"A Life of Illusion" is a song written by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh and guitarist Kenny Passarelli, which became a hit and one of Walsh's most recognizable songs. It appears as the fifth track on Walsh's fifth solo studio album, There Goes the Neighborhood (1981). The majority of the track was originally recorded in 1973 as part of The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get sessions.
| "A Life of Illusion" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Joe Walsh | |
| from the album There Goes the Neighborhood | |
| B-side | "Rockets" |
| Released | May 1981 |
| Recorded | 1973 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 3:30 |
| Label | Asylum |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Joe Walsh |
| Audio | |
| "A Life of Illusion" on YouTube | |
Release
editThe song was a hit in the United States, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reaching #1 on the magazine's Top Tracks chart,[1] where his former bandmates Don Henley and Glenn Frey would also score #1 hits.
Reception
editRecord World said that "Walsh's existential lyrics wind into a great hook."[2] Record World also praised Passarelli's guitarrón playing on the song.[2]
Chart history
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[3] | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] | 34 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock | 1 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[5] | 35 |
Cover versions
editIn 2002, the Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song as a B-side, which later appeared on their covers album Medium Rare in 2011.
In popular culture
editThe song is used as the musical background to the opening scene in the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), and appears as the first track on the soundtrack album. It is also featured early in an Apple TV 2023 documentary about Michael J. Fox. The song is likewise referenced in author Rick Riordan's The Burning Maze (2018), the third book in The Trials of Apollo series.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 666.
- ^ a b "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 23, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1981-07-04. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 11, 1981[permanent dead link]
External links
edit- "A Life of Illusion" at Discogs (list of releases)
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