There’s no denying that it’s a great time to be a music lover. We have nearly all of the music ever recorded available to stream on demand. At the same time, those hard-to-find records of yesteryear are available to order online, for the right price. This easy access to music makes it easy to listen to some of the best songs ever written. For country star Brad Paisley, one of those songs is “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh.
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Earlier this year, Brad Paisley sat down with Rick Beato to discuss his career and love of music as a whole. During their conversation, Beato asked Paisley to name a perfect song. First, he pointed to Eric Clapton’s “Layla” as the perfect rock song. Then, he talked about Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good,” a song he says could be a country song if arranged correctly.
[RELATED: On This Day in 2003, Brad Paisley Released His First No. 1 Album]
Brad Paisley on “Life’s Been Good”
“I talked to Joe about this, Joe Walsh. Another perfect song, ‘Life’s Been Good.’ My God,” Paisley said. He then revealed that Walsh was writing two songs at the same time and combined them into one. The instantly recognizable guitar part was part of the second song before Walsh decided to combine the two. “It’s as good as a lyric gets,” he said. “It’s just so good. Joe’s so smart. ‘Life’s Been Good’ blurs the line. It’s almost a country song, if you did it with mandolin and banjo,” he added.
Joe Walsh Reveals the Inspiration Behind “Life’s Been Good”
Joe Walsh wrote “Life’s Been Good” for his 1978 album But Seriously, Folks… He released it as a single from the album, and it peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Walsh his biggest solo hit.
“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 explained. “I 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 there. It’s not necessarily me, I think it paraphrases anyone in my position,” he added. “I thought it was a valid statement because it is a strange lifestyle.”
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