The Harder They Come (song)

"The Harder They Come"
Artwork for German vinyl single
Single by Jimmy Cliff
from the album The Harder They Come
B-side	"Many Rivers to Cross" (release 1) "Trapped" (release 2)
Released	1972
Format	7-inch single
Genre	Reggae
Length	3:05
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Cliff
Producer(s)	Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff singles chronology
"Sitting in Limbo" (1972) "The Harder They Come" (1972) "Struggling Man" (1972)
"Sitting in Limbo" (1972) "The Harder They Come" (1972) "Struggling Man" (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]

Joe Jackson version

"The Harder They Come"
Single by Joe Jackson Band
B-side	"Out of Style", "Tilt"
Released	June 1980
Format	7-inch single, 12-inch single
Genre	Reggae, rock
Length	3:50
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Cliff
Producer(s)	Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson Band singles chronology
"Kinda Kute" (1980) "The Harder They Come" (1980) "Mad at You" (1980)
"Kinda Kute" (1980) "The Harder They Come" (1980) "Mad at You" (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.

Rockers Revenge version

"The Harder They Come"
Single by Rockers Revenge featuring Donnie Calvin
Released	1983
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Genre	Electro
Length	3:37
Label	London
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Cliff
Producer(s)	Arthur Baker

Madness version

"The Harder They Come"
Single by Madness
from the album Madstock!
Released	1992
Format	CD
Recorded	1992
Genre	Pop, Ska
Length	3:27
Label	Go Discs
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Cliff
Producer(s)	Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
Madness singles chronology
"My Girl" (1992) "The Harder They Come" (1992) "Night Boat to Cairo" (1993)
"My Girl" (1992) "The Harder They Come" (1992) "Night Boat to Cairo" (1993)

"The Harder They Come" was released as a single by the band Madness in 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; it peaked at #44.^[8]

Other cover versions

"The Harder They Come" has also been covered by:

• Jerry Garcia Band, on After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80, released in 2004
• Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt, on Live at Keystone (1973)
• Cher, entitled "The Bigger They Come, The Harder They Fall" on Stars (1975)
• Keith Richards, as the B-side to his single "Run Rudolph Run" (1978)
• Titãs released a version in Portuguese entitled "Querem Meu Sangue" ("They Want My Blood") on Titãs (1984). Cliff would then perform a medley version with them on the live album Acústico MTV (1997).
• Rancid, live on Tibetan Freedom Concert (1997)
• Kahimi Karie, on K.K.K.K.K. (1998)
• Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, live on CD single "Coma Girl" (2003)
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, on Warped Tour 2003 Tour Compilation (2003)
• Wayne Kramer has released two slightly different versions of the song, on the 2000 compilation "Cocaine Blues" and the "Dodge Main" album, with Deniz Tek and Scott Morgan
• moe., on Warts and All: Volume 4 (2005)
• Willie Nelson, on Countryman (2005)
• Pat MacDonald, on Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation (2007)
• Guster, on the Everwood soundtrack

References

External links

• Review of "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff at Allmusic