Rock and a Hard Place (Bailey Zimmerman song)

"Rock and a Hard Place"
Single by Bailey Zimmerman
from the album Religiously. The Album. and the EP Leave the Light On
Released	June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:27
Label	Warner Nashville Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Heath Warren Jacob Hackworth Jet Harvey
Producer(s)	Austin Shawn
Bailey Zimmerman singles chronology
"Fall in Love" (2022) "Rock and a Hard Place" (2022) "Religiously" (2023)
Music video
"Rock and a Hard Place" on YouTube

"Rock and a Hard Place" is a song recorded by American country music singer Bailey Zimmerman. The song charted in June 2022, reaching number two on Billboard Hot Country Songs. It was released to country radio on December 12, 2022 as the second single from his debut EP Leave the Light On and his debut studio album Religiously. The Album.

Content

The song is about a male who is facing a relationship about to break up, describing the scenario as "between a rock and a hard place". Taste of Country writer Carmen Liptak wrote that Zimmerman has "gravelly, rock-informed vocal delivery and strong storytelling skills", and compared his style to Parker McCollum and Tucker Beathard. ^[1]

Commercial performance

"Rock and a Hard Place" debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated June 20, 2022. This peak was achieved mostly through streaming of the song, as it was not yet a radio single. It was the second highest debuting song on that chart for the entire year. ^[2] It reached Number 1 on the Country Airplay charts in April 2023 and spent six weeks there.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Rock and a Hard Place" Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [3] 41 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [4] 17 Canada Country ( Billboard ) [5] 1 Global 200 ( Billboard ) [6] 59 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [7] 11 US Billboard Hot 100 [8] 10 US Country Airplay ( Billboard ) [9] 1 US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [10] 2

Year-end charts 2022 year-end chart performance for "Rock and a Hard Place" Chart (2022) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [11] 67 Global 200 (Billboard) [12] 189 US Billboard Hot 100 [13] 70 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [14] 17 2023 year-end chart performance for "Rock and a Hard Place" Chart (2023) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [15] 37 Global 200 (Billboard) [16] 154 US Billboard Hot 100 [17] 16 US Country Airplay (Billboard) [18] 2 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [19] 5

Certifications

Certifications for "Rock and a Hard Place"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [20]	2× Platinum	140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) [21]	8× Platinum	640,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [22]	Platinum	30,000‡
United States (RIAA) [23]	6× Platinum	6,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "Rock and a Hard Place"

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label
Various	June 10, 2022	Digital download streaming	Original	Warner Nashville Elektra
	July 15, 2022		Acoustic
United States	December 12, 2022	Country radio	Original

References

1. Carena Liptak (June 14, 2022). "Hear Bailey Zimmerman's Brooding New 'Rock and a Hard Place'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
2. "Billboard Country Update for June 20, 2022" (PDF). Billboard . Retrieved June 21, 2022.
3. "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
4. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
5. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
6. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
7. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
8. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
9. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
10. "Bailey Zimmerman Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
11. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
12. "Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
13. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
14. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
15. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2023". Billboard . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
16. "Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2023". Billboard . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
17. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
18. "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
19. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
20. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 23, 2023.
21. "Canadian single certifications – Bailey Zimmerman – Rock and a Hard Place". Music Canada . Retrieved December 11, 2024.
22. "New Zealand single certifications – Bailey Zimmerman – Rock and a Hard Place". Radioscope. Retrieved September 8, 2025.Type Rock and a Hard Place in the "Search:" field.
23. "American single certifications – Bailey Zimmerman – Rock and a Hard Place". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 13, 2025.