Easy to Be Hard

"Easy to Be Hard" is a song from the rock musical Hair. It was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni, who put the musical together in the mid-sixties. The original recording of the musical featuring the song was released in May 1968 with the song being sung by Lynn Kellogg, who performed the role of Sheila on stage in the musical. The song was first covered by American band Three Dog Night on their 1969 album Suitable for Framing,^[1] with the lead vocal part sung by Chuck Negron,^[2] and was produced by Gabriel Mekler.^[3]

Three Dog Night's version of the song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969,^[4] and was ranked #33 on Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1969.^[5]

Other versions

John Rowles released the song as a single in 1969 in the Netherlands.^[6]
Jennifer Warnes released the song as a single in 1969. It reached peaked on the chart #128.^[7]
Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66 released the song as a single in 1970 in the United Kingdom.^[8]
Cheryl Barnes released a version as a single in 1979. It reached #64 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[9]
Three Dog Night's version was sampled on the song "Old to the New" by Nice & Smooth in 1994. Their song was also sampled on the song "A Grand Love Theme" by Kid Loco in 1997.
Bomb The Bass sampled fragment of the song to their track "One to One Religion", available on the US release of their 1995 album Clear.
Minneapolis rock supergroup Golden Smog covered the song on their debut EP On Golden Smog.

In media

Three Dog Night's version was used in the 2005 The Simpsons episode, Thank God, It's Doomsday.
Three Dog Night's version was used in the 2007 film Zodiac and is featured on the movie's soundtrack.

References

↑ Three Dog Night, Suitable for Framing Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Three Dog Night "Easy to be Hard" OnTV on YouTube; retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Three Dog Night, "Easy to Be Hard" single release Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Three Dog Night, "Easy to Be Hard" Chart Positions Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1969". Retrieved February 26, 2014.
↑ John Rowles, "Easy to Be Hard" single release Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Jennifer Warnes, "Easy to Be Hard" Chart Positions Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66, "Easy to Be Hard" single release Retrieved February 26, 2014
↑ Cheryl Barnes, "Easy to Be Hard" Chart Positions Retrieved February 26, 2014

Three Dog Night

Danny Hutton Michael Allsup Paul Kingery Pat Bautz Eddie Reasoner David Morgan Cory Wells Chuck Negron Jimmy Greenspoon Floyd Sneed Joe Schermie Jack Ryland Skip Konte Mickey McMeel James "Smitty" Smith Dennis Belfield Al Ciner Jay Gruska Ron Stockert Mike Seifrit Richard Grossman Mike Keely Scott Manzo Steve Ezzo Gary Moon T.J. Parker Richard Campbell Mike Cuneo

Studio albums	Three Dog Night (1968) Suitable for Framing (1969) It Ain't Easy (1970) Naturally (1970) Harmony (1971) Seven Separate Fools (1972) Cyan (1973) Hard Labor (1974) Coming Down Your Way (1975) American Pastime (1976) It's a Jungle (1983)

Live albums	Captured Live at the Forum (1969) Around the World with Three Dog Night (1973) Three Dog Night: Live (1988) Live with the London Symphony Orchestra (2002)

Compilations	Golden Bisquits (1971) Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits (1975) The Best of 3 Dog Night (1982) Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965-1975 (1993) 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Three Dog Night (1999) The Complete Hit Singles (2004)

Singles	"Nobody" "Try a Little Tenderness" "One" "Easy to Be Hard" "Eli's Coming" "Celebrate" "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" "Out in the Country" "One Man Band" "Joy to the World" "Liar" "An Old Fashioned Love Song" "Never Been to Spain" "The Family of Man" "Black & White" "Pieces of April" "Shambala" "Let Me Serenade You" "The Show Must Go On" "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here" "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)" "Til the World Ends" "Everybody Is a Masterpiece" "It's a Jungle Out There"

Book

Jennifer Warnes

Studio albums	Jennifer Jennifer Warnes Shot Through The Heart Famous Blue Raincoat The Hunter The Well

Singles	"Easy to Be Hard" "Right Time of the Night" "Don't Make Me Over" "It Goes Like It Goes" "Up Where We Belong" "All the Right Moves" "First We Take Manhattan" "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"

Compilations	Best of Jennifer Warnes Love Lifts Us Up: A Collection 1968-83

Hair

Songs	"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" "Easy to Be Hard" "Good Morning Starshine" "Hair" "Three-Five-Zero-Zero"

Cast recordings	Off-Broadway Broadway (original)

Film adaptation	Hair soundtrack

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