Hard Knocks
Studio album by
Joe Cocker
Released1 October 2010 (Europe)
24 January 2012 (US)
Recorded2009-10
GenreRock, blues
Length39:08
LabelColumbia (Europe)
Savoy Label Group (USA)
ProducerMatt Serletic
Joe Cocker chronology
Hymn for My Soul
(2007) 		Hard Knocks
(2010) 		Icon
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Record Collector[2]

Hard Knocks is the twenty-first and penultimate studio album by Joe Cocker, released on 1 October 2010 by Columbia Records in Europe. It features nine new songs produced by Matt Serletic plus Cocker's version of the Dixie Chicks number "I Hope", which was produced by Tony Brown. Apart from a regular CD release, the album was also released on vinyl.

The album reached number 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and number 2 on the same magazine's European Albums chart.[3]

A Limited Live Edition (CD/DVD) version of the album was released in December 2010 in Europe with live tracks off the album recorded at Le Zenith in Paris in 2010.

Track listing

  1. "Hard Knocks" (Marc Broussard, Maxwell Aaron Ramsey, Shannon Sanders) – 3:24
  2. "Get On" (Matt Serletic, Danny Myrick, Stephanie Bentley) – 3:28
  3. "Unforgiven" (Mitch Allan, Kara DioGuardi, Nick Lachey, Dave Hodges) – 4:14
  4. "The Fall" (Matt Serletic, Danny Myrick, Aimée Proal) – 3:49
  5. "So It Goes" (Matt Serletic, Jeffrey Steele, Danny Myrick) – 3:21
  6. "Runaway Train" (Ollie Marland) – 3:27
  7. "Stay The Same" (Matt Serletic, Danny Myrick, Stephanie Bentley) – 4:39
  8. "Thankful" (Matt Serletic, Kara DioGuardi) – 3:59
  9. "So" (Chantal Kreviazuk, Thomas "Tawgs" Salter) – 3:56
  10. "I Hope" (Keb' Mo', Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison) – 4:46
  11. "Forever Changed" – 3:51 – iTunes bonus track

Limited Live Edition additional tracks

  1. "Hard Knocks" (Marc Broussard, Maxwell Aaron Ramsey, Shannon Sanders)
  2. "Get On" (Matt Serletic, Danny Myrick, Stephanie Bentley)
  3. "Unforgiven" (Mitch Allan, Kara DioGuardi, Nick Lachey, Dave Hodges)
  4. "Thankful" (Matt Serletic, Kara DioGuardi)
  5. "You Are So Beautiful" (Billy Preston, Bruce Fisher)
  6. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)

Personnel

Choir on "Thankful"

Production

Studios

Charts

Chart performance for Hard Knocks
Chart (2010–2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums[4] 71
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[6] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[7] 41
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[8] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 41
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 1
Greek Albums (IFPI)[12] 42
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[13] 20
Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] 34
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[15] 14
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[16] 13
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[17] 86
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 52
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 61
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 48

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
German Albums Chart[22] 31

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[23] Platinum 200,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[24] Gold 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hard Knocks – Joe Cocker". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. ^ Staunton, Terry. "Joe Cocker - Hard Knocks". Record Collector. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Hard Knocks – Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  4. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 61.
  5. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Lescharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Greekcharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2010. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Joe Cocker Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  22. ^ "VIVA Album Top 50 – Alle Musikvideos – Chart". VIVA.tv. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  23. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Joe Cocker; 'Hard Knocks')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  24. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2010 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
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