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Bruce Hornsby — The Way It Is
Album: The Way It Is
Avg rating:
7.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2243









Released: 1986
Length: 4:47
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Standing in line, marking time
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old lady's eyes
Just for fun he says, "Get a job."

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah, but don't you believe them

Said hey, little boy, you can't go where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey, old man, how can you stand to think that way?
Did you really think about it before you made the rules?
He said, son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah, but don't you believe them

Yeah

That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is

Well, they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law don't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar, no

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is, it is, it is, it is
Comments (271)add comment
I was really hoping that he'd become the keys for the Dead after Brent died. Alas it was not meant to be. That's just the way it is. 
Oh my lord how I love this song
Saw Bruce on tour just before the pandemic hit, magical night.
I probably say it every time I hear this, but we do a decent version of this every Thursday. It helps having a great pianist/singer.

The Way It Is
I have liked this song since it came out and still like to hear it from time to time.
I like the message, and I think he plays piano quite nicely.
I guess he is some kind of a 'sneer target' for some people, but I really don't see what there is to hate about this song.
 nomnol wrote:

Why don't you like this, Proclivities?  It's not that bad but maybe it was overplayed in its day.

I guess hearing it constantly when it was released soured me on it, but it's grown on me over the years - it doesn't have me dashing to change the station like it used to.  
 williamknear wrote:

Great tune but Bruce's catalogue runs really deep.



Agreed.  I'd rather hear one of his lesser known tunes and go "wait, is that Bruce Hornsby??" to a pleasant surprise.  This is not a bad tune, and his playing is pretty amazing, but I've heard it a million times.
 Hannio wrote:


That made no sense.  Are you saying ppopp has a candlestick, or he is gay notthatthereisanythingwrongwiththat?

Anyway, I have to agree with ppopp.  While Hornsby did have his moments, this particular piece is way too schmaltzy for me.  Let the ad-hominems begin.

You're right.  The comment was unfair... to Liberace.
I'll be playing this with the boys tomorrow night!
BJAM - The Way It Is
 eyke wrote:

still appropriate 34 years later.

and that piano playing...no Kenny G...sorry...not.



That's just the way it is
This is, in my opinion, a great song.  Hornsby has a very deep catalog that deserves more airplay on RP.  He's frequently in the mix at my house - his music frequently reminds me of home - around the Chesapeake Bay...  
Rock on, Bruce! 
 keller1 wrote:


I don't hear any triplets.  In fact, if there were triplets in there they would clash with the drum loop, which as you point out, is brutally stiff.


There are a lot of triplets (and other tuplets) in this song.   That's the point of tuplets, that they weave their rhythmic magic outwith the strict time signature.
Driving home from work 1980 something.... this song stopped me in my tracks playing on the radio. I pulled into mini mart parking lot to listen undistracted
Horrible?  Not really, but I will say this.  Hearing this reminds me of the acts that the old Holiday Inns would book in on Friday nights in the lobby lounge.  Lots of piano and sequins and hair spray...
 h8rhater wrote:

The Liberace of posters.


Actually, Liberace was far more interesting. 
 Proclivities wrote:

Do you believe that the 60's and 70's were somehow better for musicians' hairstyles than the 1980's?  
kiss
Why do so many people insist on singling out the 80's as an unprecedented era of stylistic badness? By the way, I never liked this tune.



Why don't you like this, Proclivities?  It's not that bad but maybe it was overplayed in its day.
 BobbyCat wrote:
Nice, reminds me of New York in January 1987. All the stations were playing this tune. Cool times {#Music}
 
Reminds me of the Fall of 1986 working two jobs with all 3 shifts.
Work and sleep-that's it!
Flashbacks to last days with the Air Force... surreal.. wanted to throw in the towel.... filled with deep sadness... almost never survived (Miracle still alive... shouldn't be)... left so much behind (people)
....turns out, it was for the best
 donmonty wrote:
Lame.
 

Is this a Go Fund Me request for the purchase of a wheelchair?
Greendale, the way it goes
Bruce's whisper scared me (I'm wearing headphones). 
still appropriate 34 years later.

and that piano playing...no Kenny G...sorry...not.
There's a real high-school-melancholy punch in the gut with this one. 
Amazing how this song has stood the test of time, beautifully crafted and it sounds incredible in lossless format through a DAC and HIFI.
Preciosa canción.
 h8rhater wrote:

The Liberace of posters.
 
Oh come on, that's just mean . . . to Liberace.
I like this. 
When I was young and learning how to play the piano, my teacher (in an effort to get me excited about practicing) asked me to bring him a song that I liked and could work towards playing.  I brought him this song, he transposed it and eventually I got to the point where I could play a modified version.  Not only is this song a classic but holds so many memories for me!
 SAILINGTHESEVEN wrote:
this might date me, but the beginning of the song takes my mind to 2PAC, not this OG :) I’m glad the message in both songs is the same :
 
You took the typing off my keyboard....Long Live RP and great song sampling!!   
Great tune but Bruce's catalogue runs really deep.
this might date me, but the beginning of the song takes my mind to 2PAC, not this OG :) I’m glad the message in both songs is the same :\
 Steely_D wrote:
I'll never be able to convince anyone that the signature triplets in this song were something that I'd used as the backbone of a song 40 years ago. Now, if I play them, folks will think I stole them. Rats.

Also, as much as I love this tune, the drum loop really bugs me. Wish he'd replaced it with a live person for the final recording. 
 

I don't hear any triplets.  In fact, if there were triplets in there they would clash with the drum loop, which as you point out, is brutally stiff.
 dawistep261 wrote:
hi, I'm a  new listener from Edinburgh Scotland, I am 59 and a massive,  music and radio fan, everything from 60's 70's rock right up to today's bands eg high flying birds with Noel Gallagher whom I saw at Edinburgh castle last year during Edinburgh castle. My local radio stations are radio forth, BBC Radio Scotland, and my favourite national stations are planet rock . I have a music collection on my pc as well as over 200 cds. There is nothing like Rock to get me through the day
 
RP will broaden your musical horizons.  I'll thank Bill for you now.
Also, this song will give you some insight into US race/social status relations.
I wish this song was an anachronism. In some ways the situation is worse now than when he wrote it.

The 'color bar' was a real thing - a strip of paper with color swatches on it, from Irish-pale to Ghana-dark.
c.
hi, I'm a  new listener from Edinburgh Scotland, I am 59 and a massive,  music and radio fan, everything from 60's 70's rock right up to today's bands eg high flying birds with Noel Gallagher whom I saw at Edinburgh castle last year during Edinburgh castle. My local radio stations are radio forth, BBC Radio Scotland, and my favourite national stations are planet rock . I have a music collection on my pc as well as over 200 cds. There is nothing like Rock to get me through the day
I absolutely love this song.  Thanks, Bill. It's been a while since I've heard it.
Perfect song for RP snobs.
yeah, this has to go bye-bye.
Such a great song but the overplay really ruined it for me. That 80s production sound often wears thin.
I see from his wiki that he had a couple other top 10 hits, but I certainly don't recognize them by name. He really cracked the code with this one. And I guess that's just the difference between a #1 song and a top ten hit. 
That piano playing...
 joempie wrote:
Good song, but way too mainstream for RP imho. Heard it thousands of times already on mainstream radio. 

Giving it a 1 just to make a point...
 

 


I'm not a fan of your scoring logic either but I agree with the rest of your post. I'd prefer to hear a relatively unknown gem from Bruce instead...
 aaronm wrote:

"I like this song on its merits, but it bothers me that other people enjoy it too. One star."

 
Never understood these who think that their opinion should have more weight than other's opinions. "I'll give it a 1 because I think it's worth 7 instead of the 9 it's currently rated at."
 joempie wrote:
Good song, but way too mainstream for RP imho. Heard it thousands of times already on mainstream radio. 

Giving it a 1 just to make a point...
 

 
"I like this song on its merits, but it bothers me that other people enjoy it too. One star."
 joempie wrote:
Good song, but way too mainstream for RP imho. Heard it thousands of times already on mainstream radio. 

Giving it a 1 just to make a point...
 

 
Maybe read the lyrics ...
I could always pick out a Bruce Hornsby song out of a "crowd" - distinctive piano sound.
Reminds me of this 5-part podcast series. Excellent production. Educational. Tough stuff.

WNYC Studios’ “On The Media” Presents “Busted: America’s Poverty Myths”

https://www.wnyc.org/press/on-the-media-poverty-series/92816/

 divisionlane wrote:
Tend to agree with previous comments but earlier today heard an alt right bigot preaching his brand of America on NPR and somehow this fits....

 
NPR!  What are you, a socialist?
Reminds me of being a kid. Nice one.
timeless {#Good-vibes}
fabulous musician with an impressive resume—another great choice, Bill  
 joempie wrote:
Good song, but way too mainstream for RP imho. Heard it thousands of times already on mainstream radio. 

Giving it a 1 just to make a point...
 
Is your point that you don't understand who decides what belongs on RP?
Didn't think that much of it 30 years ago, but it sounds nice in 2017.
Lame.
Tend to agree with previous comments but earlier today heard an alt right bigot preaching his brand of America on NPR and somehow this fits....
Good song, but way too mainstream for RP imho. Heard it thousands of times already on mainstream radio. 

Giving it a 1 just to make a point...
 
A song I never need to hear again in my lifetime.
I don't particularly like Kenny G either (except maybe the tune Midnight Motion which is awesome maybe because he plays tenor sax on this cut I believe ?....can't stand soprano sax at all) ... but I don't get the comparison of  Bruce Hornsby's piano playing to Kenny G's style on the sax?? Hornsby's style is pretty cool and kinda funky. Some of these young people these days lump everything halfway mellow into the same category and call it elevator music!? I guess because it doesn't work in a mosh pit?  :^ /
 h8rhater wrote:

The Liberace of posters.

 

That made no sense.  Are you saying ppopp has a candlestick, or he is gay notthatthereisanythingwrongwiththat?

Anyway, I have to agree with ppopp.  While Hornsby did have his moments, this particular piece is way too schmaltzy for me.  Let the ad-hominems begin.
 CHuLoYo wrote:
I always hear 2Pac here

 
I always wait to hear the beat drop in too. Bill needs to add that to the mix to, probably a little edgier than most of the songs, but still powerful none-the-less.
 
This will always remind me of the 80ties! I loved the decade, it was great fun!{#Roflol}
 ppopp wrote:
The Kenny G of pianists.

 
What nonsense, The Grateful Dead respectfully disagreed. C'mon man..
I have just heard this WAY too many times.
 ppopp wrote:
The Kenny G of pianists.

 
The Liberace of posters.

*fart noise*——->  PSD


I always hear 2Pac here
Always reminds me of the train set I wanted but never had.
The Kenny G of pianists.
hmmmmm  Williamsburg -
I'll never be able to convince anyone that the signature triplets in this song were something that I'd used as the backbone of a song 40 years ago. Now, if I play them, folks will think I stole them. Rats.

Also, as much as I love this tune, the drum loop really bugs me. Wish he'd replaced it with a live person for the final recording. 
Always great to hear Bruce, even if it is his most well known song.

For people that only know him from his few radio hits, check him and the Noise Makers out in concert.  You will see a great show.

Of course you won't see him this weekend unless you are attending the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well tour in Chicago. 
 Antigone wrote:
Don't care what anyone else thinks of this, I like it. It takes me back, big time. And reminds me of a happy memory with my former best friend. She took me to a BH concert for my birthday one year, and he played dedications. She had him play a song for me ... though he screwed up the dedication she wrote for him to say.

And he's a Virginia boy.

 
And still ...

Good, timely lyrics ...
Although having many famous songs (this being one of them) just found out about Bruce Hornsbys existece when I whatched World Greatest Dad.
I was 11 when this came out... Just starting to catch a whiff of hypocrisy, social classes, injustices, racism, privledge... I remember trying to unpack all the lyrics and figure it out.
Insipid huh? You mean like your stock, derivative comment?

 
ppopp wrote:
Insipid tune of the day. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 


ugg, are you Sirius?
Insipid tune of the day. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Wow I really forgot how great and social this song is....
 
dang, that was 1986...where's the time gone?  {#Eek}
Kind of like it, except for the very uninspired drums beat.
Nice, reminds me of New York in January 1987. All the stations were playing this tune. Cool times {#Music}
It's a good song, but hearing it on this station makes me feel a little bit like I'm at the dentist's office or something and Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" might come on next.
 Propayne wrote:

Yep, from my home town, Williamsburg Va.

Some great local musical talent in the tidewater area in the '70s.

Hornsby, Wampus Cat, Gail Warning...

 
I'm from Currituck and being stuck up here in mountains for so long, this (and all his other music) reminds me of home. I miss it terribly.
What a fuck? Is this his maiden name, before becoming 2pac?
Good song from the 80's, thank you for playing
Great song, bought the 7" but now, for me, its all about the piano and the solo.    Great solo.  



8
Taken from what I regard sa his greatest Album ... Shall never tire of it ...Thanks for airing it Bill, a resounding 10 from me..
BRUCE'S ABILITY TO PLAY EVERYTHING FROM FREEFORM JAZZ TO GRAMMY WINNING BLUGRASS PROVES HE IS NO PRIMADONNA, HE AND GERRY COULD JAM FOR DAYS AND HYP-MO-TIZE......
How come every single Bruce Hornsby radio song from back in the day had the exact same drumbeat? I just could never get past that.
"Greendale's the way to goes..." 
I'm pretty sure i hated this song in the 80's... i certainly didn't give it any air-time on my clock-radio... now I'll give it a 7 and it's growing on me. It helps to hear it mixed in the other eclectic sounds found on RP.
 richardgold wrote:
Are we the only office who play 'guess the band?' all day with Radio Paradise. We don't keep a score because everyone here is a ... no that's a lie .. because I would lose and I am the boss.

 
 
 jimys wrote:
Always loved the piano in this.
 

At its root, this song is just three chords— D, C, G...

but Bruce Hornsby does soooo much with those chords...  amazing piano playing— amazing emotive song...

 
Always loved the piano in this.
Standin' in line marking time
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old lady's eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
Ah, but don't you believe them

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 Antigone wrote:
Don't care what anyone else thinks of this, I like it. It takes me back, big time. And reminds me of a happy memory with my former best friend. She took me to a BH concert for my birthday one year, and he played dedications. She had him play a song for me ... though he screwed up the dedication she wrote for him to say.

And he's a Virginia boy.
 
Yep, from my home town, Williamsburg Va.

Some great local musical talent in the tidewater area in the '70s.

Hornsby, Wampus Cat, Gail Warning...
Don't care what anyone else thinks of this, I like it. It takes me back, big time. And reminds me of a happy memory with my former best friend. She took me to a BH concert for my birthday one year, and he played dedications. She had him play a song for me ... though he screwed up the dedication she wrote for him to say.

And he's a Virginia boy.
Thank you for playing this. Really nice.
A blast from the past.   If you like his piano thing.
 sajitjacob wrote:
And yet 3 years after this came out the Berlin Wall fell. Most people's lives are better now than they were even a generation ago, and check out the infant mortality rates of 100 years ago!. At the end of the day it's all about perspective.
Hopelessness is the seed of apathy, 

It's Friday beer o clock, and I drink to hope and Bill's tunes that have kept me going though some rough old times.

 
Thanks. Sometimes we need to be reminded how far we've come.

- I grew up in Montgomery Alabama. I've seen racism up close and personal. Mr. Hornsby references some elements ('the color bar') that have disappeared, thankfully. Racism is still there, no doubt, but there has been some progress.
- I was fortunate(?) enough to visit East Berlin around 1986. At that time no one, NO ONE, could imagine the wall coming down in their lifetime.

Peace.
 ckcotton wrote:
Is that a Laser Disc on the front cover

:)

Who remembers THOSE? 
 

Speaking of older technology, my grandfather worked for Deutsche Grammophon for a while.  He was awarded several patents related to the cutting edge technology of the time - flat vinyl disks.
 cosmiclint wrote:

We're dancing on the west coast too!

 

A younger RN with whom I worked in the 1980s talked about what a great tune this was to dance to. Listening to it now I see it. 
Are we the only office who play 'guess the band?' all day with Radio Paradise. We don't keep a score because everyone here is a ... no that's a lie .. because I would lose and I am the boss.
 daisymaybee wrote:
Also love the Tupac version.
 
Always wait for the Tupac versions beat to drop.  Mighty powerful it is.
No PSD in iTunes, arghhh.
 helgigermany wrote:
Classic! Nice! Never overplayed!
 

OH, YES!!! Terribly overplayed!
Classic! Nice! Never overplayed!
Gets better every time I hear it.
Also love the Tupac version.
 MiracleDrug wrote:


L'Empereur has spoken!!
 
I think Nuance would like Pandora radio - everything played is what you like and only what you like!
 ckcotton wrote:
Is that a Laser Disc on the front cover

:)

Who remembers THOSE? 
 

It is!  My dad retired from RCA.  BTW - Love this song.  I guess I'm old enough.  Can't be sad and listen to this song.  It's impossible {#Bananapiano}
What you said.  Also about it being Friday. {#Yes} 

sajitjacob wrote:
And yet 3 years after this came out the Berlin Wall fell.

 


...i just picked up bruce hornsby's newest live album this weekend, bride of the noisemakers, and it's pretty good...i'm still listening through it, but i like what i hear:  what's confusing are the vocals, which alternately don't sound a thing at all like the bruce hornsby to which i'm accustomed, but occasionally bear a flash of resemblance to his voice...
 Nuance wrote:

Actually... this song has no place on the playlist. Please take it off and not make me hear it anymore.
 

L'Empereur has spoken!!
 lemmoth wrote:


I agree with everything you say here. 
 
me, too
 Byronape wrote:
This song has all the elements of the music I generally hate.  The music has a cheesy 80's lounge act vibe, the vocals fit into a predictable pattern, the "hook" is prominent, and even the piano is over the top.  

That being said, I really like this song.  Maybe because it is all those things and still works.  Maybe because I first heard it while my musical tastes were still developing, or maybe just because it's a really good song.

 
 
I was lucky enough to see him live once. It was a magical show, he took requests from the audience and played many of them. 
I had always thought of him as this song, but he's a talented artist in a way few are. 
 Byronape wrote:
This song has all the elements of the music I generally hate.  The music has a cheesy 80's lounge act vibe, the vocals fit into a predictable pattern, the "hook" is prominent, and even the piano is over the top.  

That being said, I really like this song.  Maybe because it is all those things and still works.  Maybe because I first heard it while my musical tastes were still developing, or maybe just because it's a really good song.

 
 

I agree with everything you say here. 
wow, this takes me right back to the back of the minivan.  i feel like i should call my sisters and start a fight.