Life is Life

Album: Last Night On Earth (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the opening track from the English indie folk band Noah and the Whale's third studio album, Last Night on Earth. The record's title is a nod towards Charles Bukowski's poetry collection The Last Night of the Earth. Lead singer Charlie Fink explained he was attracted to the sense of "loser's pride" in Bukowski's work. "In my head," he said, "there is a link between Lou Reed's Berlin, and Bukowski's poetry."
  • This song's title is another Bukowski reference, tipping a hat to his poem The Laughing Heart - a verse whose final lines seem to sum up the record: "Your life is your life. Know it while you have it. You are marvelous. The Gods wait to delight in you."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.