This Is The Life

Album: This Is The Life (2007)
Charted: 28
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about how great it is to be a musician. Amy McDonald explained on her website how she came to write this song: "I saw Pete Doherty's first gig in Glasgow after he left Libertines. It was a great night - he did a little acoustic thing at the aftershow party too, and we got into that. Then me and my pals went back to someone's house and just sat, passing the guitar round, singing songs. It was a brilliant night. The next morning I wrote 'This Is The Life' about it, cause I realized, this is the life."
  • On January 13 2008, over 5 months after its release, the This Is The Life album reached the top of the UK album charts.
  • Despite only reaching #28 in her native UK, this song topped the charts in a number of European countries, including Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
  • "This Is The Life" featured in a 2010 Fiat 500 TwinAir advert that was broadcast across Europe. The song was also used in a Norwegian commercial in early 2011, which triggered a resurgence on the Norwegian charts, where it re-entered at #1.
  • The song became popular in Saudi Arabia in the mid-2020s thanks to its use on TikTok and in social media videos featuring football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Comments: 3

  • Anonymous from HampshireDoes anyone have the tab for tin whistle for this song please.
  • Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumI have the cd and I love this song very much.
  • Thomas from Mont De Marsan, Francetrès belle chanson, sur un air de Country, elle nous procure de la joie et de la bonne humeur!c'est ça la vie!!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."