Hard (song)
"Hard" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). The song features a guest verse from American rapper Young Jeezy, credited only as "Jeezy" on the album (and who is now officially known as such). The artists co-wrote the song with its producers, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. "Hard" was sent to radio by Def Jam Recordings on November 10, 2009, as the second United States single from Rated R. It is a hip hop song and features military horns, hissing synthesizers, sharp beats and piano chords.
"Hard"
November 10, 2009
2009
Studios Devout (Paris, France); The Boom Boom Room (Burbank, California); Legacy Recording Studios (New York City, New York); Triangle Sound Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
4:10
- Def Jam
- SRP
The song became Rihanna's thirteenth top ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100, matching Beyoncé as the female artist with the most US top ten songs since 2000. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. An accompanying music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was filmed in Los Angeles in December 2009. In the video, Rihanna commands an army while clothed in stylized military costumes. After the video premiere, the song charted in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Rihanna performed "Hard" at Jay-Z's concert at UCLA Pauley Pavilion and at the 2009 American Music Awards. The song was also included on the set lists of the Last Girl on Earth Tour (2010–11) and the Loud Tour (2011).
Background and composition[edit]
In an interview with MTV News, producer Mikkel S. Eriksen of Stargate initially confirmed "Wait Your Turn" as the second single from Rated R; however, "Hard" was ultimately chosen instead.[2] Hard (The Remixes) was made available for digital download on January 19, 2010 in the United States.[3] In an interview with MTV, Rihanna explained that while she was in Paris, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream played a few songs for her, which included "Hard". Rihanna decided to record the song because it was different from her normal creative output.[4] Stewart, in an interview with Rap-Up, spoke about the song before its title or any details were released, describing the song as "edgy" and a "club banger". When asked if the song was bigger than Rihanna's commercially successful song "Umbrella", he said, "No, it's different. It's a superstar taking a step in a totally different direction."[5] "Hard" is the first song for which Jeezy was credited thus, instead of under his enduring stage name "Young Jeezy".[5][6]
"Hard" incorporates musical elements of hip hop and is four minutes and ten seconds long. It features militant horns, hissing synths, sharp beats and piano notes.[1][7]
It is written in the key of B minor[8] and set in common time with a pop and R&B groove and a tempo of 91 beats per minute.[9] Rihanna's vocal range in the song ranges from the low note of G3 to the high note of B4.[9] As noted by Ailbhe Malone of NME, Rihanna adopts Jay-Z's vocal style in the lyric, "Brilliant, resilient, fan mail from 27 million."[10] "Hard" is a song about emulating power and strength, and how Rihanna assumes a role of being the best at what she does.[11][12] Ryan Dombell of Pitchfork Media wrote that the song is "a strutting statement of power".[11]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Hard" peaked at number eight on January 30, 2010.[16] It became Rihanna's thirteenth US top ten Hot 100 single, and Rihanna equaled Beyoncé as the female artist with the most US top ten singles since 2000.[17] The song reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart on March 6, 2010,[18] reached number nine on the US Mainstream Top 40, and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[19] "Hard" was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 2,000,000 copies.[20]
Although the single was not released internationally, it charted in several countries after the release of the music video. In Canada, it peaked for one week at number nine on February 6, 2010.[21] In New Zealand, it debuted at number 40 on January 11, 2010 and peaked at number 15 in its fifth week, and it stayed in the top twenty for a further two weeks.[22] "Hard" debuted and peaked at number 26 on the Swedish Singles Chart on January 22, 2010. It dropped off the chart for a week, but re-entered at number 55.[23] In the United Kingdom, "Hard" debuted at number 46 on the UK R&B Chart on January 16, 2010, peaking at number 17 on January 23, 2010.[24] The same day, the song debuted at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number 42 the following week.[25] "Hard" spent another six weeks on the chart, descending to number 100 on February 24, 2010 and leaving the chart on March 3, 2010. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 64 on August 28, 2010, and fell to number 89 the following week. In total, it spent ten non-consecutive weeks on the UK singles chart.[25]
Music video[edit]
Background and synopsis[edit]
The music video for "Hard" was directed by Melina Matsoukas and released in December 2009.[26][27] It was the first Rihanna video directed by Matsoukas, who would go on to direct videos for "Rude Boy" and "Rockstar 101".[28][29] Before the premiere of the video, Rihanna told Kyle Anderson of MTV News: "It's couture-military. Everything is surrounded by the whole idea of something military. We have tanks, we have troops, we've got helicopters, we've got explosions.[...] Tight gear, lots of cute outfits, lots of bullets. Crazy."[27]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Rated R.[48]