"Hard out Here" was written by Allen and Greg Kurstin, with production handled by the latter. Lasting for three minutes and twenty two seconds, musically "Hard out Here" is a "typically outspoken, sweary" synth-pop song. Lyrically, it speaks about "body image pressures and misogyny in the entertainment industry". The song's verses introduce the concept of the song: "You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones/ You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own." The overall message of the song, as well as several individual lyrics, have been interpreted as a response to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", as well as Thicke and Miley Cyrus's performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and Cyrus's music video "We Can't Stop". However, Allen has said with regard to people's description of "Hard out Here" as a "We Can't Stop" parody that "I never went on record saying the video was a direct pop at her—it wasn't."
