The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby

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The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby

This song has popped up a couple of times lately. I always thought of it as a great tune, catches my ear whenever I hear it. I have it on a Piano Songwriter based CD, I hadn't realised until recently how much it's regraded as a piano players standard, personally it just reminds me of the 80s and TV shows like Miami Vice. The extended piano solos are quite unusual, one for their length and also for their placement in the song.

The lyrics are quite political, stating that's the way things are and that's the way they'll stay. As with many other songs, the melody has always been first recollection of the song. It's only later when you start dissecting the meaning and the lyrical theme you understand this is an important song and shouldn't be viewed as just another nice ballad. Songs that stand up for the undervalued and repressed should be celebrated and held up as great ways to getting simple messages out to the masses, usually as in this case wrapped up in a glorious tune to get people to hear things they wouldn't be comfortable hearing in other ways. Don't just put up with things just because that's the way they've always been done.

Proving the song has a life outside being an 80s anthem, it's been sampled by an number of rap artists, strong messages can get through the noise.

Favourite lyric : As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes / Just for fun he says, "get a job"

Location: Rayleigh, UK

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