A native of Los Angeles, California's San Pedro community, Miguel Jontel Pimentel was involved at the age of 16 with the production company Drop Squad. Three years later, he was offered a slot in Fatty Koo, and appeared on the R&B group's BET reality show, but he turned the position down and eventually signed a solo deal with distribution from major-label Universal. In 2005, "Getcha Hands Up!" was issued as a promotional solo single, and its accompanying video -- showcasing Miguel's dancing skills -- aired on BET. An album, Young & Free, was planned for release, but it was never issued. By that point, Miguel was becoming increasingly known in the underground through his collaborative work with Blu, Exile, and Daz-I-Kue.
Miguel signed a solo deal with Jive in 2007 and continued to work with underground and major-label artists. By the end of the decade, he placed songs on albums by Musiq Soulchild and Asher Roth. He experienced major growth during 2010. Jaheim's "Finding My Way Back," a song he co-wrote, reached number 12 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop hit (and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Song). Miguel also co-wrote a pair of the Jam & Lewis-produced songs that appeared on Usher's Raymond v. Raymond, which topped the Billboard 200 just before Miguel made his proper solo debut with the atmospheric hip-hop soul of "All I Want Is You," a Top Ten R&B/hip-hop hit. The parent album, All I Want Is You, followed that November and reached the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, as well as the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, boosted by "Sure Thing" (number one R&B, number 36 Billboard 200) and "Quickie" (number three R&B). Once Wale's Miguel-assisted Top 40 pop hit "Lotus Flower Bomb" was well on its way to platinum certification, Miguel resumed his solo output in early 2012 with a trilogy of three-song EPs dubbed Art Dealer Chic.
The intermediate releases led to Kaleidoscope Dream, which entered the R&B/hip-hop chart at number one and crossed into the Billboard 200 Top Five in October 2012. The RCA-issued full-length was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "Adorn," Miguel's second number one R&B/hip-hop single, was nominated for three awards and won for Best R&B Song. The following year, the album's "How Many Drinks?" was nominated as well. Stardom notwithstanding, Miguel remained available for outside work. "#Beautiful," a collaboration with Mariah Carey, was issued in May 2013 and went platinum. Miguel also devoted time between albums to sessions for J. Cole, Janelle Monáe, Big Sean, Jessie Ware, A$AP Rocky (the gold "Everyday"), Mac Miller (the platinum "Weekend"), and Hudson Mohawke.
Miguel's third album, Wildheart, was released in June 2015. Like his previous full-length, it debuted within the Top Five of the Billboard 200, reaching number two and landing in the same spot on the R&B/hip-hop chart. Less melodic than what preceded it, Wildheart emphasized sensual slow jams and was acknowledged with a Grammy nomination in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. Another round of collaborations, including a duet with Dua Lipa, and singles highlighted by "2 Lovin U" (produced by DJ Premier) and the platinum-certified "Sky Walker" (featuring Travis Scott), preceded the December 2017 release of the urgent War & Leisure. Another R&B/hip-hop chart topper, it also entered the Billboard 200 at number nine. Miguel continued his extracurricular activity through 2018 with Kygo's "Remind Me to Forget" among his most commercially successful featured appearances. His next solo release was the Spanish-language EP Te Lo Dije, which peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart in 2019. Also that year, Alicia Keys' Miguel-assisted "Show Me Love" began its ascent to gold status.
A mix of smaller-scale solo output and featured appearances followed during the first few years of the 2020s. Early in the decade, Miguel was featured on tracks such as Jhené Aiko's platinum "Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)." The Art Dealer Chic series of EPs resumed in 2021 with a fourth volume containing the grinding "Funeral." After he was featured on Diplo's "Don't Forget My Love," Miguel saw "Sure Thing" become more popular than ever in 2023 -- thanks to TikTok -- and a re-release of the single consequently reached number 14 on the Hot 100, thereby surpassing "Adorn" as his highest-charting pop single. The singer responded that April with the smoldering slow jam "Give It to Me." ~ Andy Kellman & David Jeffries
Hard Way
Miguel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got me feelin' like
Got me feelin' like, like
I touched the guilt in your eyes
As your lips begin to lie
And it kills me every time
But I always learn the hard way (with you)
Be kind
Don't be dumb
Don't be blind
Its the sweet
That's in your smile
Its nothing old
Nothing new
But I always learn the hard way
And it always ends in heartbreak
You put me in a hard place
I always learn the hard way
My heartbreaks with you
I don't cry
I don't complain
There's a pattern
To this pain
Just keepin' holdin'
That could change
But I always learn the hard way with you
Lets just face it
I'm complacent
Fuck this comfortable
Yes I'm jaded
And its all my fault
'Cause I know what to expects so its cool
Nothing new
But I always learn the hard way
And it always ends in heartbreak
You put me in a hard place
I always learn the hard way
My heartbreaks with you
Apologies
And promises
Our empty words
Same ol'
Yesterday
We were on
You were here
And now your gone
But I always learn the hard way
And it always ends in heartbreak
You put me in a hard place
I always learn the hard way
My heartbreaks with you
In Miguel's song, "Hard Way," the singer is expressing their feelings of heartbreak and disappointment in a relationship. They observe the guilt in their partner's eyes and hear the lies that spill from their lips. Despite this, they continually try to make things work but always end up learning the hard way. The singer advises themselves to be cool and kind without being dumb or blind. They recognize the sweetness in their partner's smile, but it does little to ease their pain. They lament that they always learn the hard way, and it ultimately leads to heartbreak.
The singer appears resigned to the pattern of pain in this relationship. They note that there is a comfort in knowing what to expect, despite it resulting in heartache. They acknowledge their own complacency in the situation and accept blame for it. The singer longs to be free from this cycle of pain and complacency, but it seems hard to break away from. They end the song with a sense of loss, remembering the past and apologizing for broken promises.
Line by Line Meaning
Got me feelin' like
I am overwhelmed with emotions
I touched the guilt in your eyes
I can sense the shame you feel
As your lips begin to lie
You are trying to deceive me
And it kills me every time
Your lies hurt me deeply
But I always learn the hard way (with you)
I repeatedly make the same mistakes with you
Just be cool
Remain calm and collected
Be kind
Treat me with respect and empathy
Don't be dumb
Don't make foolish decisions
Don't be blind
Don't ignore the truth or be oblivious
Its the sweet
There is something alluring about you
That's in your smile
You have a charming smile
Its nothing old
There is nothing cliché or outdated
Nothing new
There is nothing unique or innovative
But I always learn the hard way
I never seem to learn from my mistakes
And it always ends in heartbreak
Our relationship always ends in pain
You put me in a hard place
You make it difficult for me to make the right choice
My heartbreaks with you
My heart is broken because of you
I don't cry
I won't shed tears
I don't complain
I won't voice my displeasure
There's a pattern
There is a consistent cycle
To this pain
This pain is predictable
Just keepin' holdin'
Just keep holding on
That could change
That situation may improve
But I always learn the hard way with you
I continually make mistakes that result in pain with you
Lets just face it
Let's acknowledge reality
I'm complacent
I am too satisfied with the status quo
Fuck this comfortable
Forget being comfortable
Yes I'm jaded
I am worn out and disenchanted
And its all my fault
It is solely my responsibility
'Cause I know what to expects so its cool
I accept the pain because I know what to expect
Apologies
Expressions of remorse
And promises
Commitments to do better
Our empty words
Our insincere statements
Same ol'
The usual routine
Yesterday
The past
We were on
We had a connection
You were here
You were present
And now your gone
You are no longer here
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MIGUEL PIMENTEL, SALAAM REMI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind