It was originally written by Paul Stanley as a possible track for Rod Stewart, but after the success of the soft rock ballad "Beth", Kiss decided to keep it for themselves as a follow-up.

[citation needed] Alluding to the style of "Hard Luck Woman", Steven Bailey called the song an exemplar of "gentle folk rock".

According to Billboard Magazine, Criss' vocal performance sounds similar to Rod Stewart.

Cash Box said that the song is moving away from heavy metal and that "the lead vocal is not unlike Rod Stewart — there's a growling, bluesy intensity, centered around acoustic rhythm work.

Kiss and Brooks performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in promotion of the album.