The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby song)

"The Way It Is"
UK & European picture sleeves
Single by Bruce Hornsby and the Range
from the album The Way It Is
B-side"The Wild Frontier"
ReleasedJuly 1986
StudioStudio D (Sausalito, California)
Genre
Length4:58
LabelRCA
SongwriterBruce Hornsby
Producers
Bruce Hornsby and the Range singles chronology
"Every Little Kiss"
(1986) 		"The Way It Is"
(1986) 		"On the Western Skyline"
(1986)
Music video
"The Way It Is" on YouTube

"The Way It Is" is a song by American rock group Bruce Hornsby and the Range. It was released in July 1986 as the second single from their debut album, The Way It Is. The song topped the charts of Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States while entering the top 20 in at least eight other countries, including Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Written by Bruce Hornsby, it made explicit reference to the Economic Opportunity Act, also known as the 1964 Poverty Act, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Hornsby referred to it as a "song about racism."[3]

Background

In 1985, working by himself in his garage in Van Nuys, California, Hornsby wrote the lyrics for "The Way It Is" first, after which he developed the song's music[4], and created the song's piano lick.[5] The song later appeared on a demo recording made by Hornsby that included "Mandolin Rain" and "The Red Plains". This tape led to him being signed by RCA in 1985.[6]

Song lyrics and music

The opening verse recounts a story taking place at a line for welfare that illustrates a divide between the rich and poor; the second verse recounts ongoing social issues from the voice of someone supporting racial segregation.

The final verse recounts the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 "to give those who ain't got a little more", and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a victory in the civil rights movement against job discrimination against Black people, but insists that more work is needed. The last line promotes the idea that at the end of the hiring process, "the line on the color bar" of a job application carries a lot of weight, meaning that a person of color would not get a job as easily as someone who entered "white" on that line. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2020, Hornsby provided his perspective on the song.

"The Way It is" was a wonderful accident, a great fluke. A song about racism with two improvised solos is hardly the formula for pop success then or at any time. Everyone thought it should have been a B side, but then BBC Radio 1 played it and, boom, there it went. The last place it hit was in the United States."[3]

When discussing the song with Steve Pond in a different interview published in Rolling Stone, Hornsby expressed his belief that the song was not commercial, adding that it was "a very even-running song" that "doesn't reach the highs and lows that I think of as desirable."[5]

The song's music video, which was filmed on a London rehearsal stage, was directed by Gerard de Thame and produced by Helen Langridge.[7]

Reception

Andy Gill wrote in New Musical Express that the song was "one of those rare cases where melancholia and euphoria shift subtly back and forth in constant elision, complementing the blend of hope and resignation in the lyrics."[8] Billboard said that the song combined roots rock with "articulate commentary".[9] Cash Box called the song "sensitive and wonderfully produced" and thought that it "should bring attention to Hornsby’s overlooked but worthy debut LP of the same name."[10]

A few years after its release, Coretta Scott King asked permission from Hornsby to use the song for the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[11]

Sampling usage

The song has been sampled by various rappers such as E-40 for his song "Things'll Never Change",[12] by Tupac for "Changes", by DJ Don Diablo for his song "Never Change", and Polo G for "Wishing for a Hero" in 2020.[13] According to Hornsby, Polo G had planned on booking an airplane to meet with him and ask for permission to sample "The Way it Is". After hearing the sampled track from Polo G's management, Hornsby reached out to the artist and authorized him to use the song in "Wishing for a Hero".[3]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "The Way It Is"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (January 22, 2021). "The Number Ones: Bruce Hornsby & The Range's "The Way It Is". Stereogum. Retrieved September 30, 2023. Bruce Hornsby & The Range's "The Way It Is," the gentle and florid soft-rock jam, is unambiguously a song about racism...
  2. ^ Smith, Troy L. (May 13, 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1980s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Browne, David (August 3, 2020). "Bruce Hornsby on the Hip-Hop Afterlife of 'The Way It Is' and His Posthumous Leon Russell Duet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8x-Btmmdts&list=RDN8x-Btmmdts&start_radio=1
  5. ^ a b Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 655. ISBN 978-0823076772.
  6. ^ "A Conversation with Bruce Hornsby | ROUTE Magazine". www.routemagazine.us.
  7. ^ Moleski, Linda (October 11, 1986). "Video Track" (PDF). Billboard. p. 56. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ Gill, Andy (October 25, 1986). "Bruce Hornsby: The Virginian". New Musical Express. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Rock's Backpages.
  9. ^ "Singles". Billboard. September 20, 1986. p. 73. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. September 13, 1986. p. 9. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (September 22, 1988). "Bruce Hornsby's Southern Comforts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Rock's Backpages.
  12. ^ E-40 - Things'll Never Change (Official Video) ft. Bo-Rock, retrieved December 20, 2021
  13. ^ Burgess, Omar (September 12, 2011). "Bruce Hornsby Talks Approving 2Pac's Song "Changes"". HipHopDX.
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. p. 142. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "Bruce Hornsby and the Range – The Way It Is" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ^ "Hits of the World: Canada". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 7. February 14, 1987. p. 63.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0759". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  18. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 38. September 27, 1986. p. 12.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bruce Hornsby and the Range". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 38, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ^ "Bruce Hornsby And The Range – The Way It Is" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  22. ^ "Bruce Hornsby And The Range – The Way It Is". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  24. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts H". rock.co.za. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  25. ^ "Bruce Hornsby And The Range – The Way It Is". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ^ "Bruce Hornsby And The Range Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  27. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. December 13, 1986. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. December 6, 1986. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. November 8, 1986. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  30. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. L, no. 26. December 13, 1986. p. 4.
  31. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  34. ^ "Hot 100 of the Year 1986". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. December 27, 1986. p. 29.
  35. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  38. ^ "No. 1 Awards 1987: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-22.
  39. ^ "No. 1 Awards 1987: Top Adult Contemporary Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-31.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Bruce Hornsby – The Way It Is". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 24, 2023. Select singles in the Formats field. Type The Way It Is Bruce Hornsby in the "Search:" field.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.