Party Hard (Pulp song)

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"Party Hard"
Single by Pulp
from the album This Is Hardcore
Released7 September 1998
Recorded1997
Genre
Length4:00
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
Pulp singles chronology
"A Little Soul"
(1998) 		"Party Hard"
(1998) 		"Sunrise" /
"The Trees"
(2001)

"Party Hard" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp. Featuring David Bowie-inspired vocals, the song lyrically was inspired by the band's dissatisfaction and exhaustion with clubbing.

"Party Hard" was released as the fourth single from This Is Hardcore, reaching number 29 in the UK. The single was accompanied by a music video inspired by kitschy German variety shows.

Lyrics and music[edit]

Rolling Stone's Greg Kot described the song as "about aging nightclubbers driving themselves to the brink of exhaustion to feel more 'alive'".[3] Sean Plummer of Access Magazine called the song a "cynical anthem," while Vivi McCarthy of Deluxe Magazine said the song "explores the notion of your social life as a competitive sport, complete with injuries and of course, doping."

This song is marked by Jarvis Cocker's David Bowie-esque vocal performance. Michael Krugman of Ray Gun wrote, "The ironic 'Party Hard' sees Jarvis at his most Bowie-esque, as the band boogie down at the Scary Monsters disco."[4]

Release[edit]

"Party Hard" was released on 7 September 1998 as the fourth and final single from the album This Is Hardcore, charting at number 29 in the UK Singles Chart, a commercial disappointment for the band, fuelled by CD2 accidentally containing remixes that were too long for the recently introduced chart-eligibility regulations.[5] Nigel Coxon explained, "I love 'Party Hard', it was as obvious a single on the record as anything, and it's a brilliant live track as well ... to be honest it would have been hard whatever we put out after 'Hardcore.' The album was ... falling off and things had moved on, and I think whatever we'd have put out as a single would've struggled."[6]

B-side "We Are the Boyz" was written for the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine.[7]

Music video[edit]

The release of "Party Hard" was accompanied by a music video produced by Hammer & Tongs. The video featured girls wearing tight Pulp T-shirts dancing around Cocker as the band mimed the song. The dance routine was recreated by Pulp during their performance of the song on Top of the Pops.[6] Director Mike Mills recalled that the video was inspired by a tape of an old German variety show that the band had shown him.[8]

During live performances of the period, balloons would be dropped on the audience during the song in reference to the song's music video.[6]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker; all music is composed by Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber

CD one
No.TitleLength
1."Party Hard"3:56
2."We Are the Boyz"3:14
3."The Fear" (The Complete and Utter Breakdown Version)7:11
CD two
No.TitleLength
1."Party Hard"3:56
2."Party Hard" (Stretch 'n' Verns Michel Lombert Remix)8:23
3."Party Hard" (All Seeing I's I Hardly Party Mix)7:40
Cassette
No.TitleLength
1."Party Hard"3:56
2."Party Hard" (Stretch 'n' Verns Michel Lombert Remix)8:23

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9][10] 90
Scotland (OCC)[11] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 29

References[edit]

  1. ^ Leas, Ryan (25 April 2014). "The Sound Of Someone Losing The Plot: Britpop's Big Comedown And What Came Next". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  2. ^ Watts, Peter (2016). "Pulp - This Is Hardcore". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 828.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (23 March 1998). "Pulp: This Is Hardcore". Rolling Stone. No. 784. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  4. ^ Krugman, Michael. "Deconstructing Jarvis". RayGun. Acrylic Afternoons. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. ^ " "Register". Pulp's Facebook page. Retrieved 8 September 2023 – via facebook. Island Records'
  6. ^ a b c Sturdy, Mark (2009). Truth And Beauty: The Story Of Pulp. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-103-5.
  7. ^ "PULP'S PARTY HARD: COR!". NME. 6 July 1998. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Mike Mills interview - making of music video for Pulp's Party Hard". YouTube. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 226.
  10. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 04 Oct 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 20 October 2016 – via Imgur.com.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
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