Musical Information

Length: 4:19
Writer(s): Bettie Cavallo (lyrics and music), Ryan Ross Hernandez (music)
Producer: Ryan Ross Hernandez

Ever maintaining the vital feel-good notion the Cavallo-Hernandez songwriting team promised tn the folksy nocturne, "The Centerpiece of Life," has a motif so damn like Melanie’s 70s hit 'Brand New Key,' it wouldn't be surprising to learn that Bettie and Ryan had been catching up on a little folk history, and it progresses nicely on that tinned nostalgia. It draws from the pastoral beauty of Paul McCartney’s acoustic-laced work. Cut might be too big a word to describe it, as it's little more than what should be a novelty demo encouraging people to keep their chins up, but somehow it was able to find the sweet, lubricated perfection (Cavallo's voice is effortless) it needed to wriggle its way into this set. You'd expect this song to be cliché city from its title, and sure, it's more of an earnest song that attempts to encourage a friend who is down and out, so while I appreciate the attempt to say, "Life can deal you a bad hand at the worst possible time, but that's the way it happens to all of us and there's a good lesson in it, so take heart", there isn't much new in the lyrics department here. But there are several elements of the song that I really enjoy. Most striking is the smooth, almost liquid tone of the electric guitar, which is picked out beautifully, but there's this consistent "thump" as if he's muting the strings for rhythm, which is a technique I've heard more frequently on the acoustic guitar, so it's kind of a blues song played as if it were an acoustic, coffeehouse-type song translated to a different instrument. The soloing here is gentle but cathartic, as if the guitar is crying tears of joy. And Bettie slips into a mezzo-soprano vocal range, her voice can channel soft, smokey and wispy, almost angelic feel to it all at once, and the guitar playing from Ryan Ross Hernandez, features some terrific electric guitar which should come as no surprise wrapping around each other nicely for a sublime listening experience. The tune is shapely throughout Continuum, and the musicianship is elegant and virtuosic. "Centerpiece of Life," is about recovering from painful times in your life and seeing that there are other things around that are worth getting back up for. It's very blunt and not eloquent or elegant, but it is honest, as Cavallo goes on to sing of how pain recurs and friends help and life continues. Despite the bad things in life, you have to know that "the centerpiece of life is good." When the duo matches each other vocally by the end chorus, telling you they know it's good, you can't help but believe him.

Song Meaning by, Bettie Cavallo

"This is a song that I wrote... it's an interesting thing when people pass you know? It's an interesting thing when you just watch time do its thing. It's not tragic, the passing isn't tragic it's just the wheel. I was driving home one night, and I was thinking about something. I wonder if it's all worth it you know like I know that's a heavy thought but I wonder if at the end of it when you have your little golf score card and you have your little pencil marks in each little square how does it come out? And it's the bitch of it all when it just comes out plain even. Cause that's just the worse thing about it. For everything that sucks in life there's a one other thing that helps you recover from it. That's probably the case."

Lyric Sample:
"The first thing you feel in your life
Is the sharp edge of a surgical blade
And the last thing that roams through your mind
Is the waste of the plans that you made,
And the first time you fall in love
You fall so hard you spend your whole life digging out
And the last time you look in her eyes
You will know
Know what it's all about
Cause I...
I know the centerpiece of life is good
Even though part of life,
Don't go the way it should"

Critical Reception

Rolling Stone:
Ryan Ross Hernandez is arguably the most respected and commercially successful solo singer-songwriter in music today. So when he announced his new side-project with actress Bettie Cavallo, it was safe to say many naysayers were quick to call Holiday for Two a career mistake for Hernandez. "The Centerpiece of Life" shows him at the peak of his art thus far. On repeated listening, the deceptively quiet song introduced by the quality lead vocals of Bettie Cavallo, reveals emotional depth and connection that marks it an instant classic. Fans of Hernandez's solo career will be very pleased, and those with a long-range view on music history will realize singer-songwriter duets have rarely been better than this.

5 out of 5 stars

NME:
"The Centerpiece of Life", sickeningly sentimental, it works well as a throwback to earlier days of musicianship, aided by the fact the track sounds as if it had been recorded inside some sort of hollow chamber (rather like many old LPs). While it's being carried along by a simple, but a remarkably effective hook. Ryan Ross Hernandez let it be known though, "simplicity is not stupidity," turns out Hernandez was correct.

Pitchfork Media:
The broad range of songwriting between singer-songwriter/guitarist Ryan Ross Hernandez and actress-turned-singer/songwriter Bettie Cavallo is reflected in the folksy melody of The Centerpiece of Life. The first time I heard it, I could have sworn I had heard it before – not because it was generic, but rather, because it seemed like such a perfect song, which should have already been written by someone, somewhere. But no, it was a Holiday for Two original.

USA Today:
It's not a song that'll totally blow you away, but hopefully it'll put a warm smile of recognition on your face. "The Centerpiece of Life", offers a beautiful and hypnotic guitar line anchoring the song down where the percussion would usually sit. Lyrically, it's about the universal healing power of love, and as much as it shouldn't work, the Bettie-Ryan duo is irresistible.

The Guardian:
"The Centerpiece of Life", sounds nearly like a lullaby. Cavallo's voice is comforting, Hernandez feels no need to show off his spectacular guitar work, opting for a very mellow and controlled solo, his guitar work creates an almost whimsical mood. However, the words could keep someone awake and thinking, delivering profound insights.

Billboard:
It's sweet gem, with Paul Simon-esque finger-picking guitar work can be construed as a tired notion. Bettie Cavallo's lyrically unique way of presenting the idea is a breath of fresh air.