been Good | |
| Cover: | Joe Walsh Life's Been Good single cover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Joe Walsh |
| Album: | But Seriously, Folks... and |
| B-Side: | Theme from Boat Weirdos |
| Released: | May 1978 |
| Recorded: | 1978 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 8:56 (album version w/ hidden track) 8:04 (album version w/o hidden track) 4:35 (single version) |
| Label: | Asylum and MCA Records |
| Producer: |
|
| Prev Title: | Rocky Mountain Way |
| Prev Year: | 1977 |
| Next Title: | All Night Long |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
"Life's Been Good" is a song by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh that first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. The original eight-minute version was released on Walsh's fourth studio album But Seriously, Folks... (1978), and an edited four-minute single version peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit.
In the song, Walsh satirically reflects on the antics and excesses of the era's rock stars, with nods to drummer Keith Moon of the Who and others: "I live in hotels, tear out the walls/I have accountants pay for it all", and "My Maserati[1] does one-eighty-five/I lost my license, now I don't drive", based on his own experience.
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".
"Life's Been Good" has a mid-tempo, reggae-like groove marked by bedrock guitar riffs, synthesizers, and humorous lyrics. According to Billboard, the lyrics are at least partially autobiographical.[2] Walsh's ARP Odyssey synthesizer riff accompanies the lead guitar in the middle of the song. The lead guitar in the outro is accompanied by the main riff. Bill Szymczyk and Jody Boyer perform the backing vocals.
The pre-chorus section on the second and third verses uses a call and response pattern.
Joe Walsh: "Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through"
Call: Bill Szymczyk: "Everybody say I'm cool"
Response: Jody Boyer: "He's cool"
Joe Walsh: "They say I'm lazy but it takes all my time"
Call: Bill Szymczyk: "Everybody say, "Oh, yeah""
Response: Jody Boyer: "Oh, yeah!"
Record World said that the song "blends [Walsh's] signature guitar work with a touch of reggae" and that "the lyrics touch on a number of topics, all treated with a light irony."[3]
At the end of the LP, there is a clip of an in-joke stating "uh-oh, here comes a flock of wah wahs", 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, (2000).
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. A live version of the song with the Eagles appears on the 1980 album Eagles Live, where some of the lyrics are changed.
In a 2012 concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, Walsh explained that the song's lyrics were largely true. He purchased a home in Santa Barbara, California, shortly before he joined the Eagles, then spent the next two years touring or recording and mostly living in hotels. He preferred a suite: if a hotel did not have one available, he would rent two adjacent rooms, "tearing out a wall" to create one. He owned a Maserati and did often ride in limousines. His driving license was lost, not because it was confiscated but because he lost his wallet with it in. He had an office he never visited with gold records on the wall and an answering machine. Walsh often stayed late at parties. Once, when he attempted to leave in the early morning hours, instead of finding the front door, he walked into a closet by mistake.
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 56 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 12 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 [6] | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart[8] | 13 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[9] | 32 |
| UK Singles Chart[10] | 14 |
| Chart (1978) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (RPM Top 200 Singles)[11] | 94 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 87 | |
| US Cash Box[13] | 72 |