The Hard Way (The Kinks song)

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"The Hard Way"
Single by The Kinks
from the album Schoolboys in Disgrace
A-side
ReleasedJanuary 23, 1976 (UK)
RecordedSeptember 22, 1975 at Konk Studios, London
GenreHard rock
Length2:35
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Ray Davies
Producer(s)Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"You Can't Stop the Music"
(1975) 		"The Hard Way"
(1976) 		"Sleepwalker"
(1977)

"The Hard Way" is a song written by Ray Davies and first released by The Kinks on their 1975 album Schoolboys in Disgrace.[1] It was also released on The Kinks live album One for the Road and on several greatest hits collections.[1] The Knack covered the song on their 1980 album ...But the Little Girls Understand.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of "The Hard Way" were inspired by a real life incident that happened to

headmaster and asks for mercy.[2][3]

In "The Hard Way," the headmaster responds to the plea in the previous song. He berates and browbeats Flash.

Allmusic critic Richard Gilliam sees the headmaster as a bigot who "believes that punishment and destruction of self-image are important elements in learning."[1] Author Thomas Kitts perceives a "psychosexual enjoyment" in the headmaster's words.[2] Some of the lyrics, including the title, can be taken as double entendres.[2]

The music of the song is driven by a Dave Davies'

percussion beat as "harsh." Gilliam believes that opening riffs of "The Hard Way" were an influence on the sound of Devo.[1]

Recording

"The Hard Way" was recorded on September 22, 1975 at

Konk Studios in London.[4] Trombone overdubs were added on October 2, with John Beecham playing the trombone.[4]

Live performances

During the Schoolboys in Disgrace tour, the band performed in costume.[4] For "The Hard Way," lead singer Ray Davies wore a black gown and a grotesque mask, which had a long nose which Kitts compares to a phallus.[2] Kinks drummer Mick Avory was "whipped" on stage at some performances of the song.[4] At other performances, women on stage danced with canes. A live performance of "The Hard Way" was included on One for the Road.[1]

The Knack version

In 1980, The Knack covered "The Hard Way" for their second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand in 1980.[5] High Fidelity called it the best song on the album and an "honest homage to the Kinks," but claimed that it is "still a pale replica of the original" that doesn't add anything new.[6] In his scathing review of ...But the Little Girls Understand, Jim Sullivan of the Bangor Daily News found it unsurprising that The Knack would play this song, given that the song is "concerned with dominance and submission."[7]

References

  1. ^
    Allmusic
    . Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780415977685
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0711963142
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780879307653
    .
  5. Allmusic
    . Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  6. ^ "The Knack: ...But the Little Girls Understand". High Fidelity. Vol. 30, no. 1–6. 1980. p. 101.
  7. ^ Sullivan, J. (March 31, 1980). "The Knack Are 'Blatant Imitators'". Bangor Daily News. p. 47. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
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