That’s Life

The harmony of "That's Life" is rooted in the Tin Pan Alley tradition enriched with jazz chord vocabulary. The descending chromatic inner voice (B to B♭ over the tonic) and the borrowed iv chord (Cm) are hallmarks of sophisticated pop songwriting from this era. The secondary dominant chain (E7 → Am7 → D7 → G) gives the progression a jazz-standard feel, while the blues influence surfaces in the swinging delivery and the overall major-key-with-blue-notes sensibility. The harmonic choices directly serve the lyrical narrative — the IV-to-iv shift captures the emotional duality of triumph and disappointment that is the song's core theme.

Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon wrote "That's Life" in 1963 as an upbeat number about resilience in the face of adversity. The song was first recorded that same year by Marion Montgomery, who had been signed to Capitol Records after being discovered by Peggy Lee. Montgomery's version failed to chart, and the song remained relatively obscure until O.C. Smith recorded a version that began climbing the charts in 1965.

Written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon in 1963, "That's Life" became an enduring classic through Frank Sinatra's 1966 recording. With its brassy swagger and unapologetically optimistic lyrics, the song captures Sinatra's signature blend of vulnerability and bravado, delivering a message of perseverance that has resonated across generations and countless film and television appearances.