There are likely not even two handsful of songs Pete wrote for the Who that I think are just not a good song (and the majority of those would be on ENDLESS WIRE....). Cook County is one of them. "It's Your Turn" I do think still shows signs that the clever, smart, ironic Entwistle wrote it, unlike say You or Dangerous, and it rocks to me a bit better than just dully and by the numbers. One of the two actually better than good John songs in IH.
Your assumption was correct, Ray! From thewho.net: Pete: "I saw a documentary on TV about a hospital in Chicago called Cooks County Hospital [sic - actually Cook County Hospital] which is the only free hospital in America and the fact that the municipal authorities were applying to the Federal Government in America to get grants to keep it open. The grants were refused so the hospital was going to close. It was in a ghetto and it was mainly black people and it was mainly drug abuse and everything else, ghetto-influenced problems, which this hospital dealt with. Of course a lot of these people, you get blasted by a shotgun in a Chicago street and you get picked up by an ambulance, you get taken to hospital and unless you've got a Medicare card or insurance of something you get shoved straight out again. I just felt so moved by this that I just felt in a sense that I had to scribble out a few lines about it and that's how it came out. I just went in with the poem I'd written 'people are suffering...' and we turned it into this particular track."
That wasn't my intention, really! I wondered about your interpretation, but my knowledge about Pete's lyrics or what inspired them is certainly way below yours. On the other hand, the possibility of a cook-induced food poisoning is still on the table!
My friend and I would argue about this. We heard it as “she’s a ho” (as in “whore”). I NEVER heard it as “she’s a bomb”. Not once. I must have a bad set of ears. On a similar note, this same friend called me up one day and told me to turn on the radio immediately to hear the new song where Don Henley was singing “kick him in the nuts” over and over again. Yes, it was “Dirty Laundry”. I told my friend I was pretty sure it was “kick ‘em when they’re up” since the next line was definitely “kick ‘em when they’re down” - so at least I figured that one out correctly.
1964 - 1977 Aug 1978 Who Are You New Song Had Enough 905 Sister Disco - Kampuchea - Capital Radio Music Must Change - Live - demo Trick Of The Light Guitar And Pen - Demo - Alt Love Is Coming Down - Demo - Alt Who Are You - lost verse mix - demo No Road Romance - band version? - band version? Empty Glass - Pete's demo Keith Moon 8/23/1946 - 9/7/1978 Last interview June 1979 The Kids Are Alright - promo/trailer My Generation - alt link Can't Explain Happy Jack I Can See For Miles - alt link Magic Bus - edit mono version Long Live Rock Anyway Anyhow Anywhere Young Man Blues Baba O'Riley A Quick One Tommy Can You Hear Me Sparks Pinball Wizard See Me Feel Me Join Together Won't Get Fooled Again Oct 1979 Quadrophenia Soundtrack - the remix I Am The Sea The Real Me I'm One 5:15 Love Reign O'er Me Bell Boy I've Had Enough Helpless Dancer Doctor Jimmy Zoot Suit - The High Numbers Hi Heeled Sneakers - Cross Section Get Out And Stay Out Four Faces Joker James The Punk and the Godfather Night Train Louie Louie Green Onions Rhythm Of The Rain He's So Fine Be My Baby Da Doo Ron Ron Apr 1980 Pete Townshend Empty Glass Rough Boys I Am An Animal And I Moved Let My Love Open The Door Jools And Jim Keep On Working Cats In The Cupboard A Little Is Enough Empty Glass - demo Gonna get Ya May 1980 Concerts For Kampuchea - with whole Who set following Keith Moon's Drumming June 1980 Roger Daltrey McVicar soundtrack Bitter And Twisted Just A Dream Away Escape 1 White City Lights Free Me My time Is Gonna Come Waiting For A Friend Escape 2 Without Your Love McVicar 1980 The Secret Policeman's Ball full Won't Get Fooled Again Mar 1981 Face Dances You Better You Bet - live Don't Let Go The Coat - Pete demo - live 81 Cache Cache - Pete demo The Quiet One - live - live - live bonus track Did You Steal My Money -demo How Can You Do It Alone - demo - jam origin - live bonus track Daily Records You Another Tricky Day - live I Like Nightmares It's In You Somebody Saved Me What Is love demo Dance It Away - The Who Dance It Away - Pete May 1981 Phases (album box set) Sept 1981 Hooligans Nov 1981 John Entwistle Too Late The Hero June 1982 All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes Stop Hurting People The Sea Refuses No River - Roger Prelude Face Dances Part 2 Exquisitely Bored Communication Stardom In Acton Uniforms North Country Girl Somebody Saved Me Slit Skirts - live 82 Vivienne Man Watching Dance It Away 1982 Pete Interview - Another Pete Interview Sept 1982 It's Hard Athena - Theresa It's Your Turn Cooks County Roger Interview
This song is so long It ends up where it begins Cooks County Definitely too repetitious for me. Don't really care for the chorus either. On the plus side, once again, I'm appreciating Kenny's drumming. How much of not liking him on Face Dances was just him not being Moonie and how much was him struggling to find his way with the group? It feels to me like it just took a second album for Kenny to figure out just what in his personal bag of tricks would work with these guys and for them to gel as a unit.
Cooks County Okay - bearing in mind these are all my first impressions, and songs don't always register on one listen. I'd say this feels like the definition of 'album track', but that's not to say it's rubbish. Perhaps more that it's not very refined. There's a feel curiously reminiscent of "Relay".. which is both good and bad. The bad (bear with me here) is something that tends to happen a lot with later Who stuff, and it's when there's little to no discernible melodic content in the vocal. Not sure what Pete actually wrote, but it's when I feel Roger is going through the 'blues' motions vocally.. just doing short scales over a riff or beat. That's just my taste - it doesn't appeal to me. I prefer a clear melodic line, one that you could sing to yourself, rather than something that sounds like "this'll do". "Relay" has a hint of that, but there's a well defined pay off in the chorus, unlike in the present song. Also there's a "New Wave" interlude or two. The thing is, Kenney's straight playing accentuates that feel, but it then seems a little generic. However I like Pete's unusual vocals over the top. The lyrics are a little clunky but I don't think Pete's trying to say that much anyway. He sometimes gets it in the (Horse's) neck for overloading the words in this era, so it's a change at least. On the whole, I enjoyed the slight quirkiness of this, the unexpected meshing of styles, and that it doesn't just stay in one mood. Might go either way, after a few listens I may end up growing tired of it, or hopefully just enjoying it on its own terms.
Saying what you think/feel doesn't necessarily lead to great art (I mean, Pete is saying what he thinks and feels in Cooks County, but you find fault with those lyrics). What do I want John to say in It's Your Turn? Something witty, or insightful, or creative. His thoughts seem pretty banal to me. "I'm getting old and it's hard to party like I did when I was younger. Partying is starting to feel kind of hollow. Yet I feel threatened by younger guys who want to take my place." Shallow concerns expressed without a hint of irony. John's earlier worked showed him to be capable of so much more. I agree. He's not willingly passing the torch. He's pretending he doesn't want something anymore (youth, rock stardom) because he feels it slipping away and has no way to stop it. He uses a similar strategy in One At A Time. "Take it, I don't want it" is a classic case of "he doth protest too much."
I've always liked this one (even if I never understood it). If The Who are going to try new things, new kinds of songs, things they've never done before, I'd MUCH rather they do Cook's County than Cache Cache (to name an example). Really uses Kenney in a "Keith wouldn't/couldn't have played it like this" way, and it rocks!
Cooks County: I remember an interview with Pete where he talked about coming into the It's Hard sessions without much of any material, and asked the guys "what do you want me to write about?" He said they talked about how they all had shared concerns for the direction the world was going, fear about the future of the planet and nuclear war, etc. So he set out to write songs to order on those topics. This song clearly stems from that discussion, and it's a fine example of how the album feels rushed and/or half-baked at times. I really like the "The song goes on" chorus here. It's catchy, and has some genuine musical excitement. But the rest of the song doesn't live up to it, lyrically or musically. I think there was potential for a good song in here, but Pete didn't get it finished before they recorded it. I remember Paul Westerberg once cracking about one of his songs that "this song was written fifteen minutes after we recorded it." The same could kind of be said about Cooks County. Nice drumming by Kenney though.
I don't have any problem with Kenney's drumming on Face Dances, and I think a lot of it is quite good. By contrast, there's a couple songs coming up on side two of It's Hard where I think his drumming really lets down the songs... including one case where he ruins what could have been a classic. I'll try not to say more until we get there, though.
Interesting. Been a long time since I've listened to all these songs, so I'm not sure how I'll react giving side two a deep dive. So far I've been surprised that I've really enjoyed Kenny on 2/3 songs here. I have no idea if the trend will hold.
Cooks County----Too bad this wasn't a better song about need and suffering... The thing it most has going for it as Mark mentioned, is the performance overall. Tight playing and great vocals, elevate this to slightly above mediocrity... The bridge or chorus is a nice musical and vocal piece, the punch line kind of sucks-- "This Song is so long"......
Athena: I love it as is, with nothing else to add. 5/5 It’s Your Turn: wasn’t one I liked much for years, but upon recent reappraisal, I merely think it’s misplaced on the record. 3/5 Cooks County: this is THE song that I believe gives the album the “we barely tried” impression. Imagine if the track list were... Side 1: It’s Your Turn It’s Hard Dangerous Eminence Front I’ve Known No War Side 2: Athena One At a Time A Man Is a Man Why Did I Fall For That? Cry If You Want Okay, it ain’t Who’s Next, but now a loose theme emerges that passes the torch on a “final album”. And... yes. I have a copy burned like this for the car. (In case you ask: I like “one life’s enough”, but it’s SO out of place here in general. Would’ve been an interesting standalone single?)
"It's Hard" Single by The Who from the album It's Hard B-side "Dangerous" Released 4 September 1982 (album) February 1983 (single) Recorded Turn Up Turn Down Studios, Surrey, June 1982[1] Length 3:47 Label Polydor Warner Bros. Songwriter(s) Pete Townshend Producer(s) The Who "It's Hard" is a song written by Pete Townshend that featured on British rock band The Who's tenth album, It's Hard, of which it was the title track. It was released as the third and final vinyl single from the album in 1983, backed with the John Entwistle written song "Dangerous", but failed to chart, although it reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.[2] This would become the last Who single of new material until "Real Good Looking Boy" in 2004, and the last album single by them until "Black Widow's Eyes", two years later. The lyrics to "It's Hard" were written long before the actual song.[3] It was originally presented to the Who in 1981 for the Who's previous album, Face Dances, in the form of a demo called "Popular", but the band's reaction was cool towards it, as the album was nearly finished at the time. The music of "Popular" was later re-written and the lyrics slightly altered and the song, as "It's Hard", was shown to the Who again and this time featured on the album. Pete Townshend said of the song: This one I've had for quite a long time as a lyric written on a piece of paper...I was imagining myself as a kind of Johnny Cash figure and talking about bravado and angst and, you know, it's easy to complain and it's easy to bluff. It's very hard to do.[3] Townshend also said of the band's reaction to "Popular": The band reaction was lukewarm; we were close to ending the album and were all unsure of what was happening. I later removed the 'Popular' chorus, replaced it with 'It's Hard' and managed to sell another song![3] The original demo of "Popular" is featured on the Pete Townshend solo compilation album Scoop, which was released in 1983. The original mix featured an error in Townshend's opening guitar solo, which was fixed in the 1997 remix. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Any tough can fight, few can play Any tough can fight, few can play Any fool can fall, few can lay Any fool can fall, few can lay Any stud can reproduce, few can please Any stud can reproduce, few can please Anyone can pay, few can lease Anyone can pay, few can lease It's hard It's hard (It's a hard, hard hand to hold (it's a hard, hard hand to hold It's a hard land to control) It's a hard land to control) Any man can claim, few can find Any man can claim, few can find Any girl can blink, few can lie Any girl can blink, few can lie Anyone can promise, few can raise Anyone can promise, few can raise Anyone can try, but a few can stay Anyone can try, but a few can stay Any brain can hide, few can stand Any brain can hide, few can stand Any kid can fly, few can land Any kid can fly, few can land Any gang can scatter, few can form Any gang can scatter, few can form Any kid can chatter, few can inform Any kid can chatter, few can inform It's hard It's very, very, very, very hard, so very hard It's hard It's very, very, very, very hard, so very hard It's hard It's hard (It's a hard, hard hand to hold (It's a hard, hard hand to hold It's a hard land to control) It's a hard land to control) Any soul can sleep, few can die Any soul can sleep, few can die Any wimp can weep, few can cry Any wimp can weep, few can cry Everyone complains, few can state Everyone complains, few can state Anyone can stop, few can wait Anyone can stop, few can wait It's hard It's very, very, very, very hard, so very hard It's hard It's very, very, very, very hard, so very hard Anyone can do anything if they hold the right card Anyone can do anything if they hold the right card So, I'm thinking about my life now So, I'm thinking about my life now I'm thinking very hard I'm thinking very hard Deal me another hand, Lord, this one's very hard Deal me another hand, Lord, this one's very hard Deal me another hand, Lord, this one's very hard Deal me another hand, Lord, this one's very hard Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Pete Townshend It’s Hard lyrics © Spirit Music Group, BMG Rights Management This track has a sort of melodramatic opening theme, but it suits the song, I think. It is some really nice opening structure. The song itself is good, but not among my favourites. I remember the song Popular from a copy of the album Scoop, if I remember rightly, and when I heard it, years ago, I thought it was pretty good. Lyrically this is about as straight forward as a song from Pete comes, and really there isn't too much to explore. We have gotten used to trying to wade through Pete being cryptic and cynical, and here we just get a straight forward lyric, talking of a pretty straight forward issue. Perhaps there is a double entendre going on here, but aside from the chorus lyric, I don't see it as being particularly intentional.... but I am happy for someone to prove me wrong on that.
The title It's Hard sounds like the end of a sentence that started with their first single: I can't explain...it's hard.
It's going to sound like I hate "It's Hard", but I really don't. I actively dislike only a small handful of tracks in the group's canon (one is coming up pretty soon). As many of you have probably noticed after 286 pages, I am drawn to a song's lyric first and foremost, and a weak lyric will sink a song for me. That being said, "It's Hard" is filled to the brim with pseudo wisdom. Almost none of the couplets hold up to any scrutiny. The pervading philosophy here, fatalism ("Anyone can do anything if they hold the right cards"), runs in direct conflict with the philosophy I've embraced and used to teach, existentialism. So the lyric here leaves me flat, be it "It's Hard" or "Popular". I also find "very, very, very, very hard" to be incredibly lazy songwriting. I will note that when Paul McCartney wrote "Feet in the Clouds", he saw Pete's 4 and raised him 2, ending his chorus with "And I find it very, very, very, very, very, very hard". Yeah, it stinks there too. The "Popular" demo:
It's Hard Despite the incessant couplets (not a format that usually holds my attention), I really like the lyrics of this song. What's cool about it is that, rather than just saying life is hard, which we all know, the examples really speak to many aspects of life where people think they're kicking ass when they're just being half-assed. We know life is hard, but we don't even know, let alone acknowledge, all the ways we fall short. It is indeed hard to go the extra mile and make our actions meaningful. It's very, very, very, very hard. True dat. And I don't see the song as fatalistic. Yes the statement is made that "Anyone can do anything if they hold the right cards," but he doesn't say, or even imply, the converse, that one can not overcome if one does not hold the right cards.... it's just hard. True enough. I'm sure Pete was aware of the possible double entendre, although I'm sure it wasn't what he had in mind when he chose the lyric. "It's Difficult" or "It's Challenging" just have too many syllables! So he was stuck with it being hard.
"Cooks County": I like the chorus but the verse can barely be said to have a melody. I enjoy "It's Hard." Like "Athena," this, to me, seems like a reasonable marriage of The Who, Kenney, and the early '80s. -E
It's Hard the song from the perennially criticized on SHF "last" Who album It's Hard is today's thread entry...and...SHF is hacked and goes down for several hours. Coincidence...I think not
Great review. I love this song. Harkens back to their 60s sound but also has a Dylanish side to it as well in the lyrics and the music. Changes key to major at the end of the minor intro that really gives it nice contrast. I like how Pete turns the intro into a bridge but the bridge also has some chorus traits. Brilliant chiming chord inversions. Top notch Pete and Who for me.
It's Hard: 3,5/10 Wow. Must be my lowest ranking for a The Who number since I participate in this thread! Opposite of original, lame verses and even more lameness in the chorus. As for the double entendre, I'm not able to ignore it, may it be intentional or not - but one way or another, it doesn't make it any better. To me, absolutely nothing remarkable to find her, and the more often I hear it, the more it annoys me... Absolutely forgettable B-side fodder, but here it's the title track!