"The Glamorous Life" is a song written by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, recorded by American percussionist

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

and produced by both. The song has lyrics which reflect a cynicism for the decadence and materialism of the song's protagonist, referred to in the third person, who "wants to lead a glamorous life", although she is aware that "without love, it ain't much". "The Glamorous Life" is the title track and closing song on Sheila E.'s debut solo album, and reached number seven on the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart, as well as number one on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart. The track earned two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations and three MTV Award nominations. In 2019, the original Prince demo of the song was released on his posthumous album '' Originals''.

Track listings

7-inch vinyl :A. "The Glamorous Life" – 3:41 :B. "The Glamorous Life Part II" – 3:12 12-inch vinyl :A. "The Glamorous Life" (club edit) – 6:33 :B. "The Glamorous Life Part II" – 3:12

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Melissa Tkautz version

"The Glamorous Life" was covered by Australian actress and singer

Melissa Tkautz Melissa Natalie Tkautz (born 24 January 1974) is an Australian actress, singer, model, and presenter. She played the role of Nikki Spencer on the popular Australian TV soap opera '' E Street'', from September 1990 to May 1993. During the early ...

in September 2005. The single was seen as a comeback for Tkautz who had enjoyed considerable success in the early 1990s both as an actress and singer. Tkautz had previously scored an Australian number-one hit in 1991 with the song " Read My Lips", which spent two weeks at the top spot and won her an

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

for Highest Selling Single in 1992. After a twelve-year hiatus from the music industry, Tkautz returned with her cover of

's 1984 hit "The Glamorous Life" and a new album '' Lost & Found''. "The Glamorous Life" debuted and peaked at number 31 on the Australian Singles Chart on September 18, 2005, and spent two weeks in the top 50.

Track listing

Australian CD single # "The Glamorous Life" (radio edit) – 3:22 # "The Glamorous Life" (AC radio edit) – 3:35 # "The Glamorous Life" (Hotfuss radio edit) – 3:21 # "The Glamorous Life" (Luke Leal vs. Peachy club mix) – 8:24 # "The Glamorous Life" (JimmyZ vs. Bootyscratcherz 4Play club mix) – 6:28 # "The Glamorous Life" (Hotfuss club mix) – 6:22

Charts

T-Funk version

Four weeks after Tkautz released her rendition of the song, Australian dance music act

T-Funk Mr Timothy (a.k.a. 'T-Funk', real name Tim Dudfield) is an Australian dance music producer and DJ. Over the years, he has worked on projects by a wide variety of artists including Madonna, INXS, Felix da Housecat, E Smoove, Inaya Day, Slinkee M ...

released their cover, which features vocals from American singer

Inaya Day Inaya Day (born Inaya Davis, January 17, 1977) is an American singer, best known for her vocal work on house music tracks such as "Horny '98" by Mousse T, and her cover version of " Nasty Girl" by Prince protégées Vanity 6. Biography Early ca ...

Andrew De Silva Andrew Conrad De Silva (born 23 November 1974) is an Australian R&B and Rock music singer. He was a member of the band CDB from 1993 to 1998, when he left to undergo treatment for cancer. De Silva won Australia's Got Talent in 2012, which inc ...

of Australian quartet CDB plays bass on the song. This version reached number 31 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart four weeks after Tkautz's rendition did the same. Outside Australia, this cover peaked at number five in Hungary and number six on the US ''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

Track listing

Australian CD single # "The Glamorous Life" (T-Funk radio edit) # "The Glamorous Life" (T-Funk 12-inch) # "The Glamorous Life" (original demo 12-inch) # "The Glamorous Life" (mrTimothy remix 12-inch)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Australian CD single liner notes. Studio * Recorded, mixed, and mastered at XXLarge Studio Personnel * Prince – writing *

– vocals *

– bass * mrTimothy (T-Funk) – production * Rudy Sandapa, Damian Smith – programming * Chris Petty – artwork and logo designs * One of a Kind – additional design

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glamorous Life, The 1984 debut singles 2005 singles Sheila E. songs Melissa Tkautz songs Songs written by Prince (musician) Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) 1984 songs Music videos directed by Mary Lambert Ministry of Sound singles Warner Records singles