"A Life of Illusion" | |
---|---|
Single by Joe Walsh | |
from the album There Goes the Neighborhood | |
B-side | "Rockets" |
Released | May 1981 |
Format | 7" |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 3:30 |
Label | Asylum |
Writer(s) | Joe Walsh, Kenny Passarelli |
Producer(s) | Joe Walsh |
"A Life of Illusion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh, which became a hit and one of his most recognizable songs. It appears as the fifth track on his 1981 album, There Goes the Neighborhood. The majority of the track was originally recorded in 1973 as part of The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get sessions.
The song was a hit in the United States, peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reaching #1 on the magazine's Top Tracks chart, where his former bandmates Don Henley and Glenn Frey would also score #1 hits.
The song is used as the musical background to the opening scene in the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and appears as the first track on the soundtrack album. It is also heard, albeit briefly, in the 2010 movie Grown Ups. It's also heard frequently when they're going to a break on MSNBC Morning Joe.
In 2002, the Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song as a B Side, which later appeared on their covers album Medium Rare in 2011.