Ain't Love a Bitch

"Ain't Love a Bitch"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Blondes Have More Fun
B-side "Last Summer"
Released 1979
Format 7" single
Genre Rock and roll
Length 4:39
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Gary Grainger, Rod Stewart
Producer Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
(1978)		 Ain't Love a Bitch
(1979)		 Blondes (Have More Fun)
(1979)

"Ain't Love a Bitch" is the name of 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]

CD Review magazine commented on the references within "Ain't Love a Bitch" to Stewart's earlier song "Maggie May," describing the music as "bouncy."[9] High Fidelity objected to the lyrics blaming women for love's problems.[10] The Albany Herald also noted that the song is autobiographical, and incorporates elements from Stewart's "musical and personal past."[11] Stereo Review described the song as a "repellent frat-house love song."[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as being in the same mold as "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".[13] 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.[14]

Stewart performed the song on Dave Allen's Dave Allen at Large.[15] 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.[16]

References

  1. ^ Ewbank, T. & Hildred, S. (2005). Rod Stewart: The New Biography. Citadel Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 9780806526447. 
  2. ^ Lazell, B. (1989). Rock Movers and Shakers. Billboard Publications. p. 286. ISBN 9780823076086. 
  3. ^ a b "The Official Charts - Rod Stewart". The Official Charts. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/rod%20stewart/. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
  4. ^ "Billboard Hits of the World". Billboard Magazine. March 3, 1979. 
  5. ^ "Blondes Have More Fun Billboard singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/blondes-have-more-fun-r19117/charts-awards/billboard-single. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
  6. ^ Whitburn, J. (1985). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Publications. p. 305. ISBN 9780823075188. 
  7. ^ "The Irish Charts - All There Is To Know". irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=6. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
  8. ^ "Top Single Artists of 1979". December 22, 1979. http://books.google.com/books?id=CSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61&dq=%22ain't+love+a+bitch%22+stewart&hl=en&ei=3rtTTtaNEMTYgQfw9uEh&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEkQ6AEwCDgU#v=onepage&q=%22ain't%20love%20a%20bitch%22%20stewart&f=false. 
  9. ^ . 8. CD Review. 1991. p. xliii. 
  10. ^ . 29. High Fidelity. 1979. p. 294. 
  11. ^ United Press International (January 31, 1979). "Rockers Modify Attitude Towards Disco". The Albany Herald: p. 11. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dmtEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ebIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1315,5577730&dq=blondes-have-more-fun&hl=en. 
  12. ^ . 42. Stereo Review. 1979. p. 130. 
  13. ^ Erlewine, S.T.. "Blondes Have More Fun". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/blondes-have-more-fun-r19117. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
  14. ^ Farber, B.A. (2007). Rock 'n' roll wisdom: what psychologically astute lyrics teach about life. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 110. ISBN 9780275991647. 
  15. ^ "TV Guide". 28. 1980. p. 26. 
  16. ^ "The Definitive Rod Stewart". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-definitive-rod-stewart-deluxe-edition-cddvd-r1446213. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
Rod Stewart singles
1970s
"It's All Over Now" (1970) · "Reason to Believe"/"Maggie May" (1971) · "(I Know) I'm Losing You"/"Mandolin Wind" (1971) · "Handbags and Gladrags" (1972) · "You Wear It Well" (1972) · "Angel" (1972) · "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" (1972) · "Twistin' the Night Away" (1973, 1987) · "Oh! No Not My Baby" (1973) · "Farewell" / "You Send Me" (1973) · "Mine for Me" (1974) · "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything" (1974) Stewart/Faces · "Sailing" (1975) · "This Old Heart of Mine" (1975) · "Tonight's the Night" (1975) · "The Killing of Georgie" (1976) · "Get Back" (1976) · "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977) · "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1977, 1990) · "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (1978) · "Hot Legs" (1978) · "I Was Only Joking" (1978) · "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978, 1997) · "Ain't Love a Bitch" (1979) · "Blondes (Have More Fun)" (1979)
1980s
"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (1980) · "Young Turks" (1982) · "How Long?" (1982) · "Baby Jane" (1983) · "That's What Friends Are For" (1983) · "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (1984) · "All Right Now" (1984) · "People Get Ready" (1985, 1991, 1993) Stewart/Beck · "Love Touch" (1986) · "In My Life" (1987) · "Forever Young" (1988) · "My Heart Can't Tell You No" (1988) · "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" (1989)Stewart/Isley · "Downtown Train" (1989)
1990s
"It Takes Two" (1990)Stewart/Turner · "Rhythm of My Heart" (1991) · "The Motown Song" (1991) · "Your Song" (1992) · "Ruby Tuesday" (1993) · "Have I Told You Lately" (1993) · "Reason to Believe" (unplugged, 1993)  · "All for Love" (1993) Stewart/Adams/Sting · "Lady Luck" (1996) · "Ooh La La" (1998) · "Rocks" (1998) · "Cigarettes and Alcohol" (1998) · "Faith of the Heart" (1999)
2000s