Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel (Newman) Strouse. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Strouse studied under David Diamond, Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger.
Strouse's first Broadway musical was the 1960 hit Bye Bye Birdie, with lyrics by Lee Adams, who would become his long time collaborator. Strouse won his first Tony Award for best score for this musical, which is considered the precursor of the rock musical. Strouse's next show, All American, with a book by Mel Brooks and lyrics by Adams, came in 1962 and produced the standard “Once Upon a Time” (recorded by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin, among others). Following this was Golden Boy (1964, also with Adams), starring Sammy Davis Jr. and It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966, based on the popular comic strip)which introduced the song "You've Got Possibilities" sung by Linda Lavin.
In 1970, Applause (starring Lauren Bacall, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and lyrics by Adams) won Strouse his second Tony Award. In 1977, Mr. Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage, creating the hit Annie, which garnered him his third Tony Award and two Grammy Awards. Other Strouse musicals include Charlie and Algernon (1979), Dance a Little Closer (1983, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner), Rags (1986) and Nick & Nora (1993). Strouse also wrote a number of musical revues, many with Adams.
Strouse’s film scores include the classics Bonnie and Clyde (1967), There Was a Crooked Man... (1970, with Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968, with Adams) and the popular animated movie All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). He and Adams also wrote the theme song “Those Were the Days” for the television show All in the Family. Strouse’s songs have been heard on the radio throughout his career and have run the gamut from girl-band pop to hip hop. In 1958, his song “Born Too Late” was number one on the Billboard charts, and in 1999 the quadruple platinum “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” by artist Jay-Z was the winner of a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the year & the Billboard R&B Album of the Year.
Strouse’s writing also extends into orchestral works, chamber music, piano concertos and opera. His Concerto America, composed in 2002 to commemorate 9/11 and the spirit of New York City, premiered at The Boston Pops in 2004, and his opera Nightingale (1982), starring Sarah Brightman, had a successful run in London, followed by many subsequent productions. In 1977, Strouse founded the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, through which many young composers and lyricists have found a forum for their work.
Upcoming works by Strouse include an adaptation of the Paddy Chayevsky film Marty starring John C. Reilly, a musical version of The Night They Raided Minsky's, and an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. Real Men, for which Mr. Strouse wrote the music and lyrics, premiered in January 2005 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, FL , and his musical Studio, premiered at Theatre Building Chicago in August 2006.
Strouse has won Emmy Awards for music in television adaptions of Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. He is also the recipient of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Awards. He is also a member of the Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Strouse is married to director-choreographer Barbara Siman. They have 4 children: Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria, and William.
Musicals
* Bye Bye Birdie (1960)
* All American (1962)
* Golden Boy (1964)
* It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966)
* Applause (1970)
* I and Albert (1972, London)
* Annie (1977)
* A Broadway Musical (1978)
* Charlie and Algernon (1979, London, as Flowers for Algernon); (1981)
* Bring Back Birdie (1981)
* Nightingale (1982; this work is often described as an opera)
* Dance a Little Closer (1983)
* Mayor (1985)
* Rags (1986)
* Nick & Nora (1993)
* Annie Warbucks (1993)
Film scores
* Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
* The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
* There Was a Crooked Man (1970)
* Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
* Ishtar (1987)
* All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
It's A Hard Knock Life
Charles Strouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the hard-knock life for us
Steada treated,
We get tricked
Steada kisses,
We get kicked
It′s the hard-knock life!
Don't it feel like the wind is always howlin?
Don't it seem like there′s never any light??
Once a day, don′t you wanna throw the towel in?
It's easier than puttin′ up a fight
No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy
No one cares if you grow... or if you shrink
Empty belly life!
Rotten smelly life!
Full of sorrow life!
No tomorrow life!
Santa Claus we never see...
Santa Claus what′s that? Who's he?
No one cares for you a bit
When you′re a foster kid
It's the hard-knock life
(Make my bathroom shine
But don't touch my medicine cabinet!)
It′s the hard-knock life for us
It′s the hard-knock life for us
Steada treated,
We get tricked
Steada kisses,
We get kicked
It's the hard-knock life for us
It′s the hard-knock life for us
No one cares for you a bit
When you're in an foster kid
It′s the hard-knock life!
(It's the hard-knock life!)
"It's a Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie" is a song that portrays the struggles of the orphans living in the fictional Hudson Street orphanage. The song goes on to showcase the unfavorable conditions in which the orphans reside, their unfulfilled desire for affection, and their bleak future prospects. The lyrics "It's the hard-knock life for us, steada treated, we get tricked, steada kisses, we get kicked" convey the idea that life isn't always fair, and the orphans have to put up with a considerable amount of injustice. The emotional tone of the song is brought out beautifully by the lyrics that state - "Don't it feel like the wind is always howlin? Don't it seem like there's never any light? Once a day, don't you wanna throw the towel in? It's easier than puttin' up a fight."
Moreover, the lyrics "Empty belly life! Rotten smelly life! Full of sorrow life! No tomorrow life!" serve as a somber reminder of the troubles that the orphans are facing. The lines "Santa Claus we never see... Santa Claus what's that? Who's he? No one cares for you a bit When you're in an foster kid It's the hard-knock life" signify the lack of parental support and emphasize that the orphans are left to suffer on their own.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the hard-knock life for us
Our lives are full of difficulties and challenges.
Steada treated,
We get tricked
Instead of being treated fairly, we get deceived.
Steada kisses,
We get kicked
Instead of receiving affection, we get hurt.
It's the hard-knock life!
Our lives are full of hardships.
Don't it feel like the wind is always howlin?
Doesn't it seem like bad things always happen to us?
Don't it seem like there's never any light??
Doesn't it seem like there's never any hope?
Once a day, don't you wanna throw the towel in?
Don't you sometimes feel like giving up?
It's easier than puttin' up a fight
It's easier to give up than to keep trying.
No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy
No one is around when we have nightmares.
No one cares if you grow... or if you shrink
No one cares if we succeed or fail.
Empty belly life!
Our lives are filled with hunger.
Rotten smelly life!
Our lives are filled with unpleasant and unsanitary conditions.
Full of sorrow life!
Our lives are filled with sadness.
No tomorrow life!
We feel like our future is uncertain.
Santa Claus we never see...
Santa Claus what's that? Who's he?
We never experience the joy of Christmas or receiving gifts.
No one cares for you a bit
When you're a foster kid
No one shows any love or concern for us when we are in foster care.
It's the hard-knock life!
Our lives are full of hardships.
(Make my bathroom shine
But don't touch my medicine cabinet!)
Even though we have a difficult life, we still have things that are important to us.
It's the hard-knock life for us
It's the hard-knock life for us
Our lives are very difficult and full of challenges.
No one cares for you a bit
When you're in an foster kid
It's the hard-knock life!
(It's the hard-knock life!)
Our lives are difficult and no one shows us any love, especially when we are in foster care.
Writer(s): Charnin Martin, Strouse Charles
Contributed by Abigail D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.