"Hard Luck Woman" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hard rock band

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

and the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their 1976 album, ''

Rock and Roll Over ''Rock and Roll Over'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1976. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York. Album information To get the proper drum sound, Peter Criss recorded his tracks in a bathroo ...

''. It was originally written by

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...

as a possible track for

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

, but after the success of the

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

" Beth", Kiss decided to keep it for themselves as a follow-up.Leaf, David and Ken Sharp. ''KISS: Behind the Mask: The Official Authorized Biography'', Warner Books, 2003. 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 "You Wear It Well" is a song written by Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart. It uses an arrangement markedly similar to that of " Maggie May", one of Stewart's hits from the previous year. Stewart recorded "You Wear It Wel ...

". While Stewart's music served as a partial inspiration for the song, the nautical themed song "

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

" by American pop-rock band Looking Glass served as Stanley's main inspiration.

Details

Alluding to the style of "Hard Luck Woman", Steven Bailey called the song an exemplar of "gentle

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

". Sung by

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Ca ...

, the single was an attempt to follow the success of the hit single "Beth" released earlier in the year by releasing another love song sung by Criss. According to ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...

'', Criss' vocal performance sounds similar to

. 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 ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' 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 ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' 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."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Garth Brooks version

In 1994, country star

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

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 ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' in promotion of the album.

Chart performance

Other versions

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

members Toshi, hide and

Pata Pata or PATA may refer to: Places * Pata, Sulu, a Philippine municipality * Pata, Galanta District, a village in Slovakia * Pata, Central African Republic, a village * Pata village (Samoa), a village in Samoa * Pontrilas Army Training Area, a ...

performed a cover at Nissan Power Station on October 18, 1991. *Japanese

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Rosenfeld covered this song on their 1994

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

''In the Garden'' as a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as to ...

. *Danish heavy metal band

Pretty Maids Pretty Maids is a Danish hard rock/ heavy metal band from Horsens. Formed in 1981 by Ken Hammer, and completed with Ronnie Atkins in 1982, their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melo ...

covered this song on their 1997 album, ''Spooked''. *With Kanako Nakayama, Redd Kross covered this song on the 1998 tribute album, ''Kiss Tribute in Japan''. *Japanese pop singer Maki Nomiya covered this song on her 1999 album, ''Miss Maki Nomiya Sings''. *

Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

of the heavy rock band

The Wildhearts The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s- ...

covered the song on his 2001 solo live album ''Grievous Acoustic Behaviour''. *Giuliano Palma & The Bluebeaters did a cover version on their 2005 album ''Long Playing''. *

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Ston ...

performed the song acoustically during his ''Live in London'' show at KOKO in on 05/08/2016. * The Hold Steady did an electrified cover version on their 2014 covers EP, ''RAGS''.

Personnel

– lead vocals, drums *

– 12-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals *

Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...

– acoustic guitar *

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

– acoustic bass guitar ''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

External links

* * {{authority control Kiss (band) songs Garth Brooks songs 1976 singles Songs written by Paul Stanley Casablanca Records singles Mercury Records singles American folk rock songs Rod Stewart 1976 songs