"The Glamorous Life" is a song written by Prince, recorded by singer/percussionist Sheila E. 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".

Originally intended to be recorded by Vanity, "The Glamorous Life" is the title track and closing song on Sheila E.'s debut solo album, and reached number 7 on the U.S. pop charts, as well as number 1 on the U.S. dance charts, and earned two Grammy Award nominations and three MTV Award nominations.

Sheila E.'s live performances of the song became memorable events, most notably for her percussion solo towards the end of the song. Depending on the occasion, she would either spin around several times while drumming without missing a beat during the rigorous solo, place one highly elevated foot on a snare while standing on the other leg mid-solo, or perform with glow-in-the-dark drumsticks. While the solo featured in the song helped to bolster Sheila E.'s fame, all subsequent versions of this song have no drum solo. She performed this song as part of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band during their 2001, 2003 and 2006 tours.

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"The Glamorous Life" was covered by Australian actress/singer Melissa Tkautz in 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 for Highest Selling Single in 1992. After a twelve-year hiatus from the music industry, Tkautz returned with her cover of Sheila E.'s 1984 hit "The Glamorous Life" and a new album Lost & Found. "The Glamorous Life" debuted and peaked at number thirty-one on the Australian Singles Chart in September 2005 and spent two weeks in the top fifty. Almost the same time that Melissa Tkautz released her cover version of the song, Australian dance music act T-Funk also released their version which also peaked at number thirty-one on the singles chart.

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