Is This the Life

"Is This the Life" (also written "Is This the Life?") is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their debut studio album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window (1988). The song was released on vinyl by the Alphabet Business Concern and Torso on 16 April 1988 as the only single from the album. The song was previously recorded for the demo albums Toy World (1981) and The Seaside (1984). It also briefly attained chart success (peaking at number 80) after being played on various Radio 1 shows thanks to DJ Liz Kershaw.^[2][3] The Torso version of the 7" is exactly the same as the Alphabet release although it comes in a paper sleeve instead of a cardboard one. Only the Torso 12" differs in both track listing and cover design.

"Is This the Life"
Single by Cardiacs
from the album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
Released	16 April 1988
Studio	The Workhouse (London)
Genre	New wave^[1] post-punk^[1]
Length	5:39
Label	Alphabet Business Concern Torso
Songwriter(s)	Tim Smith
Producer(s)	Tim Smith
Cardiacs singles chronology
"There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" (1987) "Is This the Life" (1988) "Susannah's Still Alive" (1988)

Track listing

• Seven-inch single

1. "Is This the Life" – 5:36
2. "I'm Eating in Bed" – 5:06

• Twelve-inch single

1. "Is This the Life" – 5:36
2. "Goosegash" – 1:56
3. "I'm Eating in Bed" – 5:06

Personnel

Credits adapted from the 12" single liner notes.^[4]

Studio locations

• Recorded at The Workhouse (Old Kent Rd, London)
• "Goosegash" was recorded at the Slaughterhouse (Driffield, Yorkshire)

Cardiacs

• Tim Quy – percussion, marimba, synthesiser
• Tim Smith – loud singing, guitar
• Jim Smith – bass guitar, voice
• Sarah Smith – saxes, clarinets, voice
• William D. Drake – keyboards, voice
• Dominic Luckman – drum set

Also:

• Elain Herman – violins

Technical

• Pete Hammond – engineering, executive producer
• Stuart Barry – engineering
• Graham Simmonds – engineering, final mixing (Side Two)
• Roger Tebbutt – final mixing (Side One)
• Tim Smith – producer

Artwork

• David Oliver – photography

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Is This the Life"

Chart (1988)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)^[5]	80

Covers & Tributes

• English band Mikrokosmos recorded a cover which was part of (and released on) 'Leader Of The Starry Skies (A Tribute To Tim Smith) Songbook 1' album in 2010.^[6]
• English psychedelic rock band The Cheethams released a cover of the song as a B-side to 'Deaded & Ditched (Single)' on 16 March 2024.^[7]

Notes

References

1. Sacher, Andrew (23 July 2020). "The Essentiality of Cardiacs' 'A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
2. Cashmore, Pete (2 June 2015). "Cult heroes: Tim Smith led the Cardiacs in the face of hatred – and much love". The Guardian. from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
3. Sgrignoli, Marco (20 July 2022). "Cardiacs - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto". Ondarock [it] (in Italian). Retrieved 11 August 2022.
4. "Is This the Life" (12" single liner notes). Cardiacs. UK: Alphabet Business Concern. 1988. ALPH 008T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
6. "Discogs".
7. "Deaded & Ditched (Single)". Discogs. Retrieved 16 March 2024.

External links

• Audio on YouTube
• Is This the Life at Discogs (list of releases)