Charles Latham's Hard On

Withered Hand’s Hard On from his Good News album is a cover of a 2004 song by Charles Latham.

Hard On was recorded in one take by transient American troubadour Latham at a friend’s house while he was living in Brighton. The false start in the song? The phone you can hear at the beginning interrupted.

Covered by a number of artists, Withered Hand’s version has become the best known. Part of that version was featured on an MTV show called "I Just Want My Pants Back" in 2012. During a kissing scene.

Charles modestly says Withered Hand’s take is the definitive version, but that overlooks the original’s raw emotion and beautiful backing vocals from Ellie Brooks.

Dan Willson of Withered Hand says: "Charles Latham is one of my absolute favourite songwriters and 'Hard-On' was one of the first songs of his that I heard. Somebody in Brighton put it on a mixtape for me and when I heard it I just stopped in my tracks. So simple. So beautiful. So truthful. He doesn't pull any punches. That's just how he writes.”

Another singer-songwriter in Scotland just wrote to Charles saying that he'd covered it at a gig and no one had heard of either Withered Hand or Charles Latham, so he claimed it as his own.

Now everyone can know Hard On is by Charles Latham. And now, as Charles Latham and Withered Hand release a split 7” picture disc on Hangover Lounge Records, even more people will know about Charles Latham.


You can download Hard On for free. Or pay what you want for it (all money goes to Charles).