THE WAY IT IS
"The Way It Is" is a song by American rock group Bruce Hornsby and the Range. It was released in August 1986 as the second single from their debut album The Way It Is. It topped the charts in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands in 1986, and peaked inside the top twenty in such countries as Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Written by Bruce Hornsby, it made explicit reference to the Civil Rights Movement. Musically, the song is characterized by two long piano solos. Tupac Shakur sampled the song in his hit "Changes". (More from Wikipedia)
Bruce Hornsby and the Range, A Night on the Town – I signed up for one of those Internet music services at about the time I got these CD’s (Pandora probably); I guess I was supposed to buy a lot of songs and albums through the website, but I never even got around to downloading the 20 free songs that they offered me. I’m just too old-school I guess! In any case, it was an easier way to play CD’s than what I have on my computer at work now; and one bonus was that I could easily call up a short review of whatever CD I was playing rather than having to pull one up on Wikipedia or Allmusic. The review for this 1990 CD called it their “rock album”; it definitely does rock harder than the hits by the piano-driven Bruce Hornsby and the Range that I have heard over the years, like “The Way it Is”. I have little doubt that I have the right Bruce Hornsby album. Allmusic provides the details: John Mellencamp producer Don Gehman is on hand, and guest artists include Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia, Shawn Colvin (early in her career), banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and jazz bassist Charlie Haden.
(December 2015)
