Joe Walsh: Life’s Been Good

Some people remember where they were when JFK was shot; others know with certainty what they were doing when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. I remember where I was the first time I heard Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” or “Down by the Seaside” by Led Zeppelin. I can also remember where I was when I discovered the guitar playing of Joe Walsh. I was sitting in the front seat of my older brother’s Renault LeCar (which was up on jack stands at the time, being worked on) and there was a tape of “Hotel California” in the tape deck. I couldn’t get enough of it; kept rewinding and rewinding it, fascinated by the sinister lyrics and the hypnotic chords.

(For those of you unfamiliar with the wonders of the LeCar, I found a picture.)

Renault LeCar
Being the “LeCar” of the year is like being “McEmployee of the Month.” The prefix adds a hint of irony, whether it wants to or not.

And that was the start of my admiration for the brilliant playing of Joe Walsh. It has been said, and I agree, that his sound is one of the most recognizable sounds in rock music. There is something utterly unique in the way he attacks notes; his bends can say more than some lyricists can.

Life’s Been Good

Single Cover for Life's Been Good
Original Single Cover

This song starts out with a shuffling drum beat that almost forgets it’s keeping time. Then comes the guitar. This is why Joe Walsh is famous. I’ve been trying to master that gentle tremolo-and-slide for years, and just can’t get it right. After a couple of runs through the riff, the stereo-guitar is joined by a shuffling bass line; then the piano joins the honky-tonk and the guitars get even bigger. Then, a hush falls over the band as an acoustic guitar strums some Spanish-sounding chords, punctuated by percussive beats from the rest of the band.

Then, just as quickly as the acoustic riff started, it slips quietly away, to be replaced by the laid-back reggae of the verses. Here’s where the real heart of the song comes in: Walsh’s unflappable, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Written at a time when the extravagance and indulgence of the rock-star lifestyle was making headlines (the line about “I live in hotels/tear out the walls” a likely reference to the raucous stories about Keith Moon), the song refuses to take itself, or the people it describes, too seriously. In fact, Walsh himself hesitated to release the song initially, fearing that people wouldn’t understand the humor and think he was as aloof and uncaring as the lyrics; the drummer and the producer really had to convince him that listeners would get the joke and wouldn’t see him as snide or condescending.

I hope everyone else finds it as funny as I do. He sends up the irony of being able to afford a luxurious lifestyle but being too busy working to enjoy it (“I have a mansion, forget the price; ain’t never been there, they tell me it’s nice.”) But before anyone can begin feeling sorry for him or his ilk, Walsh assures us:
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.
The lyrics aren’t the only jokes in the song; at about 2:41 the backing singers do a little call-and-response, “Everybody say I’m cool” which is greeted by several voices agreeing, “He’s cool!” This, of course, tempered by the oh-so-relatable line: “I can’t complain but sometimes I still do.” Then the band meanders into a brilliant but wonderful guitar solo over the unhurried drums and a simple ARP synthesizer riff that, for some reason, reminds me of raindrops on a metal roof. (Which is a hell of a lot better than a harpsichord, which my friend describes as “reminiscent of skeletons copulating on a tin roof.”)
After about a minute and a half the guitars step back into the main riff, although when the piano joins back, it’s got a little more bite than before, and the guitar riff is quadrupled, giving the whole thing a certain majesty. Then, Spanish chords, and back to the reggae verse. This one ends with another joke: the line, “I go to parties sometimes until four/It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door” ends with a door slamming shut in the background; the sound was actually achieved by someone slamming the bathroom door in the studio.
The last verse includes a line so memorable I’m surprised it hasn’t been printed on a thousand beer koozies:
They say I’m lazy but it takes all my time.
The band ramps up for another, final romp, the guitars in full force, some sliding, some stomping around, while the piano shakes and shimmies all over and the bass slides in and around the drums; it’s a nearly 2-minute outro and, at the very end, in case you’d forgotten the whole thing was a big joke, the little “Uh oh, here comes a pack of wah-wahs!” skit.
If you’re interested in mic setups and detailed production notes, I found a great article about “Life’s Been Good” on MixOnline.

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