“Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)”
Song by Ray Charles
“Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I” is a song that Ray Charles recorded while at Atlantic Records in the 1950s that was released in 1961, after he’d left for ABC Records and worldwide superstardom. It was released as the A-side of a single, and on the compilation album The Genius Sings The Blues, both in September 1961.
The song is a remarkable showcase for many of Ray’s musical and mystical talents and experiences. A short, slow blues song, “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)” begins in the style of Ray’s earliest 1947 recordings: his piano, his voice, an apparent stand-up bass, and drums keeping the simplest of beats. For Ray fans, it is a familiar sound of a tight-knit trio of musical co-expeditionaries.
In a warm baritone that has moved on from, but is still in debt to, Nat King Cole (whom Ray always copped to copying on his earliest 78s), Ray sings with a kind of distracted dejection about the problems in his life, wondering in the chorus “who knows better than I?”
His piano playing is remarkable on “Hard Times (Who Knows Better Than I)”: burbling with short bursts of notes throughout, free of boring structure and exuding a supreme confidence, each little note seems to communicate something deep about life itself, and how one may choose to live it. A late night spent crying into a whiskey bottle might be the overall sensation of this part of the song, if it weren’t for the attention demanded by the mesmerizing piano. The slyly complicated jazz chords help elevate the tone to one of intoxicating virtuosity.
The performance is bisected by an unexpected saxophone solo, however, serving to show how this track is no mere copy of Ray’s Swing Time discs. Nobody is resting on any laurels. Because after the sax solo, Ray takes another verse but this time his voice is a growl, a strangled, fierce cry fed up with the injustice of it all. So long, Nat, it’s been good to know ya. Giving the song the more professional feel that his contract with the great Atlantic Records afforded him, Ray has a horn section accompany his bluesy trio the rest of the way.
Before three minutes is up, the song is over. A little microcosm of Ray’s career up to that point – the smoky bar band of the opening bars becomes a polished studio outfit with brass by the end, and Ray’s voice has matured from heartbreaking to gut-wrenching.
It’s not just an empty slogan, Ray’s being a soul genius – listen to this song and you’ll hear its proof.
Single releases
Atlantic released some scattered Ray Charles material after he’d broken the label’s heart by moving to ABC in late 1959, and their September 1961 LP The Genius Sings The Blues was a welcome compilation of some of his earlier singles and also some unreleased stuff. “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)” has the distinction of being the A-side of the only single released to promote the album.
“Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)”
b/w
“I Wonder Who”
Listen to “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)”
Get your own “Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)” on 45, LP, CD or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the complete Atlantic recordings 7xCD box set.