Continuing on with the Rock Life series of rock lyrics posts, here is an iconic tune from 1978 that fairly drips with sarcasm about the behavior and lifestyle of many rock stars – Life’s Been Good by Mr. Guitar Riff himself, Joe Walsh.
My favourite piece of lyric is this:
It’s tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody’s so different, I haven’t changed
Walsh pokes fun at the rock star lifestyle of wealth and fame, the spoiled mentality – how it’s not him that’s changed, but everyone else. We all probably have those same thoughts on occasion.
I had a large number of videos to choose from for this post .. as you could imagine .. and I think I chose the best one. Joe Walsh – Life’s Been Good – Featuring Daryl Hall – Live From Daryl’s House. If you have ever watched any of the Live From Daryl’s House shows, you know how good they are. This one does not disappoint. Enjoy!
LIFE’S BEEN GOOD
Joe Walsh
I have a mansion, forget the price
Ain’t never been there, they tell me it’s nice
I live in hotels, tear out the walls
I have accountants pay for it all
They say I’m crazy but I have a good time
I’m just looking for clues at the scene of the crime
Life’s been good to me so far
My Maserati does one-eighty-five
I lost my license, now I don’t drive
I have a limo, ride in the back
I lock the doors in case I’m attacked
I make hit records, my fans they can’t wait
They write me letters, tell me I’m great
So I got me an office, gold records on the wall
Just leave a message, maybe I’ll call
Lucky I’m sane after all I’ve been through
(Everybody say I’m cool) (He’s cool)
I can’t complain but sometimes I still do
Life’s been good to me so far
I go to parties, sometimes until four
It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door
It’s tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody’s so different, I haven’t changed
They say I’m lazy but it takes all my time
(Everybody say oh, yeah) (Oh, yeah)
I keep on going, guess I’ll never know why
Life’s been good to me so far
Yeah, yeah, yeah
