"Ain't Love a Bitch" is a song written by Gary Grainger and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

. Stewart released it on his

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

album '' Blondes Have More Fun'', and it was one of four songs on the album co-written by Stewart and

Grainger Grainger may refer to: Places *Grainger, Alberta, a locality in Canada *Grainger County, Tennessee, a county located in Tennessee, United States *Grainger Falls, a waterfall in Chalky Inland, Fiordland, New Zealand *Grainger Market, a covered mark ...

. The song was released as a single in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, reaching #11 on the UK charts, and #22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the United States. It spent 8 weeks on the UK charts and 6 weeks on the US charts. The song also reached the Top Ten in several countries, including Ireland. ''Billboard'' magazine placed Stewart #7 on its list of the Top Single Artists of 1979 on the strength of "Ain't Love a Bitch" and its predecessor, " Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". '' Rolling Stone'' critic Janet Maslin excoriated the song as being "unexpectedly sensitive, with a soft, strum-along melody and a bunch of namby-pamby characters doo-doo-doing a background chorus while Stewart croons about old girlfriends." She further criticizes the song for taking material that could have been tough and making it sound "like the 1400th cover version of 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco.'" '' CD Review'' commented on the references within "Ain't Love a Bitch" to Stewart's earlier song " Maggie May", describing the music as "bouncy". '' High Fidelity'' objected to the lyrics blaming women for love's problems. '' The Albany Herald'' also noted that the song is autobiographical, and incorporates elements from Stewart's "musical and personal past." '' Stereo Review'' described the song as a "repellent frat-house love song".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

of Allmusic described the song as being in the same mold as "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Author Barry Alan Farber described the line "Ain't we all a little juvenile" as encapsulating the way people retain pieces of their adolescence into adulthood. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "return to the...balladeering of '

Tonight's The Night Tonight's the Night may refer to: Films * ''Tonight's the Night'' (1932 film), a 1932 British film starring Leslie Fuller * ''Tonight's the Night'', American title of the 1954 film '' Happy Ever After'', a British comedy starring David Niven * '' ...

'" after the disco success of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and said the song has "gentle, soothing acoustic guitar work, strings, and light drumming." Stewart performed the song on Dave Allen's ''

Dave Allen at Large David Tynan O'Mahony (6 July 193610 March 2005), known professionally as Dave Allen, was an Irish comedian, satirist, and actor. He was best known for his observational comedy. Allen regularly provoked indignation by highlighting political hypo ...

''. A video of the song was included on the DVD included in the deluxe editions of the compilation album ''Some Guys Have All the Luck / The Definitive Rod Stewart''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ain't Love A Bitch Rod Stewart songs 1979 singles Songs written by Rod Stewart Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Song recordings produced by Tom Dowd 1978 songs Songs written by Gary Grainger Warner Records singles