"The Secret of Life" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Gretchen Peters Gretchen Peters (born November 14, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She was born in New York, where she wrote her first song with her sister at the age of 5. In 1970, her parents broke up, and Peters moved with her mother to Boulder, ...

. It was then recorded by

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

and released in April 1999 as the fifth and final single from her album ''

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

''. It peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and at No. 2 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart. It also peaked at No. 46 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Peters included the original version of the song on her 1996 debut album of the same name and later added a new acoustic recording as a bonus track on her 2015 album ''Blackbirds''.

Music video

The night before the video was to be shot, the original location for the bar that the directors scouted out had a fire and burned. The Palace Saloon in

Fernandina Beach Fernandina may refer to: *Fernandina Beach, Florida **Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site *Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands *Fernandina (fruit), a citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

(located on

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlanti ...

) suffered extensive damage to the interior only. The video opens with a street shot showing the exterior of The Palace with a banner reading "The Starlight Bar & Lounge" covering The Palace sign. The exterior is used in several shots including Hill standing at the entrance with the doors closed. The interior of the saloon was rebuilt and remains open to this day and is billed as "Florida's oldest continuously operating bar". The video showcases Hill as an observer to the bar conversation referenced in the lyrics. Scenes of small-town life are interspersed. Throughout the video, various characters hold up photographs that seem to come to life. Some of the interior scenes were filmed at St. Nick's lounge in Jacksonville, Florida. St. Nick's lounge has been a part of the bar scene in Jacksonville since the late 40s. It was directed by Steven Goldmann.

Chart positions

"The Secret of Life" debuted at number 75 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 8, 1999.

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Of Life 1999 singles 1998 songs Faith Hill songs Songs written by Gretchen Peters Song recordings produced by Byron Gallimore Warner Records singles Music videos directed by Steven Goldmann