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What a Wonderful Life

Rating:
4.4 / 5

Words & Music: Sid Wayne Jerry Livingston

It's a wonderful life
This life I'm livin'
What a wonderful life, days with a life of ease, oh-ho-oh
Well, I've got no job to worry me
No big bad boss to hurry me
It's a wonderful life life's good to me

It's a wonderful road
This road I'm travelin'
It's a wonderful road headin' beyond the hills, oh-ho-oh
Oh it may go straight or it may detour
But one thing that I know for sure
It's a wonderful life, life's good to me

Don't know where I'm goin'
Don't care where I'm goin'
Like the four winds are blowin' I go on
Laughin' the day away, lovin the night away
Till the moon is gone
It's a wonderful life
This life I'm livin'
What a wonderful life
Livin' the life I love, oh yeah
Well I've got neighbors, I've got friends
Just about anywhere the rainbow ends
It's a wonderful life, life's good to me

Don't know where I'm goin'
Don't care where I'm goin'
Like the four winds are blowin' I go on
Laughin' the day away, lovin the night away
Till the moon is gone
It's a wonderful life
This life I'm livin'
What a wonderful life
Livin' the life I love, oh yeah
Well I've got neighbors, I've got friends
Just about anywhere the rainbow ends
It's a wonderful life, life's good to me
What a wonderful life, life's good to me, yeah
Crazy life, life's good to me
Oh what a life

Recordingdate: 1961/07/02, first released on: Follow That Dream (EP)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of What a Wonderful Life:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(piano)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with What a Wonderful Life.

old shep wrote on May 02, 2008
I think that the Follow That Dream EP contained good songs and this particular track swings along nicely.
NONE000000 wrote on November 01, 2009
I love this song. In fact, everything from Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, Wild in the Country and Flaming Star were pretty top notch. But GI Blues and Blue Hawaii were the bigger hit movies and soundtracks. It's a shame because not only were those EPs better than the soundtrack LPs, but the movies were better too. But the market had spoken.....and Col Parker was listening. So that was all she wrote until 1968 (basically)
My boy, my boy wrote on November 01, 2009
Quite enjoyable.
Steve V wrote on November 01, 2009
Good song and I agree that the movie EP soundtracks were of a higher standard than the soundtrack LPs. In this case, less was better.
Great Dane wrote on November 01, 2009
Nice song.
derekd wrote on November 01, 2009
It was 1962 and in the Uk Elvis could do no wrong. After 4 #1 hits during 1961 he carried on with 4 more in 1962. Had Follow that Dream been released as a single in Oct '62 with What a wonderful Life on the b~side i'm sure it would have been yet another double sided Uk #1. As it was, it was restricted to the EP release at the same time as Good Luck Charm was holding a top 10 spot. Still, this didn't stop the EP from getting into the Uk top 40 single's chart, his 2nd EP to do so. Yes, a great time to be an Elvis fan.
sitdown revamped wrote on February 06, 2010
A real gem from the early sixties movies. A song for the road. But the literal wonderful roll came to stop, when money machine focused production set in, trying to repeat Blue Hawaii over and over...but it only got worse. Last great output, and also on EP was VLV...From then on: forget it.
Deano1 wrote on February 06, 2010
A bouncy, fun song recorded for the movie and EP "Follow That Dream". All four songs on this EP were high quality and with the million plus sales of this one, you have to wonder why RCA was so bent on soundtrack LPs. When the material was good enough to warrant a LP, it made sense ("Blue Hawaii", "G.I. Blues"), but for the soundtrack LPs with only a hand full of quality songs ("Kissin' Cousins", "Double Trouble, etc) the EP would have been a better way to go. Notice the "Follow That Dream" EP did not have all the songs from the movie ("Sound Advice" was left off the record). Imagine how much better six song EP for "Girls! Girls! Girls!" would have been as opposed to the LP.
ElvisSacramento wrote on October 27, 2012
This is such a terrific, fun and catchy song and it's easily one of Elvis' very best movie songs from the 1960's. This song should be way better known than it actually is.
Gorse wrote on January 01, 2013
This is a really great movie song and yet such was the standard only my 3rd favourite from the Follow That Dream film. What I would call a road song, it exhibits fun, energy and a committed Elvis.- 4/5 stars
cookingfat wrote on May 07, 2013
Happy, feel good kind of song featured in a decent film. I've still got the EP from the film which I bought in Manchester around 1963. Five stars for this one.
dgirl wrote on May 07, 2013
What a wonderful song. Most of the EPs were good soundtracks, except for the last one. This is a perfect 1962 summer song. Elvis never sounded better.
TBG wrote on May 07, 2013
I love this song, especially the undubbed Version on the FTD edition, as the sound is really great on that one.
sugartummy wrote on July 03, 2013
A great happy song. I imagine that changing "what a wonderful life" into "it's a crazy life" was Elvis input.
Cruiser621 wrote on November 28, 2017
5-star song for sure, from the extended play 45RPM release "Follow That Dream", which could have been made into an album with the inclusion of "Sound Advice".
atomic powered poste wrote on July 22, 2018
One of the better move tunes. Elvis sounds motivated, the melody is enjoyable, yeah, good clean fun. 4 stars from me.
TheMemphisFan wrote on September 12, 2020
~ Correct lyrics to this wonderful song (the way Elvis sang it) ~ What a wonderful life, this life I'm livin' What a wonderful life, livin' the life of ease... oh oh ohh Well, I got no job to worry me, no big bad boss to-uh hurry me It's a wonderful life, life's good to me It's a wonderful road, this road I'm travelin' It's a wonderful road, headin' beyond the hill... oh oh yeah Well, it may go straight or it may detour, but one thing that I know for sure It's a wonderful life, life's good to me I don't know where I'm going, don't care where I'm going Like the four winds that blow I go on Laughin' the day away, lovin' the night away Till the moon is gone! It's a wonderful life, this life I'm livin' What a wonderful life, livin' the life I love... oh oh yeah Well, I've got neighbors, I've got friends anywhere the rainbow ends It's a wonderful life, life's good to me I don't know where I'm goin', don't care where I'm goin' Like the four winds that blow I go on Laughin' the day away, lovin the night away Till the moon is gone! ... It's a wonderful life, this life I'm livin' What a wonderful life, livin' the life I love... oh oh yeah Well, I've got neighbors, I've got friends a-just about anywhere the rainbow ends It's a wonderful life, life's good to me It's a wonderful life, life's good to me Oh, it's a crazy life, life's good to me... hmmm... what a life
bajo wrote on September 12, 2020
Great song from one of Elvis' best movies! The EP was played to death back then! A South African LP contained both the Kid Galahad and Follow That Dream EP's! Nice move!
DerekH wrote on September 22, 2022
Great recording, the Follow that Dream EP was a top class release in the Uk, good enough to get. Placing in the Uk singles chart. All four songs were very good. I remember buying it and played all the summer of 62.
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