Song · Beastie Boys
“Rock Hard” by Beastie Boys
Released 1985
“Rock Hard” by Beastie Boys appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1998 and 2002. It was first released in 1985. Its best result is #323 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,636 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (LeeIsAOG). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Rock Hard" came out on Def Jam in 1984 as a 12-inch single, the Beastie Boys bolting rap onto rock with a sample lifted from AC/DC's "Back in Black". Nobody had asked AC/DC: the sample went in without legal permission, and the record was withdrawn. Mark Kamins recorded it.
It stayed out of print. When the group wanted the song for The Sounds of Science, their 1999 anthology, AC/DC still wouldn't let the sample through, and once the lawyers dug in, Mike D got Malcolm Young on the phone himself. The answer was polite and final: nothing personal, but AC/DC didn't endorse sampling. Ad-Rock's comeback was that the Beasties didn't endorse guitar playing either.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 323 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 2002 | 1884 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Rock Hard" by Beastie Boys.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.