"Hard Row" is a single by American blues-rock duo

the Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

from their second album '' Thickfreakness''. The song, along with the rest of ''Thickfreakness'', was recorded in drummer

Patrick Carney Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. Early life Carney stated in an interview with '' Modern Drummer'' that he never t ...

's basement on a 1980 "8-track recorder". In June 2003, it peaked at No. 86 in UK Charts.

Critical reception

Corey Irwin of ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' chose "Hard Row" as the best song from the album ''Thickfreakness'', praising its "simple but effective guitar progression". Irwin favorably compared the song to the Black Keys' debut album, saying it much improved: "the vocals were crisper, the guitar bolder, the drums louder, yet all without losing that unfiltered energy of their debut effort". He felt it fused the vibes of

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

. Billy Saefong, writing for '' Music Radar'', thought the song had an impressive heavy guitar riffs and a "perfectly executed" guitar solo. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' saw "Hard Row" as a "simplified, but equally relentless version" of the previous track on the album, "Thickfreakness", describing it as thick, freaky, and "momentarily awe-inspiring".

Track listing

# Hard Row (7") # Evil (7") # Hard Row (CD) # Set You Free (CD) # Evil (CD)

Personnel

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

- guitars, vocals *

- percussion, drums

References

{{Authority control 2003 singles The Black Keys songs Songs written by Dan Auerbach Songs written by Patrick Carney