This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald song)
2007 single by Amy Macdonald
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"This Is the Life" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald from her 2007 debut album of the same name. It was released on 10 December 2007 in the United Kingdom and in 2008 in most European countries. It became a hit in mainland Europe, topping the charts of five countries and reaching the top 10 on 12 other European music listings. Conversely, the song did not match the success of "Mr Rock & Roll" in the United Kingdom, stalling at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video consists of pictures of Macdonald and her friends' night out.
_coverart.jpg)
| "This Is the Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Amy Macdonald | ||||
| from the album This Is the Life | ||||
| Released | 10 December 2007 | |||
| Studio | Brookland Road, Soho (London)[1] | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter | Amy Macdonald | |||
| Producer | Pete Wilkinson | |||
| Amy Macdonald singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "This Is the Life" on YouTube | ||||
Background
Macdonald explained in a video posted on March 30, 2023, on her official TikTok account that she wrote the song when she was 16 years old. She shared that one night she went out using her sister's ID and had an amazing time. However, the next day, she was caught and grounded, spending the entire day in her room. It was during that confinement day that, inspired by the unforgettable night before, she wrote the song.[2]
Composition
"This is the Life" is three minutes and five seconds long, and is written in the key of C-sharp minor. It is set in common time and has a tempo of 100 beats per minute. MacDonald's vocal range is from G♯3 to A4.[3] In an interview with Expressen, MacDonald said that the song took about 10 minutes to write.[4]
Chart performance
The song was first released in December 2007 in the United Kingdom but achieved only moderate success, peaking at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and number 18 on the Scottish Singles Chart.[5][6] Throughout 2008, it was released throughout most of Europe, reaching number one in Austria,[7] Belgium,[8][9] the Czech Republic,[10] and the Netherlands.[11] In Flanders and the Netherlands, "This Is the Life" was the highest-selling song of 2008.[12][13] The single reached the top three in France,[14] Germany,[15] Hungary,[16] Italy,[17] Spain,[18] Sweden,[19] and Switzerland.[20] In Spain, the song was certified double platinum, denoting sales of over 80,000 units, in 2009.[21] In Norway, the song reached number 10 during its initial release, but in January 2011, it re-entered the chart at number one.[22] "This Is the Life" was Macdonald's only song to chart in North America, peaking at number 19 on the US Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.[23]
In popular culture
The song was used in a 2010 advert for the Fiat 500 shown across Europe.[24] It was also used in a Norwegian advert in early 2011 and re-entered the country's official chart at number one. The track was released in the United States on a vinyl 45 rpm single (Decca UCGR-00199-1) with a unique picture sleeve, backed with "Let's Start a Band."
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BRMA)[60] | Platinum | |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[62] | 5× Gold | 750,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[63] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae)[65] | 2× Platinum | 50,000* |
| Spain (Promusicae)[66] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Sweden (GLF)[67] | Gold | 10,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[68] | Gold | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[69] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||