About The Song
“Life Ain’t Always Beautiful” is a country ballad co-written and recorded by Gary Allan, released on September 19, 2005, as the lead single from his seventh studio album Tough All Over on MCA Nashville. Allan wrote the song with Odie Blackmon, following the suicide of his wife, Angela Herzberg, in October 2004. The track reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release.
The song was produced by Mark Wright and Gary Allan in Nashville, featuring a minimalist arrangement with acoustic guitar, soft piano, and Allan’s raspy vocals. The recording included Brent Rowan on guitar and Chad Cromwell on drums. In a 2006 interview with The Boot, Allan explained, “I was in a dark place, and this song was my way of dealing with it—turning that pain into something that might help others.” The album Tough All Over, released on October 11, 2005, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 10 on the Billboard 200, selling over 500,000 copies to earn gold certification.
The lyrics address life’s hardships and the promise of healing, with lines like “Life ain’t always beautiful / Tears will fall sometimes.” According to Songfacts, the song was written shortly after Angela’s passing as a tribute to her memory. The music video, directed by George Flanigen, premiered in November 2005, showing Allan in a desolate setting with storm imagery, and it ends with a dedication to Angela. The song received a 2006 ACM Award nomination for Song of the Year but lost to “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood.
The track was the lead single for Tough All Over, an album that also included “Best I Ever Had,” which reached No. 7 on the country charts. The album focused heavily on Allan’s grief following his wife’s death. The song was performed live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2005, reaching a broader audience. A 2005 review in Country Weekly highlighted its “unflinching honesty,” noting how Allan’s delivery stood out among other country releases that year.
“Life Ain’t Always Beautiful” was later included on Allan’s Greatest Hits compilation, released in 2007. Its release marked a shift in Allan’s career, as he began to focus on more introspective material following his personal tragedy. The song’s lyrics and Allan’s vocal performance were shaped by his experiences during that period, reflecting a change in his musical direction.
Video
Lyric
Life ain’t always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life ain’t always beautiful
But the struggles make you strongLife ain’t always beautiful
Thunder rolls, and the lightnin’ strikes
Another heart is broken
Another wound is open
But in this life, the pain will pass awayAnd the hurt will go, oh, I know
Life ain’t always beautiful
But I know I’ll be fine
Hey, and time heals the wounds I hold insideLife ain’t always beautiful
But the tears will fade away
Some days the sun don’t shine
I know the storm will pass me byLife ain’t always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life ain’t always beautiful
But I know I’ll be fineHey, and time heals the wounds I hold inside
Life ain’t always beautiful
But the tears will fade away
Yes, the tears will fade away
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