"Hard to Love" is a song written by Billy Montana, John Ozier, and Ben Glover and recorded by American country music artist Lee Brice. It was released on May 14, 2012 as the second single from Brice's album Hard 2 Love.
| "Hard to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lee Brice | ||||
| from the album Hard 2 Love | ||||
| Released | May 14, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Lee Brice singles chronology | ||||
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The song received positive reviews from critics who praised Brice's performance of someone else's lyrics. "Hard to Love" gave Brice his second number-one country hit on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart. It also peaked at numbers 4 and 27 on the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts, respectively. It received minor chart success in Canada, peaking at number 51 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song was certified Platinum by both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Music Canada for selling over a number of units from their respective countries.
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Eric Welch.
Content
editIn the song, the male narrator states that he is "hard to love" and questions why his lover still tolerates him. Co-writer Ben Glover said, "We thought we’d write a classic song about dudes saying, ‘You know I’m kind of a pain in the ass.’ We said, ‘Let’s just talk about ourselves in the song'".[1]
Critical reception
editBilly Dukes of Taste of Country gave "Hard to Love" three and a half stars out of five, writing that "the song doesn’t come to life as easily as some others Brice has performed or written" but "Brice should have no trouble finding his way up the charts."[2] Ashley Cooke of Roughstock gave the song four stars out of five, saying that "although Brice didn’t write this song, he’s done a great job at finding one that fits his sound and his style."[3]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Eric Welch and premiered in April 2012.[4]
Chart performance
edit"Hard to Love" debuted at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of May 26, 2012.[5] The song became Brice's second number one hit on Country Airplay for the week of November 10, 2012, where it stayed for two weeks.
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] | 51 |
| Canada Country (Billboard)[7] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 27 |
| US Country Airplay (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 4 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 95 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] | 18 |
| Chart (2013) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] | 68 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[14] | Platinum | 80,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Conaway, Alanna (May 9, 2012). "Lee Brice, 'Hard to Love' – Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ Dukes, Billy (May 3, 2012). "Lee Brice, 'Hard to Love' – Song Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ Cooke, Ashley (May 15, 2012). "Single Review: Lee Brice - "Hard To Love"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Lee Brice : Hard to Love". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ Morris, Edward (May 19, 2012). "Carrie Underwood Spends a Second Week at No. 1 With Blown Away". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ "Lee Brice Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Lee Brice Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Lee Brice Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Lee Brice Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
- ^ "Lee Brice Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ "Best of 2012: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ "Best of 2013: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Lee Brice – Hard to Love". Music Canada. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "American single certifications – Lee Brice – Hard to Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 22, 2023.