Take It So Hard

Composers: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan
Recording date: October 1987-May 1988
Recording locations: various studios, New York City, USA; Bermuda Sound Recording Studios, Bermuda;
Air Studios, Montserrat; Atlantic Studios & The Hit Factory, New York City, USA
Producers: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan        Chief engineer: Don Smith



Line-up:

Drums: Charley Drayton
Bass: Steve Jordan
Electric guitars: Keith Richards & Waddy Wachtel (incl. solo)
Lead vocal: Keith Richards
Background vocals: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan
Piano: Ivan Neville
Keyboards: Ivan Neville
 

Giving up loving
Easy to do
People so pityful
They never come through

Honey, honey, honey
I ain't that way, yeah

You want a little bit - once in a while
Come on and get it

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it  - you shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)


Take a look around you
Tell me, what do you see?

(People with little bits)
Trying, trying to smile

But most of what you've gotten is free   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard, yeah, yeah   (yeah)


Come on now, baby

Oh yeah   (yeah)
(Yeah)  (...)
(Yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard - you shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

Yank it up, baby
Or go get yourself a new name

You want a little bit  (once in a while)
Yeah you've got a taste for it


You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it, uh-huh   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard, yeah - huh   (yeah)

(Yeah)

(Yeah)


You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

You shouldn't take it so hard   (yeah)

 


TrackTalk

(Charley Drayton)'s a great drummer, and he's equally good on bass. So I switched him and Steve around. They'd listen to the songs, like on Take It So Hard, and Steve would say, That's Charley's beat - he can kick the shit out of that more than I can! (laughs)

- Keith Richards, 1988


(I used a) Fender Twin, the amp. The guitar I can't remember, probably the one I call Micawber, whichi s my main Tele 5-string. It's a '57, with the humbucker in the front... (The solo is) Waddy.

- Keith Richards, 1989


I believe it was (recorded in one take), yeah. We had done several run-throughs, but I believe that was the first: OK, cut it.

- Keith Richards, 2019


(W)e liked (the snare rattle at the beginning) (laughs). Because it's the promise of things to come, the shivers as the guitar starts up... It's a quiver in the air.

- Keith Richards, 1989


I’ve wondered ever since (what I was writing about). I think probably, you see the thing is, I actually had it going before the Winos became a possibility. I had been playing around with it. When I wrote it, I was thinking of Mick singing it. And that’s the true convolution - it sort of ends up with me singing about him.

- Keith Richards, 2019


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