The Life of Riley (song)

This article is about the Lightning Seeds song. For other songs, see Life of Riley § Songs.

"The Life of Riley"
Single by the Lightning Seeds
from the album Sense
Released	2 March 1992 (1992-03-02)
Length	4:05
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Ian Broudie
Producer(s)	Ian Broudie, Simon Rogers
The Lightning Seeds singles chronology
"Joy" (1990) "The Life of Riley" (1992) "Sense" (1992)

"The Life of Riley" is a song by British band the Lightning Seeds. It was released in 1992 from the album Sense . The song was a hit when it was first released on 2 March 1992, reaching number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song later gained popularity when the BBC football programme Match of the Day began to use it frequently for segments including "Goal of the Month" throughout most of the 1990s. ^[1] The song was still associated with the programme many years later and featured in a similar "Goal of the Day" segment in the mid-2000s. ^[2] It is still occasionally used for the same section as of 2025.

Background

The writer of the song, Ian Broudie, cites his son Riley as the namesake of the piece. The song title has also been used for a compilation album, Life of Riley: The Lightning Seeds Collection . A remix of "The Life of Riley" appeared on the single "Sense", and an instrumental version appeared on "Change". The single was also later reissued. ^[3] The phrase "the life of Riley" (or "Reilly") is also an old Irish expression meaning a pleasant life.

Track listing

1. "The Life of Riley"
2. "Something in the Air"
3. "Marooned"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "The Life of Riley" Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [4] 98 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [5] 95 Germany (GfK) [6] 52 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [7] 15 UK Singles (OCC) [8] 28 US Billboard Hot 100 [9] 98 US Modern Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [10] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "The Life of Riley" Chart (1992) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) [11] 25

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Life of Riley"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	2 March 1992	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl	Virgin	[12]
	9 March 1992	CD cassette		[13]
Australia	20 April 1992			[14]

References

1. Davies, Laura Lee (9 October 2004). "Resowing the seeds" . The Times . Retrieved 24 November 2020.
2. "Ask us about: Music details". BBC News. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
3. "Sense". lightning-seeds.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 165.
5. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 9, no. 15. 11 April 1992. p. 22.
6. "The Lightning Seeds – The Life of Riley" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
7. "The Lightning Seeds – The Life of Riley". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
9. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . 25 April 1992. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
10. "Alternative Airplay" . Billboard. 21 March 1992. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
11. "The Year in Music: Top Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. 26 December 1992. p. YE-42.
12. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 29 February 1992. p. 21.
13. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 7 March 1992. p. 17.
14. "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 20/04/92: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 116. 19 April 1992. p. 19.