I was at “A Sound Day” reading Dave’s blog and he talked about Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s live album Nine Tonight that this song came off. I had forgotten about this song completely until Dave brought it up. So I give all credit for this post to Dave. It was like finding a long-lost pair of jeans you liked and missed. This song is not one they wear out on the radio as much.
Do you notice what song released around the same time sounds like this? Looks like the Eagles may have heard this version or the original and written the song The Long Run. Rock Critic Dave Marsh called The Long Run a complete ripoff of the 1972 R&B record “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You” and after listening to them…I do agree they are very similar.
Otis Clay was a soul singer in the 60s and had his biggest hit with this song in 1972. He never could seem to break through…he had a good soul voice. He continued to make music until 2015 and he passed away in 2016.
This one was written by Eugene Frank Williams which Clay recorded a version in 1972 that only peaked at #102 on Billboard and #24 on the Soul Charts. Less than ten years later Bob Seger would take the song to a much higher place.
The song was on Seger’s Nine Tonight live album released in 1981. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard Album Charts, #6 in Canada, #24 in the UK, and #37 in New Zealand in 1981.
The song was a hit…it peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100 and #11 in Canada.
Trying To Live My Life Without You
… All right, you guys feel funky tonight, ah yeahthis is an old Memphis song, old Memphis songI used to smokeFive packs of cigarettes a dayIt was the hardest thingTo put them awayI drink four or five bottles of wineI kept a glassIn my hand all the timeBreaking those habits was hard to doBut nothing compared to the changesYou put me throughTrying to live my life without you babeIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever doTrying to forget the love we once sharedIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever haveAll right, I saidI had the worst reputation in townFor chasing all the women aroundI thought changing my way of livingWas hard to doBut it’s nothing compared to the changesThat you put me throughI’ve done everything I’ve tried to doBut it’s gonna take a miracleTo get me over youTrying to live my life without you babeIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever doTrying to forget the love we once sharedIt’s the hardest thing I’ll ever haveAll right, I saidI had the worst reputation in townFor chasing all the women aroundI thought changing my way of livingWas hard to doBut it’s nothing compared to the changesThat you put me throughI’ve done everything I’ve tried to doBut it’s gonna take a miracleTo get me over you
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Bob wrote a lot of great tracks but could also pull off a decent cover as well which this tune proves.
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That voice is golden also…
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Very true and very distinctive as when u heard him sing u knew it was him…
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Always liked his music, voice, lyrics.
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Thanks for the plug! A good song, at the time it was big on radio up in Canada, but I’ve probably not heard it on regular radio (excepting reruns of Casey Kasem countdowns) this century. Which is a shame because personally I like it better than ‘Old Time rock & Roll’, and even if most don’t, maybe classic rock stations could play this once a week and cut back ‘Old Time’ to just 34 spins …
Even when I posted my blog and heard some of that Otis clay original, I didn’t quite get the Eagles comparison, but hearing them side by side, there is some definite similarity there.
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I can’t figure out why the original version wasn’t a big hit unless he was with a small record company which I think he was. The reason I noticed the similarity is because of the bass line. Then I googled both and I got the Marsh quote and it fit.
Oh yes I like it better than Old Time Rock and Roll… they could never play it again and I would be happy.
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‘Fire Lake’ is another by him that was a hit but you almost never hear these days.
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That one is probably my favorite song by him….Fire Lake that is.
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Although the songs are different, they both start off with the same music, so it is not a complete rip off, but the Eagles did borrow heavily from the beginning.
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Yea that bass line especially and the way they phrase certain things.
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I enjoyed listening to this, but I hadn’t heard it before. The lyrics are brave, honest and direct. I like that.
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His voice is special…and unique. You know who he is when he sings.
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Seger is someone I wished I heard more from. Although, I wore his greatest hits out to death. I agree it’s a distinctive voice.
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Seger got a songwriting credit on ‘Heartache Tonight’ from The Long Run album IIRC.
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I think he did yes…I think he was good friends with Glenn Frey…both from Michigan.
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Great rendition of the tune by Bob Seger. And, yep, I can hear some similarities to the Eagles’ “The Long Run.” Of course, it’s a very commonly used chord progression.
Still, I find it somewhat ironical that a band who is known for ferociously defending their own IP and immediately sending copyright lawyers after anyone who plays their music “unauthorized” may have engaged themselves in questionable conduct.
Better beware, Mr. Henley, somebody might sue you!
Full disclosure: I love the music by Eagles. They are one of my favorite bands. I also think Don Henley is a great vocalist and songwriter. I just find their aggressive behavior to be completely over the top!
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Remember I have told you in the past that I try to separate the art from the artist? The Eagles are hard for me but I do try with them…I like them besides Henley and Frey…the rest I really like and yes I know the two of them have a lot of talent…no denying that.
I like Henley’s music more on his own…but yea I agree with you on how aggressive they are is ridiculous. I saw Henley live on one of his early nineties tours.
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