How Cruel

How Cruel
EP by
Joan Armatrading
ReleasedNovember 1979
Studio
GenrePop, reggae
LabelA&M
ProducerJoan Armatrading, Henry Lewy
Joan Armatrading chronology
Steppin' Out
(1979) 		How Cruel
(1979) 		Me Myself I
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

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 made it to number 10 on the Dutch Album Top 100 and peaked at #19 on the Norwegian Albums Chart.[4][5] It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981.[6] The single from this EP was "Rosie"/"How Cruel" (1979/1980), which reached #49 in the UK and #52 in Australia.[7][8][9] "Rosie" was included on Armatrading's first compilation album, 1983's Track Record,[10] as well as her 2004 live album Live: All the Way from America.[11] 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).[12]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Joan Armatrading.

  1. "Rosie" – 3:10
  2. "How Cruel" – 3:04
  3. "He Wants Her" – 3:15
  4. "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

Charts

Sales and certifications

Certifications for How Cruel
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[15] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Joan Armatrading – How Cruel (1979, Vinyl), retrieved 16 February 2021
  2. ^ a b c Ruhlmann, William. How Cruel at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Seventies Music. Virgin. p. 19. ISBN 1852279478.
  4. ^ a b "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Joan Armatrading". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Rock Vocal Performance – Female". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Rosie / How Cruel" at Discogs (list of releases)
  8. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 29. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Connolly, Dave. Track Record at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  11. ^ Jurek, Thom. Live: All the Way from America at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  12. ^ Jurek, Thom. Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975–1983) at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joan Armatrading – How Cruel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joan Armatrading – How Cruel". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  15. ^ "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".