Hard Headed Woman
"Hard Headed Woman" is a rock and roll song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Presley's publishing company, in 1958. It is an American 12-bar blues written by African American songwriter Claude Demetrius. It was most notably recorded as a rock and roll song by Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1958 motion picture King Creole, and was included on the record album of the same name. The song was also released as a single in both 78 RPM[1] and 45 RPM formats. In 1958 it went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and went to No.2 for two weeks on the R&B chart.[2] It became the first rock and roll single to earn the RIAA designation of Gold Record.
| "Hard Headed Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
| from the album King Creole | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Ask Me Why" | |||
| Released | June 10, 1958 | |||
| Recorded | January 15, 1958, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 1:54 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Claude Demetrius | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Hard Headed Woman" (audio) on YouTube | ||||
It was later recorded by Wanda Jackson on the album "Live At Town Hall Party 1958". "Hard Headed Woman" was also released as a 45 rpm and received substantial airplay in the late 1950s.[3] The singing on the Wanda Jackson version is striking because of its extreme use of vocal fry, making it difficult to tell if the singer is male or female.
Charts
| Chart (1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 2 |
References
- "78 Record: Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - Hard Headed Woman (1958)". 45 Worlds.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 468.
- Jackson – Live At Town Hall Party 1958, last access 11/30/2022
