In May 1978, Joe Walsh released what would go on to become the biggest song of his solo career. That tune is called “Life’s Been Good.”
Written solely by Walsh, “Life’s Been Good” came together in pieces, which he detailed during a 2012 intimate acoustic concert held at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, as seen in the YouTube clip below.
“There’s a room in my head where I have all these bits and pieces, and when it’s time to write a song, I take them and put them out on the table like a jigsaw puzzle and see what fits. So that’s what I did,” the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist said, at the time, reflecting on how he came up with the song lyrics and melody for “Life’s Been Good.”
Ranked at No. 54 in Rolling Stone’s 2011 list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” naturally, Walsh’s solo-penned tune would include a few iconic guitar moments, such as the memorable opening that he said “had nothing to do with” some of the other major guitar riffs in “Life’s Been Good.”
Initially, one guitar part was meant for another song, but Walsh included it along with the rest of his collection of unused fragments, ultimately forming a track that would go on to become a timeless road trip anthem, due to its driving beat and cruising tempo.
Lyrically, “Life’s Been Good” is largely influenced by Walsh’s own life and serves as a tongue-in-cheek, satirical response to the over-the-top lifestyle of rock ‘n’ roll fame. He jokes about living in hotel rooms, despite owning a full-sized mansion and having a Maserati, but no licence to drive.
“I wanted to make a statement involving satire and humor, kind of poking fun at the incredibly silly lifestyle that someone in my position is faced with,” Walsh told the BBC in 1981. “In other words, I do have a really nice house, but I'm on the road so much that when I come home from a tour, it's really hard to feel that I even live here. It's not necessarily me, I think it paraphrases anyone in my position, and I think that's why a lot of people relate to it.”
The final product of “Life’s Been Good,” which appears on the 1978 album, But Seriously Folks…, ended up running well over eight minutes, making the song too long for radio. Walsh edited a version for radio with a 4:35 run-time, which went on to become a Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Though “Life’s Been Good” didn’t become a No. 1 hit, the song has been widely regarded as Walsh’s signature song and has also become a staple in the Eagles' set-lists.
Related: 1974 Soft Rock Classic With an Iconic Harmonica Solo Became a Breakthrough Anthem, Despite Never Reaching No. 1
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