The Hardest Part (Olivia Dean song)

"The Hardest Part"
Single by Olivia Dean
from the EP What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?
Released7 August 2020 (2020-08-07)
Length2:56
LabelCapitol
Songwriters
Producers
  • Felix Joseph
  • Bastian Langebaek
Olivia Dean singles chronology
"Baby Come Home"
(2020) 		"The Hardest Part"
(2020) 		"Echo"
(2020)
Olivia Dean singles chronology
"Carmen"
(2023) 		"The Hardest Part" (duet version)
(2023) 		"Ladies Room"
(2023)
Leon Bridges singles chronology
"If You Were Mine"
(2023) 		"The Hardest Part" (duet version)
(2023) 		"It Was Always You (Siempre fuiste tú)"
(2024)

"The Hardest Part" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, released in August 2020 as the lead single from her second extended play, What Am I Gonna Do on Sundays? and later added onto her debut album Messy.[1] As of June 2023, it had been streamed over 117 million times.[2]

Upon release, Dean told Haste Magazine: "I had literally just come out of a really serious relationship that I was in for two years. And it really felt like the closing chapter, you know when you're closing a chapter and starting a new one. And I just didn't want to be really sad. So I just wanted to write a song that was like a positive outlook on moving on from someone and growing up, and accepting that we're different people now. And it's sad but unfortunately we can't really go back so we need to go forward. So 'The Hardest Part' was really a song that I needed to write for myself to just remind me 'You're moving on babe and you're doing OK'."[1]

In June 2023, Dean released a re-recorded version the song with Leon Bridges, with Bridges saying: "The first time I heard 'The Hardest Part', it hit me as a 'one-listen' record. Just has that instant classic feel. Olivia paints such a beautiful world with the song and I'm honoured she asked me to join it."[2][3]

Track listing

Digital single

  1. "The Hardest Part" – 2:56

Digital single

  1. "The Hardest Part" (with Leon Bridges) – 2:56
  2. "The Hardest Part" (live at Koko) – 3:17
  3. "The Hardest Part" (acoustic) – 2:55
  4. "The Hardest Part" – 2:56

Charts

For the week commencing 29 August 2025, Andre Paine from Music Week said if it were not for chart rules limiting the number of entries to three per week, "The Hardest Part" would have made the official Top 40.[4]

Chart performance for "The Hardest Part"
Chart (2020–2025) Peak
position
Australia On Replay Singles (ARIA)[5] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 83
UK Streaming (OCC)[8] 27
Chart performance for "The Hardest Part" (duet version)
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[9] 27
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[10] 27
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 1

Certifications

Certifications for "The Hardest Part"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[12] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "Rising star Olivia Dean takes us on the journey behind her newest single "The Hardest Part"". Haste Magazine. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Olivia Dean Re-Shares the Beautiful 'The Hardest Part' With Leon Bridges". New Wave Magazine. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  3. ^ "listen hear! Song of the Day: Olivia Dean & Leon Bridges "The Hardest Part"". LPM. June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Olivia Dean lands three Top 10 hits as UK tour sells out including four O2 Arena shows". Music Week. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  5. ^ "ARIA Top 50 On Replay Singles Chart" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Olivia Dean – The Hardest Part" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Olivia Dean at Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Aug 17, 2023". TopHit. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  10. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 46, 2025". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  12. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2025 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Olivia Dean – The Hardest Part". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  14. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Olivia Dean – Dive". Radioscope. Retrieved 1 September 2025. Type Dive in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  15. ^ "British single certifications – Olivia Dean – Dive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
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