who wrote the way it is by bruce hornsby
The Way It Is (song) "The Way It Is" is a song by American rock group Bruce Hornsby and the Range. It was released in August 1986 as the second single from their debut album The Way It Is. It topped the charts in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands in 1986,[1][2] and peaked inside the top twenty in such countries as Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Written by Bruce Hornsby, it made explicit reference to the Civil Rights Movement.[3] Musically, the song is characterized by two long piano solos.
The Riddle Song It descends from a 15th-century English song in which a maiden says she is advised to unite with her lover.[3] It is related to Child Ballad no. 1, or "Riddles Wisely Expounded"[4] and Child Ballad no. 46, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" [5][6] It is no. 330 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Burl Ives recorded it on 11 February 1941[7] for his first album, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger. Since then, it has been recorded by many artists, including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Sam Cooke, Shelby Flint, The Meters, Skid Roper and Carly Simon.[8]