The Harder They Come is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name, released in 1972 in the United Kingdom as Island Records ILPS 9202. It was issued in February 1973 in North America as Mango Records SMAS-7400. It peaked at No. 140 on the US Billboard 200.
In 2021, the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Contents
Recordings
The heart of the soundtrack comes from performances by the film's star, reggae singer Jimmy Cliff. Only the title track "The Harder They Come" was recorded by Cliff specifically for the soundtrack, with three earlier songs by Cliff added. The remainder of the album is a compilation of singles released in Jamaica from the period of 1967 through 1972, assembled by The Harder They Come film director and co-writer, Perry Henzell, from songs by favored reggae singers. In addition to Cliff, these artists include the Melodians, the Slickers, DJ Scotty, and seminal early reggae stars Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals.
Two songs are repeated on side two to end the album. The second version of "You Can Get It If You Really Want" is a dub version of the song mostly minus a few vocals, while the second version of "The Harder They Come" is an alternate take.
Reception and legacy
The soundtrack became one of the most commercially successful reggae albums of its era, helping introduce songs by Jimmy Cliff, the Maytals, the Melodians, the Slickers, and Scotty to international audiences. Its popularity, together with the success of the film, contributed significantly to reggae's breakthrough beyond Jamaica and established The Harder They Come as a cult classic in many countries. In 2003, the album was ranked number 119 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, number 122 in a 2012 revision, and number 174 in the 2020 reboot of the list. The album also appears on greatest albums lists from Time and Blender, and was named the 97th best album of the 1970s by Pitchfork. In 2024, Rolling Stone named it the 3rd greatest soundtrack of all time.
In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said the soundtrack "collected the best songs of artists whose music was either unavailable or not rich enough to fill an LP".
On August 5, 2003, Universal Music Group issued a deluxe edition of the album, with the original remastered and reissued on one disc. A bonus disc continued the idea of the original soundtrack itself, compiling additional singles from the early days of reggae, titled Reggae Hit the Town: Crucial Reggae 1968–1972.
Personnel
Reissue personnel
Dana Smart – supervisor
Pat Lawrence – executive producer
Vartan – reissue art director
John Bryant – cover illustrator
Gavin Larsen – digital mastering