Ain't Love a Bitch
| "Ain't Love a Bitch" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
| from the album Blondes Have More Fun | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 4:39 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gary Grainger, Rod Stewart | |||
| Producer(s) | Tom Dowd | |||
| Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ain't Love a Bitch" is a song written by Gary Grainger and Rod Stewart. Stewart released it on his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun, and it was one of four songs on the album co-written by Stewart and Grainger.[1] The song was released as a single in 1979, reaching #11 on the UK charts, and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.[2][3][4][5] It spent 8 weeks on the UK charts and 6 weeks on the US charts.[3][6] The song also reached the Top Ten in several countries, including Ireland.[7] Billboard magazine placed Stewart #7 on its list of the Top Single Artists of 1979 on the strength of "Ain't Love a Bitch" and its predecessor, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".[8]
Rolling Stone critic Janet Maslin excoriated the song as being "unexpectedly sensitive, with a soft, strum-along melody and a bunch of namby-pamby characters doo-doo-doing a background chorus while Stewart croons about old girlfriends."[9] She further criticizes the song for taking material that could have been tough and making it sound "like the 1400th cover version of 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco.'"[9] CD Review commented on the references within "Ain't Love a Bitch" to Stewart's earlier song "Maggie May", describing the music as "bouncy".[10] High Fidelity objected to the lyrics blaming women for love's problems.[11] The Albany Herald also noted that the song is autobiographical, and incorporates elements from Stewart's "musical and personal past."[12] Stereo Review described the song as a "repellent frat-house love song".[13] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as being in the same mold as "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".[14] Author Barry Alan Farber described the line "Ain't we all a little juvenile" as encapsulating the way people retain pieces of their adolescence into adulthood.[15]
Stewart performed the song on Dave Allen's Dave Allen at Large.[16] A video of the song was included on the DVD included in the deluxe editions of the compilation album Some Guys Have All the Luck / The Definitive Rod Stewart.[17]
References
- ^ Ewbank, T.; Hildred, S. (2005). Rod Stewart: The New Biography. Citadel Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-8065-2644-7.
- ^ Lazell, B. (1989). Rock Movers and Shakers. Billboard Publications. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-8230-7608-6.
- ^ a b "The Official Charts - Rod Stewart". The Official Charts. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ "Billboard Hits of the World". Billboard Magazine. 3 March 1979.
- ^ "Blondes Have More Fun Billboard singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ Whitburn, J. (1985). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Publications. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-8230-7518-8.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All There Is To Know". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Top Single Artists of 1979". 22 December 1979.
- ^ a b Maslin, J. (8 February 1979). "Blondes Have More Fun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^ "Ain't Love a Bitch". Vol. 8, no. 1–6. CD Review. 1991. p. xliii.
- ^ "Ain't Love a Bitch". Vol. 29, no. 1–6. High Fidelity. 1979. p. 294.
- ^ United Press International (31 January 1979). "Rockers Modify Attitude Towards Disco". The Albany Herald. p. 11.
- ^ "Ain't Love a Bitch". Vol. 42. Stereo Review. 1979. p. 130.
- ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Blondes Have More Fun". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ Farber, B.A. (2007). Rock 'n' roll wisdom: what psychologically astute lyrics teach about life. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-275-99164-7.
- ^ "TV Guide". Vol. 28. 1980. p. 26.
- ^ "The Definitive Rod Stewart". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.