The Secret of Life

"The Secret Of Life"
Single by Faith Hill
from the album Faith
Released	April 26, 1999
Format	CD single
Genre	Country
Length	4:16
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Writer(s)	Gretchen Peters
Producer(s)	Faith Hill and Byron Gallimore
Faith Hill singles chronology
"Love Ain't Like That" (1999) "The Secret Of Life" (1999) "Breathe" (1999)

"The Secret of Life" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Peters. It was then recorded by Faith Hill and released in April 1999 as the fifth and final single from her album Faith. It peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and at number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.^[1] It also peaked at number 46 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Content

The song tells of two men at a bar, having a discussion with the bartender. All three of them offer various opinions on what they think the secret of life is, before the bartender finally states that "The secret of life is there ain't no secret / And you don't get your money back".

Music video

The night before the video was to be shot, the original location for the bar that the directors scouted out had a fire and burned. The Palace Saloon in Fernandina Beach, FL (located on Amelia Island) suffered extensive damage to the interior only. The video opens with a street shot showing the exterior of The Palace with a banner reading "The Starlight Bar & Lounge" covering The Palace sign. The exterior is used in several shots including Hill standing at the entrance with the doors closed. The interior of the saloon was rebuilt and remains open to this day and is billed as "Florida's oldest continuously operating bar". The video showcases Hill as an observer to the bar conversation referenced in the lyrics. Scenes of small town life are interspersed. Throughout the video, various characters hold up photographs that seem to come to life. Some of the interior scenes were filmed at St. Nick's lounge in Jacksonville, Florida. St. Nick's lounge has been a part of the bar scene in Jacksonville since the late 40s.

Chart positions

"The Secret of Life" debuted at number 75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 8, 1999.

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2]	2
US Billboard Hot 100[3]	46
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4]	4

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5]	6
US Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	22

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
2. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 8434." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 4, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
3. "Faith Hill – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Faith Hill.
4. "Faith Hill – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Faith Hill.
5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1999". RPM. December 13, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
6. "Best of 1999: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.