"The Way It Is" is a hit song by Bruce Hornsby and the Range from their 1986 album The Way It Is. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. Written by Bruce Hornsby, it made explicit reference to the American Civil Rights Movement. This song was heavily sampled by Tupac Shakur in his song, "Changes".

In the UK, a version of the tune is used as the theme song to the BBC 1 daytime program City Hospitaland a crudely edited 'loop' of the final instrumental section was also used as background music the BBC's sports programme Grandstandin the late 1980s, where it was played while the presenter ran down the football league tables at the end of the programme. Indeed in the UK (where the song only reached no. 15 in the charts), the song was possibly more well-known for its regular appearances on Grandstandthan for its appearance in the charts. The song was also featured in Australia as the background theme of the Nine Network's weekend news sports wrap up as well as during AFL Football telecasts in the 1990s. In this case, the song was used as a background theme while other weekly match results appeared on screen.

In the 1990s and 2000s, "The Way It Is" was used as the theme music for Sean Hannity's syndicated radio talk show. Hornsby, a progressive Democrat, has stated his disapproval of Hannity's politics and the usage of "The Way It Is." Afterwards, Hannity criticized Hornsby and has since stopped using "The Way It Is" as the main theme for his show.