Joe Knows How to Live

"Joe Knows How to Live" is a song written by Troy Seals, Max D. Barnes and Graham Lyle, and recorded by American country music artist Eddy Raven. It was released in May 1988 as the second single from the album The Best of Eddy Raven. "Joe Knows How to Live" was Eddy Raven's fourth number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the country chart.^[1]

The song was previously recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their 1987 album Hold On.

Song meaning

The song is told by Raven as the point of view of a blue collar worker envious of one of his co-workers, Joe. Joe's free-spirited ways are evidenced by Raven singing "Well I hate to admit it, but Joe sure knows how to live". Joe tells his linemates of a trip to Mexico he's taking with Betty, a waitress at a diner that all are familiar with. He later returns with photos and a hat he purchased in Mexico.

The trip Joe has taken was presumably done with ill-used sick days, as Raven says in the spoken-word fading end of the song, "well, they would have fired me if I'd have done something like that". It also suggests that Joe is married, as Raven asks rhetorically "you think Joe's wife knows about that yet?" before the song completely fades.

Chart performance

Chart (1988)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[2]	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

References

↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 281.
↑ "Eddy Raven – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Eddy Raven.

Preceded by "(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes" by Highway 101	Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single September 17, 1988	Succeeded by "Addicted" by Dan Seals
Preceded by "(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes" by Highway 101	RPM Country Tracks number-one single October 1, 1988	Succeeded by "I Should Be with You" by Steve Wariner

Eddy Raven

Notable singles	"Ain't She Somethin' Else" "I Wanna Live" "I Should've Called" "Who Do You Know in California" "A Little Bit Crazy" "She's Playing Hard to Forget" "I Got Mexico" "I Could Use Another You" "She's Gonna Win Your Heart" "Operator, Operator" "I Wanna Hear It from You" "You Should Have Been Gone by Now" "Sometimes a Lady" "Right Hand Man" "You're Never Too Old for Young Love" "Shine, Shine, Shine" "I'm Gonna Get You" "Joe Knows How to Live" "'Til You Cry" "In a Letter to You" "Bayou Boys" "Sooner or Later" "Island"

Related articles	Discography ABC Records Dot Records Elektra Records RCA Records Capitol Records "Thank God for Kids"

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