The Hard Way (Mary Chapin Carpenter song)

"The Hard Way" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in March 1993 as the fourth single from her album Come On Come On. The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in July 1993.^[1] It was nominated at the 36th Grammy Awards for Best Country Song.

"The Hard Way"
Single by Mary Chapin Carpenter
from the album Come On Come On
B-side	"Goodbye Again"
Released	March 1993
Genre	Country
Length	4:23
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Mary Chapin Carpenter
Producer(s)	Mary Chapin Carpenter John Jennings
Mary Chapin Carpenter singles chronology
"Passionate Kisses" (1993) "The Hard Way" (1993) "The Bug" (1993)

Background

The song became the de facto theme song of the 1993 CBS television special Women of Country, which closed with a performance of the song featuring Carpenter and the rest of the special's all-star cast of female country entertainers.

Personnel

• Mary Chapin Carpenter–acoustic guitar, vocals
• Jon Caroll–synthesizer
• Denny Dadmun-Bixby–bass guitar
• John Jennings–electric guitar and background vocals
• Matt Rollings–piano
• Robbie Magruder–drums
• Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) and Shawn Colvin–background vocals

Chart performance

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[2]	11
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3]	11

References

1. "Mary Chapin Carpenter Hot Country Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
2. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2198." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 7, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
3. "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.