Hard to Explain
{{short description|2001 single by The Strokes}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hard to Explain
| cover = Strokes_Hard_To_Explain_single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = The Strokes
| album = Is This It
| B-side = New York City Cops
| released = {{Start date|2001|06|25}}
| recorded = March and April 2001
| studio = Transporterraum, New York City
| genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|garage rock revival|post-punk revival}}
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=48}}
| label = {{hlist|Rough Trade|RCA}}
| writer = Julian Casablancas
| producer = Gordon Raphael
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| title = Hard to Explain
| next_title = Last Nite
| next_year = 2001
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Australian cover
| type = single
| cover =
| border =
| alt =
| caption =
}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|yYADYW_BtXk|"Hard to Explain"}}}}
}}
"Hard to Explain" is a song by American rock band the Strokes. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, Is This It (2001), June 25, 2001. It peaked at number 7 in Canada, number 10 in Ireland, and number 16 in the United Kingdom. In a 2023 interview,{{Citation |title=Episode 3 - The Strokes Producer Gordon Raphael on Studio Vibes, 'Hard To Explain' Drums, and more |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AhNkLr9-Kk |access-date=2023-08-05 |language=en}} producer Gordon Raphael explained that the song was originally written by frontman Julian Casablancas with his drum machine.
Reception
The single was voted number 3 on the NME Top 100 songs of the decade. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 36 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/12 |title=150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years |date=6 October 2011 |publisher=Nme.Com |access-date=2012-02-20}} Rolling Stone placed the song at number 59 on its list "100 Best Songs of the 2000s."{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-songs-of-the-aughts-20110617/the-strokes-hard-to-explain-20110617|title = 100 Best Songs of the 2000s|magazine = Rolling Stone|date = 17 June 2011}} In 2020, The Independent and Paste ranked the song number two and number one, respectively, on their lists of the 20 greatest Strokes songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-strokes-best-song-list-julian-casablancas-a9452641.html|title=The Strokes: 20 best songs, ranked|first=Mark|last=Beaumont|work=The Independent|date=April 9, 2020|accessdate=April 21, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-strokes/best-songs/#1-hard-to-explain-|title=The 20 Best Strokes Songs|work=Paste|date=April 9, 2020|accessdate=April 21, 2022}}
Music video
The music video for this song largely consists of a montage of random stock footage interspersed with images of the band members performing. It was directed by the team of Roman Coppola and Johannes Gamble (as well as an uncredited Julian Casablancas). Footage of The Strokes playing "Take It or Leave It" from MTV2's "Two Dollar Bill" concert is used in the video. Amongst stock footage, the video contains clips from Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider (both of which are credited), a clip from the film Brainstorm, a commercial for the 1970 Dodge Charger 500 (scene of a woman sitting in a car), a clip from the film WarGames,[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/trivia WarGames (1983) - Trivia - IMDb] a less-than-2-second fragment from Emmanuelle,{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQYXsLJpo3I | title=Emmanuelle 1974 (Sylvia Kristel) | website=YouTube }} NASA footage of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in orbit, gameplay of the 1981 Sega arcade game Turbo, the rocket engine firing of the Saturn V and an image of particle tracks in a bubble chamber (which forms the American album cover for Is This It). Some of the stock footage was taken from the film Koyaanisqatsi, directed by Godfrey Reggio, which was presented by Francis Ford Coppola.
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = 7-inch vinyl
| title1 = Hard to Explain
| length1 = 3:43
| title2 = New York City Cops
| length2 = 3:30
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = CD
| title1 = Hard to Explain
| length1 = 3:43
| title2 = New York City Cops
| length2 = 3:30
| title3 = Take It or Leave It
| note3 = in LA
| length3 = 3:15
| title4 = Trying Your Luck
| note4 = in LA
| length4 = 3:25
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Ireland CD
| title1 = Hard to Explain
| length1 = 3:43
| title2 = The Modern Age
| length2 = 3:30
| title3 = Last Nite
| length3 = 3:15
| title4 = When It Started
| length4 = 2:59
| title5 = Take It or Leave It
| note5 = live
| length5 = 3:15
}}
Personnel
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
The Strokes
- Julian Casablancas – vocals
- Albert Hammond Jr. – lead guitar
- Nick Valensi – rhythm guitar
- Nikolai Fraiture – bass guitar
- Fabrizio Moretti – drums
{{col-2}}
Additional personnel
- Gordon Raphael – production
- Greg Calbi – mastering
{{col-end}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for "Hard to Explain" ! scope="col"| Chart (2001–2002) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite Ryan|page=270}}
|66 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-strokes/chart-history/cns/|title=The Strokes Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 12, 2023}}
|7 |
| {{single chart|Ireland3|10|artist=The Strokes|rowheader=true|access-date=April 15, 2020}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|56|artist=The Strokes|song=Hard to Explain|rowheader=true|access-date=April 15, 2020}} |
| {{single chart|UK|16|date=20010701|rowheader=true|access-date=April 15, 2020}} |
| {{single chart|UKindie|1|date=20010701|rowheader=true|access-date=September 11, 2024}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardalternativesongs|27|artist=The Strokes|rowheader=true|access-date=April 15, 2020}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|BXkm6h6uq0k|"Hard to Explain" Official music video}}
{{The Strokes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard To Explain}}
Category:Songs written by Julian Casablancas
Category:Music videos directed by Roman Coppola