Today’s random track appeared on Alicia Keys’ 2001 debut album Songs in A Minor.
Buoyed by singles ‘Fallin’,’ ‘A Woman’s Worth’ and ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me,’ the album was a huge hit, eventually going 7X platinum and earning five Grammys for Keys, including Best New Artist.
‘The Life’ is rather simplistic, lyrically (“when it rains it pours,” indeed) but the the music has a nice Sade-esque groove.
Every day I realize
That this might be the last day of my life
Walking down the street, I find, yeah
I’m coming closer and closer to losing my mind
[Pre-Chorus]
‘Cause when it rains, it pours
Isn’t life worth more?
I don’t even know what I’m hustling for (Hustling for)
You gotta do what you gotta do
Just to make it through
All the hard times that’s gonna face you (Mm-mm)
[Chorus]
This is the life (This is the life)
Striving to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
This is the life (This is the life)
Striving to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
This is the life
[Verse 2]
Living will always be a struggle
Looking for someone true to love you
Looking back, I see all the horrors
This madness makes me wanna hide
[Pre-Chorus]
I watch slowly
Internally, I’m dying
Pillowcase is wet from all my crying (Crying)
There ain’t nothing more to be here for
Take me away, I can’t live that life no more
[Chorus]
This is the life (This is the life)
Striving to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(If you look into my eyes)
This is the life (This is the life; my life)
Striving to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Hustling, oh)
This is the life (Can you see what I’m seeing?)
Striving to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Gotta keep moving, moving)
This is the life (This is my life)
Struggling to survive (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Da-da-da-da) Da-da-da-da-da
[Bridge]
Tryna get over (This is the life)
Tryna get over (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I am just trying, tryna get over (This is the life)
Tryna get over, tryna get over (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(This is the life)
Trying to get over (This is the life)
Gonna get over (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Outro]
This is the life
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (This is the life)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (This is the life)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (This is the life)
Meet Me In Montauk 
It used to be said that winning Best New Artist was a curse against future success, but that clearly didn’t apply to Keys.