It's the Hard Knock Life

Last updated

"It's the Hard Knock Life"
Song by Annie and Orphans
Published1977
Composer(s) Charles Strouse
Lyricist(s) Martin Charnin

"It's the Hard Knock Life" is a song from the musical Annie [1] with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. [2] [3] [4] The song is sung by the eponymous protagonist, together with her fellow orphan girls, and is about how the girls are treated by Miss Hannigan.

In the 2014 film adaptation, the lyrics in the line "No one cares for you a smidge, when you're in an orphanage", have been changed to "no one cares for you a bit, when you're a foster kid". [5] As well as the line "You'll stay up 'til this dump shines like the top of the Chrysler building", has been changed to "Make my bathroom shine, but don't touch my medicine cabinet". [ citation needed ]

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<i>Little Orphan Annie</i> 1924–2010 American comic strip

Little Orphan Annie is a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and it made its debut on August 5, 1924, in the New York Daily News.

<i>Annie</i> (musical) Broadway musical

Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre. It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" are among its most popular musical numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Strouse</span> American composer and lyricist

Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and Annie.

An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer songs were also extremely popular in country music in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, sometimes as female responses to an original hit by a male artist or male responses to a hit by a female artist.

Danielle Anne Brisebois is an American producer, singer-songwriter and former child actress. She is best known for her role as Stephanie Mills on the Norman Lear-produced sitcoms All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, as well as playing Molly in the original Broadway production of the musical Annie.

Martin Charnin was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical Annie.

<i>Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life</i> 1998 studio album by Jay-Z

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 29, 1998, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It went on to become his most commercially successful album, selling over 6 million copies in the United States. In the liner notes of the album, Jay-Z gives his thoughts on various tracks. The lyrics to the fast-paced "Nigga What, Nigga Who " are also included.

Mark Howard James professionally known as The 45 King, is an American hip hop producer and DJ from The Bronx, New York. He began DJing in the mid-1980s. His pseudonym, the 45 King, came from his ability to make beats using obscure 45 RPM records.

"Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" is a show tune composed by Irving Berlin for the 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun. The song is a duet, with one male singer and one female singer attempting to outdo each other in increasingly complex tasks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)</span> 1998 single by Jay-Z

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" is a single from American rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, released on October 27, 1998. It features a pitch-modified sample of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA certified it as a gold single in March 1999, and it reached platinum status on July 15, 2015. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the top 20 of the charts in Austria and Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiceworld Tour</span> 1998 concert tour by the Spice Girls

The Spiceworld Tour was the debut concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their first two studio albums, Spice (1996) and Spiceworld (1997). The sell-out European/North American tour ran from February to August 1998, after which it returned to the UK in September 1998 for a series of stadium shows. The final concert at London's Wembley Stadium was filmed and broadcast live on pay-per-view, for later VHS release in 1998 and eventual DVD release in 2008.

Hard Knock Life may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upgrade U</span> 2006 promotional single by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z

"Upgrade U" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her second studio album B'Day (2006). The song features additional vocals from American rapper Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Beyoncé, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Jay-Z, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Beyoncé's sister, Solange. Columbia Records released "Upgrade U" as a promotional single on October 8, 2006 in the United States only. "Upgrade U" draws from the genres of hip hop and contemporary R&B. The concept of the song is that of a woman describing herself as the key to upgrading a man's lifestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anything (Jay-Z song)</span> Song by Jay-Z

"Anything" is a song by rapper Jay-Z that is found on Beanie Sigel's 2000 album The Truth. It is produced by Sam Sneed and P. Skam, who sample Lionel Bart's "I'll Do Anything" for the track's beat and chorus. The sample from Oliver! heavily popularized "Anything", as did the Annie sample on "Hard Knock Life ", "Anything" was also a bonus track on Jay-Z's album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter as is "Anything " on the Japanese version of the album.

<i>Annie</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by John Huston

Annie is a 1982 American musical comedy-drama film based on the 1977 Broadway musical of the same name by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, which in turn is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip created by Harold Gray. Directed by John Huston and written by Carol Sobieski, the cast includes Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, with Aileen Quinn as the title character. It is the first film adaptation of the musical.

"I'd Do Anything" is a song performed by various characters in the 1960 British musical Oliver! and the 1968 film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart of the City Tour</span> 2008 concert tour by Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z

The Heart of the City Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z. The North America tour supports Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains (2007) and Jay-Z's tenth studio album American Gangster (2007). According to Pollstar.com the Heart of the City Tour grossed over $34.2 million, making it the most successful male-female hip-hop/R&B tour in history. The-Dream was the opening act for the tour, supporting his 2007 debut album Love/Hate.

<i>Annie</i> (2014 film) 2014 musical comedy film by Will Gluck

Annie is a 2014 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck from a screenplay he co-wrote with Aline Brosh McKenna. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment, Marcy Media Films, and Olive Bridge Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is a contemporary film adaptation of Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan's 1977 Broadway musical of the same name. The film changes the setting from the Great Depression to the present day, and it is the second remake and the third film adaptation of the musical, following the 1982 theatrical film starring Carol Burnett and Albert Finney and the 1999 television film starring Kathy Bates and Victor Garber. The revival film stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the titular role, alongside Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale and Cameron Diaz. Annie began production in August 2013 and, following a premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 7, 2014, it was released theatrically in the United States on December 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama Said (Lukas Graham song)</span> 2014 single by Lukas Graham

"Mama Said" is a single by Danish recording act Lukas Graham. The song was released as a digital download on 23 June 2014 through Copenhagen Records. It achieved success in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The song was written by Lukas Forchhammer, Morten Ristorp, Stefan Forrest, and Morten "Pilo" Pilegaard, and it was produced by Forrest and Ristorp under their stage name Future Animals, and Pilegaard. It samples the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the musical Annie.

References

  1. Haun, Harry (October 2, 2012). "Thirty-Five Years Young: Despite a Hard-Knock Life, Annie's Hardly Showing Her Age". The New York Observer. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  2. "Musicnotes.com: Unsupported Browser or Operating System". Musicnotes. January 2, 2002.
  3. "It's the Hard Knock Life – ANNIE to Close on Broadway January 5, 2014". Broadway World. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  4. "Annie Fun Facts". Pittsburgh CLO. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  5. Jessie Strasbaugh (December 27, 2014). "Orphants to foster kids: a century of Annie". Oxford University Press. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  6. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) by Jay-Z Songfacts".
  7. "Lukas Graham's Mama Said". WhoSampled . Retrieved February 25, 2016.