| "That's the Way It Is" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mel and Kim | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single, CD single | |||
| Genre | Pop/Dance | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | Supreme Records, PolyGram | |||
| Producer | Stock Aitken & Waterman | |||
| Mel and Kim singles chronology | ||||
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"That's the Way It Is" was the fourth internationally-released single of British pop duo Mel and Kim. It was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The single was released in February 1988, and peaked at #10 in the UK, becoming their fourth consecutive top 10 hit in that country.
By the time of the release of the single, Melanie Appleby had been diagnosed with spinal cancer and had withdrawn from the public eye in late 1987. Appleby discharged herself from hospital to record the vocals for the track. The sisters made Mel's illness public at the time of the release of this single, and both appeared on the Wogan show in April 1988 while Mel was still undergoing treatment, as part of European Cancer Week.
The b-side of the single was a new song, "You Changed My Life", which was the first song on which the sisters had a co-writer credit.
"That's the Way It Is" was not included on the group's debut album, F.L.M.. It has been included on later compilation albums of the duo, along with "You Changed My Life".
"That's the Way It Is" was featured on the soundtrack album of Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy.
Due to Mel's illness, the sisters did not appear in the promotional videoclip for the song. Instead, it featured a team of dancers in a studio, much like the videoclip of their previous single.
It would be the last release of the duo, as they disappeared from the public eye again while Mel Appleby continued her cancer treatment. She succumbed to pneumonia in January 1990, her immune system weakened by chemotherapy. Some of the songs she co-wrote with Kim Appleby during the last 2 years of her life were later released on Kim's solo album released in late 1990.