Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)


"Se a vida é " is a Pet Shop Boys song that was released as a single on 12 August 1996, the second track to be lifted from the album Bilingual, which saw the duo take on a Latin influence as a reaction to the Britpop explosion that was prevalent at the time.
The single was one of the most widely played records on UK radio in 1996, and reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart.
In the US, the single was released by Atlantic Records in April 1997 with "To Step Aside" as a double A-side. Thirteen mixes of the track were commissioned and spread over various formats, several of them promotional-only. The single did not chart in the States, but following its success in the UK it became a major success all over Europe.

Music video

The video for the single was shot at the Wet 'n Wild water theme park in Orlando, Florida and features the actress Eva Mendes in a small role as a teenager with her friends at the park. The video, directed by Bruce Weber, entered heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 that summer.

Translation

The correct English translation of "Se a vida é" from Portuguese is actually "If Life Is...". The other Portuguese lyric is "Essa vida é...", which sounds very similar to "Se a vida é".

Track listing

7": Parlophone / RLH 6443
  1. "Se a vida é " – 4:01
  2. "Before "
CD: Parlophone / CDR 6443
  1. "Se a vida é " – 4:01
  2. "Betrayed" – 5:18
  3. "How I Learned to Hate Rock 'n' Roll" – 4:40
  4. "Se a vida é" – 5:37
CD: Parlophone / CDRS 6443
  1. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  2. "Se a vida é" – 8:40
  3. "Se a vida é" – 9:57
  4. "Se a vida é" – 11:45
CD: Atlantic / 85430-2
  1. "Se a vida é " – 4:01
  2. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  3. "To Step Aside" – 3:48
  4. "To Step Aside" – 9:07
  5. "The calm before the storm" – 2:45
  6. "Betrayed" – 5:17
CD: Atlantic / n/a
  1. "To Step Aside" – 8:59
  2. "To Step Aside" – 4:08
  3. "To Step Aside" – 3:46
  4. "To Step Aside" – 9:00
  5. "To Step Aside" – 3:57
  6. "To Step Aside" – 1:06
  7. "To Step Aside" – 0:58
  8. "To Step Aside" – 0:18
  9. "To Step Aside" – 1:19
2x12": Parlophone / 12RD 6443
  1. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  2. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  3. "Se a vida é" – 8:40
  4. "Se a vida é" – 9:57
  5. "Se a vida é" – 5:37
  6. "Se a vida é" – 11:45
  7. "Se a vida é" – 4:01
2x12": Atlantic / 85430-0
  1. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  2. "Se a vida é" – 9:57
  3. "To Step Aside" – 9:07
  4. "To Step Aside" – 8:50
  5. "To Step Aside" – 7:30
  6. "To Step Aside" – 7:33
  7. "To Step Aside" – 7:30
  8. "To Step Aside" – 7:32
12": Specialty Records / DMD-2412
  1. "To Step Aside" – 10:03
  2. "To Step Aside" – 3:42
  3. "To Step Aside" – 9:14
  4. "To Step Aside" – 7:29

    Remixers

Deep Dish
  1. "Se a vida é" – 9:57
  2. "Se a vida é" – 11:45
Richard Morel
  1. "Se a vida é" – 5:37
Mark Picchiotti
  1. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  2. "Se a vida é" – 7:58
  3. "Se a vida é" – 8:40
Ralphi Rosario
  1. "To Step Aside" – 9:07
  2. "To Step Aside" – 7:33
  3. "To Step Aside" – 7:32
  4. "To Step Aside" – 9:14
Vinnie Vero
  1. "To Step Aside" – 4:08
  2. "To Step Aside" – 8:50
  3. "To Step Aside" – 9:00
  4. "To Step Aside" – 3:57
  5. "To Step Aside" – 3:42
Davidson Ospina
  1. "To Step Aside" – 7:30
  2. "To Step Aside" – 7:29
Bill Marquez
  1. "To Step Aside" – 7:30
  2. "To Step Aside" – 10:03

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts