Uriah Heep - Easy Livin'

"Easy Livin" has long been a fun-time party song, a go-to for small-town cover bands on Saturday nights, sure to win over the crowds. It makes sense, as the lyrics seem to about living a comfortable, stress-free life. Like Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good" and Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing," however, the song is actually meant to be ironic. Uriah Heep member Ken Hensley, who wrote this and most of the band's biggest songs, talked about the inspiration for this one: "After a few long days in the studio, some of us were sharing a taxi home, and the conversation drifted to the fact that most people see our lives as easy. That we just show up at a venue, play, collect a million dollars and go home!" The words "life" and "easy" stuck in Hensley's mind, and that night when he got back to his flat, he wrote "Easy Livin" in "about 15 minutes."

Hensley had no idea that "Easy Livin" would be such a hit.

"I knew we had a great song for the band and it translated into a great live song but, since I never wrote (nor write) with a particular 'destination' in mind, I hardly ever considered that a song may succeed to any extent at all."

Lyrics

This is a thing I've never known before It's called easy livin' This is a place I've never seen before And I've been forgiven Easy livin' and I've been forgiven Since you've taken your place in my heart Somewhere along the lonely road I had tried to find ya Day after day on the windy road I had walked behind ya Easy livin and I've been forgiven Since you've taken your place in my heart Waiting, watching Wishing my whole life away Dreaming, thinking Ready for my happy day And some easy livin'! Somewhere along the lonely road I had tried to find you Day after day on the windy road I had walked behind you Easy livin' and I've been forgiven Since you've taken your place in my heart Easy livin' and I've been forgiven Since you've taken your place in my heart