Hold On (Wilson Phillips song)

"Hold On" is a song recorded by American vocal group Wilson Phillips. It was released on February 27, 1990, as the lead single from their debut studio album, Wilson Phillips (1990). The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for a week in June 1990 and was the most successful single of that year in the US. The song won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990. At the Grammy Awards of 1991, "Hold On" received a nomination for Song of the Year, losing to "From a Distance" by Julie Gold and performed by Bette Midler.[1]

"Hold On"
Single by Wilson Phillips
from the album Wilson Phillips
B-side"Over and Over"
ReleasedFebruary 27, 1990 (1990-02-27)
Recorded1989
GenrePop, pop rock, soft rock
Length
  • 4:27 (album version)
  • 3:42 (single/video version)
LabelSBK
Songwriter(s)Carnie Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Glen Ballard
Producer(s)Glen Ballard
Wilson Phillips singles chronology
"Hold On"
(1990)		 "Release Me"
(1990)
Audio sample
"Hold On"
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Hold On" on YouTube

In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number 15 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[2]

Background

Chynna Phillips wrote the song's lyrics while battling substance abuse as well as being in a "really bad" relationship. She explained to Kelly Clarkson, "I just said if I don't change my course, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble."[3] Producer Glen Ballard presented the track to the group, noting it needed lyrics. Phillips based the lyrics off of the principles taught in AA, specifically the idea that things had to be taken "one day at a time." The next day, Phillips returned with "Hold On" and sang it for the Wilsons and Ballard, who immediately loved it. "I remember one guy I played it for said, 'That's not going to go anywhere. That's not a very good song. It's really corny,'" Phillips recalls. "I just remember thinking to myself, 'God, I hope he's wrong.'"[4]

Commercial performance

"Hold On" became Wilson Phillips' first number one single, reaching the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 on June 9, 1990, and, despite spending only one week at number one, was ranked the top song of the year by Billboard. (This was the second and final concurrence of this to date, the first of which was "Stranger on the Shore" by "Mr." Acker Bilk in 1962.) The song also spent a week atop the adult contemporary chart that same year. In addition, "Hold On" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart; this was in large part due to a performance by the group on the legendary British music series Top of the Pops a week prior to the song's peak position.

Despite being number one on the US year-end for 1990, the song did not appear on the 1990s decade-end chart. It does, however, appear on Billboard's 60th anniversary "All-time chart" at number 228, ahead of many songs that do appear on the decade-end chart.[5]

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from AllMusic felt the song isn't "remotely convincing."[6] Bill Coleman from Billboard described it as an "engaging and melodic pop confection".[7] Music & Media called the song "melodic, well crafted and extremely catchy", and "everything you would expect from a band madeup of daughters of rock stars."[8] The Daily Vaults Christopher Thelen stated in his review of Wilson Phillips, that "Hold On" is "the defining moment for the album, setting the tone for what was to come as well as letting the listener know that all they have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride."[9]

Track listing

US CD single[10]

  1. "Hold On" (Single Fade) 3:40
  2. "Hold On" 4:35

US / CA 7-inch vinyl and cassette single[11][12][13][14]

  1. "Hold On" – 3:30
  2. "Over And Over" – 4:40

UK CD

  1. "Hold On" (single version) 3:42
  2. "Hold On" (album version) 4:25
  3. "Over and Over" 4:27

Germany Maxi-CD

  1. "Hold On"
  2. "Over and Over"
  3. "A Reason to Believe"

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[41] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Harold & Kumar sing the song as a duet in the film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.[42]

The song was featured in the finale of the 2011 film Bridesmaids, performed by the band members as themselves, bringing renewed recognition to Wilson Phillips.[43][44]

See also

References
  1. "Rock On The Net: 33rd Annual Grammy Awards – 1991". Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  2. "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  3. The Kelly Clarkson Show (February 4, 2020). Wilson Phillips On Growing Up With The Beach Boys And The Mamas And The Papas As Their Parents. YouTube.
  4. Spannos, Brittany. "'Here Comes Hope!': The Winding 30-Year Journey of Wilson Phillips' 'Hold On'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart – Billboard". Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. Henderson, Alex. "Wilson Phillips – Wilson Phillips". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  7. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. March 3, 1990. p. 69. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  8. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. June 16, 1990. p. 22. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  9. Thelen, Christopher (December 31, 1998). "Wilson Phillips – Wilson Phillips". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  10. Hold On (US CD Single liner notes). Wilson Phillips. SBK Records. 1990. DPRO-05334.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. Hold On (US 7-inch Single liner notes). Wilson Phillips. SBK Records. 1990. B-07322.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. Hold On (US Cassette Single liner notes). Wilson Phillips. SBK Records. 1990. 4JM-07322.CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. Hold On (Canada 7-inch Single liner notes). Wilson Phillips. SBK Records. 1990. B-07322.CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. Hold On (Canada Cassette Single liner notes). Wilson Phillips. SBK Records. 1990. 4JM-07322.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. "Australian-charts.com – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Wilson Phillips – Hold On" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  17. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1256." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  18. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7976." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  19. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7 no. 27. July 7, 1990. p. IV. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hold On". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  22. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wilson Phillips – Hold On" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  24. "Charts.nz – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". Top 40 Singles.
  25. "Notowanie nr442" (in Polish). LP3. August 11, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". Singles Top 100.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". Swiss Singles Chart.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  29. "Wilson Phillips Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  30. "Wilson Phillips Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  31. "1990 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  33. "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  34. "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  35. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7 no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. 36. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  36. "Top 100 Singles - Jahrescharts 1990" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  37. "End of Year Charts 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  38. "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  39. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  40. "British single certifications – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 13, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Hold On in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  41. "American single certifications – Wilson Phillips – Hold On". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 10, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  42. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHwvM8Lw4v0
  43. THR staff (May 27, 2011). "How Bridesmaids Landed '90s Girl Group Wilson Phillips". The Hollywood Reporter.
  44. Harding, Cortney (May 22, 2011). "Wilson Phillips Gets New Boost from Bridesmaids Movie". Billboard.com. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
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