Peak
24
Weeks
12
Score
1,603
Chart Year
1973
"It Hurts So Good" was written by Phillip Mitchell, a soul singer who wrote for many other artists in the early '70s. It was Millie Jackson's biggest pop hit, and was featured in the movie Cleopatra Jones. The song is similar to Bill Withers' "Use Me" in that it's about how you can love someone who is very bad for you. Millie Jackson told Songfacts about this song when we spoke with her in 2010. Said Jackson: "The writer knew me well, and (producer) Brad Shapiro picked the song, and to be honest, that ended up in the movie because of timing. They needed the songs, and they knew of me, and they put two songs in the movie, only because they were available. The album was supposed to be called something totally different, but since it came out in the movie they called it 'Hurts So Good.' My whole career is an accident. (laughs) I just believe that if opportunity knocks, open the door." It Hurts So Good was Jackson's second album, and she made sure to take control of the production and avoid what happened on her debut. Said Jackson: "My first album is not my natural voice. They speeded up my voice, it was too low for a woman they thought, so they speeded up all my tracks a half a step, so everything would be higher than I actually sing it in. The first song I recorded that came out in my natural voice was 'Hurts So Good.' On 'Ask Me What You Want,' I'm almost one of the Chipmunks." Jackson recorded the song with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in Alabama. A cover by Jamaican reggae artist Susan Cadogan was released on Lee "Scratch" Perry's Perries label in the UK in 1974, with the Zap Pow horn section and bassist Boris Gardiner. Aspiring pop-music producer 'Hit Man' Pete Waterman heard the song playing in a record shop, and took a copy of it to the Magnet label, who licensed the track and by March 1975 it had reached #4 on the UK singles chart. It was the first hit record Waterman was involved in; he would go on to achieve fame in the 1980s as part of the songwriting/production team Stock Aitken Waterman penning a series of hit singles for the likes of Rick Astley and Kylie Minogue.
First, you take my heart In the palm of your hands And you squeeze it Then you take my mind And play with it all night You take my pride and you Throw it up against the wall You take me in your arms, baby And bounce me like a rubber ball I'm not complaining What you're doing, you see Cause this hurting feeling Is, ooh, so good to me Don't you know that it Hurts so good Don't you know that it Hurts so good You take my name Scandalize it in the streets Anything you wanna do or say Is alright with me Turn right around and Make sweet love to me Ooo wee, baby, you're Sure nuff good to me Cause, baby, these Things you're doing to me It hurts so bad but It's worth all the misery Cause it hurts so good Don't you know that It hurts so good Ooh, hoo, baby, ooh... Ooh, boy, please don't Ever take the hurt off me Cause it would hurt even worse If you would ever, ever leave (Oh, yes, it would) Even though sometimes It's hard for me to beg (This heart is killing me) I make myself hold out Cause if it kills me, I don't care Cause, baby (baby) I don't want you to ever quit It ain't no good until it Hurts a little bit Cause it hurts so good Don't you know that It hurts so good Oh, baby It hurts so good Don't you ever, don't You ever stop now, baby Give me some, baby (Lord, have mercy) It hurts so good Don't you know that It hurts so good to me Good for me, yeah, yeah Hurts so good Ooh, baby
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 8, 1973 | 78 | 48 |
| 2 | Sep 15, 1973 | 64 | 62 |
| 3 | Sep 22, 1973 | 42 | 84 |
| 4 | Sep 29, 1973 | 40 | 86 |
| 5 | Oct 6, 1973 | 34 | 92 |
| 6 | Oct 13, 1973 | 29 | 97 |
| 7 | Oct 20, 1973 | 25 | 101 |
| 8 | Oct 27, 1973 | 24 | 102 |
| 9 | Nov 3, 1973 | 27 | 99 |
| 10 | Nov 10, 1973 | 26 | 100 |
| 11 | Nov 17, 1973 | 28 | 98 |
| 12 | Nov 24, 1973 | 49 | 77 |