Living Hard is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Gary Allan. It was released on October 23, 2007 via MCA Nashville.

Living Hard
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 23, 2007
Recorded2007
GenreCountry
Length41:01
LabelMCA Nashville
ProducerMark Wright
Gary Allan
Gary Allan chronology
Greatest Hits
(2007)
Living Hard
(2007)
Get Off on the Pain
(2010)
Singles from Living Hard
  1. "Watching Airplanes"
    Released: July 23, 2007
  2. "Learning How to Bend"
    Released: March 17, 2008
  3. "She's So California"
    Released: October 6, 2008
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Slant Magazine[2]

The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 69,000 copies during its first week.[3] Its lead-off single, "Watching Airplanes", reached number 2 on the country charts, its second single "Learning How to Bend" peaked at number 13, and the third single "She's So California" went to number 24. "Like It's a Bad Thing" was later recorded by Danny Gokey on his 2010 debut album My Best Days. "Half of My Mistakes" was written by Bobby Houck and Radney Foster and originally recorded by Houck's band, the Blue Dogs, on their 2004 album, Halos and Good Buys, then by Foster on his 2004 album And Then There's Me (The Back Porch Sessions), and finally by Jace Everett on his 2005 self-titled debut album.

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Watching Airplanes"Jim Beavers, Jonathan Singleton4:03
2."We Touched the Sun"Gary Allan, Odie Blackmon, Jim Lauderdale3:42
3."She's So California"Allan, Jaime Hanna, Jon Randall3:21
4."Like It's a Bad Thing"Wendell Mobley, Tony Martin, Neil Thrasher3:23
5."Learning How to Bend"Allan, James LeBlanc, Matt Warren3:27
6."As Long as You're Looking Back"Aaron Barker, Dean Dillon, Scotty Emerick3:29
7."Wrecking Ball"Audley Freed, Keith Gattis3:49
8."Yesterday's Rain"Allan, LeBlanc, Warren3:55
9."Trying to Matter"Allan, Casey Beathard, Blackmon3:27
10."Half of My Mistakes"Radney Foster, Bobby Houck4:31
11."Living Hard"Allan, Blackmon, Bob DiPiero3:54
Total length:41:01
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Memory on the Run"2:59

Personnel edit

From Living Hard liner notes.[4]

Musicians
Technical
  • Gary Allan - producer
  • Greg Droman - recording, mixing
  • Hank Williams - mastering
  • Kris Wilkinson - string arranger
  • Mark Wright - producer

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold

References edit

  1. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Living Hard review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  2. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (28 October 2007). "Gary Allan: Living Hard". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  3. ^ Katie Hasty, "Underwood Leads Three Country Debuts Onto Chart", Billboard.com, October 31, 2007.
  4. ^ Living Hard (CD booklet). Gary Allan. MCA Nashville. 2007. B0008962-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Gary Allan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Gary Allan Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  10. ^ "American album certifications – Gary Allan – Living Hard". Recording Industry Association of America.