What is the true meaning of Joe Walsh's "Life Is Good"?
Содержание
In his long and dazzling career. Joe Walsh has managed to write and record a lot of good music! At the same time - he has managed to become a favourite of millions and earn himself a reputation for rebellion. Whether as part of the James Gang, the Eagles or as a solo artist, Walsh always exuded a special rock 'n' roll energy. And this was expressed not only in his writing, but also in his behaviour. Thanks to his friendships with Keith Moon and John Belushi, he was always at the centre of wild entertainment! His pastime was never boring, and was often "documented" by journalists. But perhaps one song confirmed his crazy antics far better than hundreds of articles. And this "Life's Been Good".
"Life is good." - That's the eloquent name Joe gave to his most a big solo hitwhich tells about the wild days of its author: destruction of hotel rooms, reckless driving of fast cars and many other things... To this day this track remains a kind of anthem of rock stars and Walsh's personal "autobiography", or rather - a warm memory of the old days. And for many years the public has been pestering the musician: were the lyrics based on real circumstances? Well... Let's hear it for the author!
"I was home two months out of the year."
В 2012 Joe told reporters:
"Most people who meet me want to talk about the real sources of inspiration behind 'Life's Been Good'. Most of the questions I've ever been asked are about this particular song, and I'm getting tired of them, to be honest..."
So, the musician decided to free himself once and for all from pesky questions, and tell the world true meaning of his hit song. Well - all the events described in this song are completely real. For example, it says:
"I have a mansion, forget the price
I've never been there, they tell me it's good."
This is the full truth. According to the musician:
"The late '70s was a wild time. Me and the Eagles were either recording or touring, and sometimes both. We had no breaks, nothing, and I was home maybe two months out of the year. We were all like that - we just lived where we woke up!"
Walsh also confirmed that. reggae rhythm for the verses of the song was inspired Bob Marley.
Wild adventures in hotels
This track also features Joe's friends, with whom he "partied". For example, his adventures with Keith Moonthe drummer of The Who, is addressed in the following verse:
"I'm living in hotels, tearing down walls.
I have accountants paying for everything."
Yeah, Walsh did crash hotel rooms, but Keith was his. principal accomplice in this fun business! As told by the musician himself:
"Then 'Tommy' premiered in Europe, and Keith decided that he and I would not go to bed together. He taught me a lot in those days - this fine art of chaos, of destruction. He could make a homemade bomb to blow up toilets in hotels! He was a master at it!"
But there were times when Joe didn't need accomplices to tear a room apart. It was enough "the right gift.":
"Our manager, Irving Azoff, gave me a chainsaw for my birthday! I immediately decided to test it out. Well... I practically tore down the walls of the room."
Party racer
There's another notable verse in the song that has to do with Joe's love of high-speed driving:
"My Maserati is doing 185,
I lost my licence, now I don't drive."
The musician confirmed that he has a Maserati that did hit 185, but he was never arrested for driving too fast. In the same interview, Walsh shared that a friend of his. smashed up two Lotus cars in ten days, which is what prompted this line.
And there's another funny moment from the song:
"I go to parties, sometimes until four o'clock.
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door."
According to Joe - sometimes at parties he was drinking so heavily that he really couldn't find a way out! Well - looking back at all this lyricism, it's obvious: Joe Walsh's life really is a life of "succeeded."!