# Jimmy Cliff — The Harder They Come

Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come (1972) is No. 3 in our Reggae ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1972
- **Label:** Island
- **On one list:** Reggae
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Artist:** [Jimmy Cliff](https://waxonia.com/artist/jimmy-cliff/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/jimmy-cliff--the-harder-they-come/

## What we say

### No. 3 in [Reggae](https://waxonia.com/genre/reggae/)

The song that carried the film that carried reggae out of Jamaica. Defiant without being aggressive, which is a harder register than it sounds and one Cliff owned completely.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jimmy%20Cliff%20The%20Harder%20They%20Come) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pmc5H6zAi6M)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.