| The Harder They Come | |
| Cover: | The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff 1972 front cover German Spain single.jpg |
| Caption: | German vinyl single picture sleeve |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Jimmy Cliff |
| Album: | The Harder They Come |
| Released: | 1972 |
| Genre: | Reggae |
| Length: | 3:05 |
| Label: | Island |
| Producer: | Jimmy Cliff |
| Prev Title: | Sitting in Limbo |
| Prev Year: | 1972 |
| Next Title: | Struggling Man |
| Next Year: | 1972 |
"The Harder They Come" is a reggae song by the Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff. It was first recorded for the soundtrack of the 1972 movie of the same name, in which it is supposed to have been written by the film's main character, Ivanhoe Martin.
"The Harder They Come" has been covered by many artists and was ranked number 350 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[1]
In 1969, singer Jimmy Cliff met film director Perry Henzell, who was intending to make a film about a musician who turned to crime. Cliff agreed to take the lead role, and the film was shot over the next two years. During filming, Cliff came up with the line "the harder they come". Henzell thought it would make a good title for the film, and asked Cliff to write and record a theme song for it.
The actual recording of the track, at Dynamic Sounds, was filmed for inclusion in the movie. Cliff wrote the melody, and improvised the lyrics. The musicians were Gladstone Anderson (piano), Winston Wright (organ), Winston Grennan (drums), Linford "Hux" Brown (lead guitar), Ranford "Ranny Bop" Williams (rhythm guitar), and Clifton "Jackie" Jackson (bass).[2]
| The Harder They Come | |
| Cover: | Joe Jackson Band The Harder They Come cover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Joe Jackson Band |
| B-Side: | "Out of Style", "Tilt" |
| Released: | June 1980 |
| Genre: | Reggae, rock |
| Length: | 3:50 |
| Label: | A&M |
| Producer: | Joe Jackson |
| Prev Title: | Kinda Kute |
| Prev Year: | 1980 |
| Next Title: | Mad at You |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
Joe Jackson recorded "The Harder They Come" with his band and released it as a single in 1980. It did not chart in the UK.
| Chart (1980) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch GfK chart[3] | 34 | |
| Dutch Top 40[4] | 35 | |
| Swedish Singles Chart[5] | 18 | |
| UK The Singles Chart (Record Business)[6] | 67 |
| The Harder They Come | |
| Cover: | Rockers Revenge The Harder They Come single cover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Rockers Revenge featuring Donnie Calvin |
| Released: | 1983 |
| Genre: | Electro |
| Length: | 3:37 |
| Label: | London |
| Producer: | Arthur Baker |
"The Harder They Come" was recorded by the group Rockers Revenge in 1983 after their successful cover version of the Eddy Grant song "Walking On Sunshine" the previous year. The single peaked at number 13 in the US Dance Chart and at number 30 in the UK and Irish Singles Chart.
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Club Play Singles | 13 |
| Irish Singles Chart[7] | 30 |
| UK Singles Chart[8] | 30 |
| The Harder They Come | |
| Cover: | Madnessthehardertheycome.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Madness |
| Album: | Madstock! |
| Released: | [9] |
| Length: | 3:27 |
| Label: | Go! Discs |
| Producer: | Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley |
| Prev Title: | My Girl |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | Night Boat to Cairo |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
"The Harder They Come" was released as a single by English ska band Madness in November 1992 after a successful reunion concert held at London's Finsbury Park. The single was recorded live at the event along with its B-sides. Although in 1992 Madness had success with reissues of "It Must Be Love" and "My Girl", their version of "The Harder They Come" failed to make the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 44.[10]
"The Harder They Come" has also been covered by: