"My Life" is a song by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

that first appeared on his 1978 album ''

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

''. A single version was released in the fall of 1978 and reached No. 2 on the U.S.

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. Early the next year, it peaked at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Musical structure

The song begins with drums, electric bass, and a left-hand piano part, followed by a

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mu ...

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

in the right hand. The riff is also used as a fill between verse and chorus sections and is also played at the end. The section order is intro-verse-fill-chorus-bridge-v-f-c-b-solo-c-outro.

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

members

Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His ...

and

Donnie Dacus James O. "Donnie" Dacus (born October 12, 1951, in Pasadena, Texas) is an American guitarist, backing vocalist, actor, songwriter, and co- producer. He has been a member of the rock bands Chicago and Badfinger. Early life Dacus grew up in Cleb ...

performed the backing vocals and sang along with Joel during the bridge and in the outro ("Keep it to yourself, it's my life"). "My Life" was used as the theme song for the ABC television series ''

Bosom Buddies ''Bosom Buddies'' is an American television sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson ( Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions). It aired on Thursday nights for two seasons on ABC fr ...

'' (1980–82), albeit in a re-recorded version with a different vocalist. However, due to licensing issues, it does not appear on the VHS and DVD releases of the series, nor is it used in the show's syndicated airings; in both cases, it is replaced by a vocal version of the show's closing instrumental theme, "Shake Me Loose", sung by Stephanie Mills.

Reception

'' Billboard'' described "My Life" as "an infectious uptempo tune guaranteeing a good mood for the listener." '' Cash Box'' said that the "jumpy, upfront beat, keyboards, and acoustic guitar lines back Joel's strong singing" and praised the "musical and lyrical hooks."

Personnel

– lead and backing vocals, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, synthesizers * David Brown – electric guitar * Russell Javors – acoustic guitar *

Doug Stegmeyer Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as the bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates. Biography ...

– bass *

Liberty DeVitto Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for New York singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings ...

– drums * Richie Cannata – clarinet *

– backing vocals *

– backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:My Life (Billy George Song) 1978 singles 1979 singles Billy Joel songs Comedy television theme songs Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone Songs written by Billy Joel Columbia Records singles 1978 songs Number-one singles in Zimbabwe