That's the Way It Is (Johnny Mathis song)

"That's the Way It Is"
US 7-inch single
Single by Johnny Mathis
from the album Johnny's Newest Hits
B-side	"I'll Never Be Lonely Again"
Released	July 27, 1962
Recorded	March 29, 1962
Genre	Pop
Length	2:50
Label	Columbia
Songwriters	Leon Carr Paul Vance
Producer	Irving Townsend
Johnny Mathis singles chronology
"Tonight" (1962) "That's the Way It Is" / "I'll Never Be Lonely Again" (1962) "Gina" (1962)
Music video
"That's the Way It Is" on YouTube

"That's the Way It Is" is a popular song written by Leon Carr and Paul Vance that was recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1962. It charted that same year.

Recording and release

Johnny Mathis recorded "That's the Way It Is" on March 29, 1962, with an orchestra conducted by Pete King. It was produced by Irving Townsend and released as a single four months later, on July 27. ^[1]

Chart performance

"That's the Way It Is" reached number 35 on Cash Box magazine's Looking Ahead chart, which was described as a "compilation, in order of strength, of up and coming records showing signs of breaking into The Cash Box Top 100". ^[2] It reached number 115 on Music Vendor magazine's Going Up – Heading for the Top 100 chart. ^[3]

Critical reception

In their review column, the editors of Cash Box magazine featured the single as their Pick of the Week, which was their equivalent to a letter grade of A for both "That's the Way It Is" and its B-side, "I'll Never Be Lonely Again". Combining their comments for both songs, they wrote, "Watch for both ends of the velvety-voiced performer to be filling the air-waves in no time flat. They’re two haunting ballads that Johnny wraps up in ultra-lovely fashion." They concluded, "Excellent two-sider." ^[4] The editors of Billboard gave the song three stars. ^[5]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "That's the Way It Is"

Chart (1962)	Peak position
US Going Up – Heading for the Top 100 ( Music Vendor ) [3]	115
US Looking Ahead ( Cash Box ) [2]	35

References

1. Columbia Records (2015). The Singles (Liner notes). Johnny Mathis. Columbia Records. 88875120552.
2. "The Cash Box Looking Ahead" (PDF). Cash Box . New York: Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc. September 1, 1962. p. 28. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
3. Whitburn 2012 , p. 93.
4. "The Cash Box Record Reviews > Pick of the Week > "I'll Never Be Lonely Again"/"That's the Way It Is"" (PDF). Cash Box . New York: Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc. August 11, 1962. p. 144. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
5. "Reviews of New Singles > "That's the Way It Is"" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 74, no. 31. August 4, 1962. p. 34. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 14, 2025.

Bibliography

• Whitburn, Joel (2012), Joel Whitburn's Hit Records 101-150 1959-1982, Record Research Inc., ISBN   978-0-89820-201-4