“A Good Life”
Written by Jill Sobule

JIM BOGGIA: Vocal, Guitar
BRITT SAVAGE: Backup Vocal
DAN DUGMORE: Pedal Steel Guitar

Producer: Tom Emmi
Audio Engineers: Dave Downham, Eric Mcnelis
Music Mix: Bob Schachner
Video Editor: Leo Switucha

Before Katy Perry ever imagined kissing a girl, Jill Sobule had recorded an unforgettable song about the experience. Thanks to her wide-eyed curious perspective and self-effacing sense of humor, it was sometimes easy to forget what a brave and brilliant singer/songwriter she actually was. Whether recalling the slings and arrows of middle school rejection in songs like “Big Shoes” or romanticizing the imagined antics of a mystery boss in “Karen By Night,” her talent for storytelling was complemented by an uncanny sense of melody and an understanding of performance dynamics many guitar-slinging troubadours would do well to study. Jill Sobule died young in 2025 in a tragic house fire. But had she survived it, you can be sure it would have inspired a darkly funny song.

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