Hard Luck Woman

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"Hard Luck Woman"
Single by Kiss
from the album Rock and Roll Over
B-side"Mr. Speed"
ReleasedNovember 1, 1976 (US)
Genre
Length3:35
LabelCasablanca NB-873A (US)
Songwriter(s)Paul Stanley
Producer(s)Eddie Kramer
Kiss singles chronology
"
Detroit Rock City
"
(1976) 		"Hard Luck Woman" / "Mr. Speed"
(1976) 		"Calling Dr. Love" / "Take Me"
(1977)

"Hard Luck Woman" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss and the lead single from their 1976 album, Rock and Roll Over. It was originally written by Paul Stanley as a possible track for Rod Stewart, but after the success of the soft rock ballad "Beth", Kiss decided to keep it for themselves as a follow-up.[2] Stanley has stated his admiration and love of Stewart's music numerous times, and that "Hard Luck Woman" was inspired by Rod Stewart, in particular the songs "Maggie May" and "You Wear It Well". While Stewart's music served as a partial inspiration for the song, the nautical themed song "Brandy" by American pop-rock band Looking Glass served as Stanley's main inspiration.[citation needed]

Details

Alluding to the style of "Hard Luck Woman", Steven Bailey called the song an exemplar of "gentle folk rock".[1]

Sung by

Billboard Magazine, Criss' vocal performance sounds similar to Rod Stewart.[3]
It proved to be a top 20 hit in the US, peaking at number 15.

A version of "Hard Luck Woman" appears on Kiss's 1977 Alive II. Kiss also performed the song during their MTV Unplugged appearance with Stanley on vocals. It did not appear on the CD of the performance, but it was one of five bonus tracks on the DVD.

Reception

Cash Box said that the song is moving away from heavy metal and that "the lead vocal is not unlike Rod Stewart — there's a growling, bluesy intensity, centered around acoustic rhythm work."[4]

Charts

Garth Brooks version

"Hard Luck Woman"
Single by Garth Brooks
from the album Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved
Released1994
GenreCountry
Length3:14
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Paul Stanley
Producer(s)Allen Reynolds
Garth Brooks singles chronology
"One Night a Day"
(1994) 		"Hard Luck Woman"
(1994) 		"Callin' Baton Rouge"
(1994)

In 1994, country star Garth Brooks recorded the song for the tribute album Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved, with Kiss themselves providing the instrumentation. Kiss and Brooks performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in promotion of the album.

Charts

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 23
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[12] 31
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[13] 59
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] 28
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 67
US
Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[16]
 26

Other versions

Personnel

Alive II version

  • Peter Criss – lead vocals, drums
  • Paul Stanley – electric guitar, backing vocals
  • Ace Frehley – electric guitar
  • Gene Simmons – electric bass guitar

In popular culture

  • Episode 24 of the anime series Cowboy Bebop is named "Hard Luck Woman" after the song.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780230501119
    .
  2. ISBN 0-446-53073-5
  3. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. December 18, 1976. p. 62. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  4. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 11, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  5. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  6. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5162a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Kiss – Hard Luck Woman" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Kiss Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5502b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  10. ISBN 0-89820-142-X
    .
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2592." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2586." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2611." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Corey Taylor: Live in London". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  18. ^ "The Hold Steady: The Unified Scene on PledgeMusic". Pledgemusic.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-28. Retrieved 2016-10-11.

External links

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