The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby album)

The Way It Is
Studio album by Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Released	April 1, 1986
Recorded	1985–1986 Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park; Ocean Way Recording and Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood; Studio D Recording, Sausalito; King Sound Studios, Hollywood Hills; Village Recorders, Los Angeles.
Genre	Rock, soft rock
Length	43:12
Label	RCA Records
Producer	Bruce Hornsby, Huey Lewis, Elliot Scheiner
Bruce Hornsby chronology
The Way It Is (1986) Scenes from the Southside (1988)Scenes from the Southside1988
Alternative cover art
First U.S. release cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B–

The Way It Is is Bruce Hornsby and the Range's debut album, released in 1986. Led by its hit title track, the album went on to achieve multi-platinum status and helped the group to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Other hits from the album include "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss". Huey Lewis features on harmonica and vocals on "Down the Road Tonight" . Lewis also co-produced the song, along with the tracks "The Long Race" and "The River Runs Low".

The original release of the album featured an impressionistic photograph on the cover of Bruce Hornsby playing an accordion. It was originally targeted at the New Age music market and featured slightly different versions of the songs "Down the Road Tonight" and "The River Runs Low."

Once the album's tracks started to receive regular airplay on Pop Music stations in late 1986, the album was remixed and was re-released with a new sepia-toned cover featuring a photo of the band superimposed over a photo of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Tracks 2 and 5 written by Bruce Hornsby; all other songs written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby. Track times are for the current release of the album. Note: the opening of "Every Little Kiss" features an extended quotation of Charles Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2.

Produced by DIR Broadcasting for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. Recorded live at The Ritz, New York City, February 2, 1987 by Effanel Music.

^*sales figures based on certification alone
^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone