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 song I used to smoke Five packs of cigarettes a day It was the hardest thing To put them away I drink four or five bottles of wine I kept a glass In my hand all the time Breaking those habits was hard to do But nothing compared to the changes You put me through Trying to live my life without you babe It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever do Trying to forget the love we once shared It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have All right, I said I had the worst reputation in town For chasing all the women around I thought changing my way of living Was hard to do But it’s nothing compared to the changes That you put me through I’ve done everything I’ve tried to do But it’s gonna take a miracle To get me over you Trying to live my life without you babe It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever do Trying to forget the love we once shared It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have All right, I said I had the worst reputation in town For chasing all the women around I thought changing my way of living Was hard to do But it’s nothing compared to the changes That you put me through I’ve done everything I’ve tried to do But it’s gonna take a miracle To get me over you