How Cruel
How Cruel is a 12-inch one-sided EP by British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, which was released in November 1979 on A&M.[2] The title track had previously appeared on Armatrading's live album Steppin' Out, which was not released in the US.[2] The EP was released in the US and elsewhere, but not in the UK.[3] It peaked at #19 on the Norwegian Albums Chart.[4] It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981.[5] The single from this EP was "Rosie"/"How Cruel" (1979/1980), which reached #49 in the UK and #52 in Australia.[6][7][8] "Rosie" was included on Armatrading's first compilation album, 1983's Track Record,[9] as well as her 2004 live album Live: All the Way from America.[10] All four tracks from this EP were placed at the start of the second CD of Armatrading's 2003 compilation album Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975–1983).[11]
How Cruel | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | November 1979 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | pop, reggae | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Joan Armatrading, Henry Lewy | |||
Joan Armatrading chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Track listing
All tracks composed by Joan Armatrading.
- "Rosie" – 3:10
- "How Cruel" – 3:04
- "He Wants Her" – 3:15
- "I Really Must Be Going" – 4:27
Personnel
- Joan Armatrading – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Richard Hirsch, Winston Delandro – guitar
- Ben Adkins, Bill Bodine, Durban Betancourt-Laverde – bass
- James Lascelles, Mike Storey, Red Young – keyboards
- Gary Mallaber, Richard Bailey – drums
- Lon Price – saxophone on "How Cruel"
- Technical
- Henry Lewy, Skip Cottrell, Chris Tsangarides – engineers
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Sales and certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Netherlands (NVPI)[15] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Joan Armatrading – How Cruel (1979, Vinyl), retrieved 16 February 2021
- Ruhlmann, William. How Cruel at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Seventies Music. Virgin. p. 19. ISBN 1852279478.
- "Joan Armatrading". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "Grammy Awards: Best Rock Vocal Performance – Female". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "Rosie / How Cruel" at Discogs (list of releases)
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 29. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Connolly, Dave. Track Record at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- Jurek, Thom. Live: All the Way from America at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- Jurek, Thom. Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975–1983) at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Joan Armatrading – How Cruel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Joan Armatrading – How Cruel". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- "Dutch album certifications – Joan Armatrading – How Cruel" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 July 2022. Enter How Cruel in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1983 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".