Puneet Varma (Editor)

Hold On Tight (Electric Light Orchestra song)

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Format
  
7" single

Length
  
3:06

Genre
  
Rock and roll

B-side
  
"When Time Stood Still"

Released
  
17 July 1981 (UK) July 1981 (US)

Recorded
  
1981 at Musicland Studios, Munich

"Hold On Tight" is a song written and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

Contents

The song is track twelve on the band's 1981 album Time and was the first song released as a single. The song went top ten in most countries, hitting the top spot in Spain and Switzerland, number two in Germany, number four in the UK, and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as number two on the US Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. It has a verse sung in French, which is a reprise of the first verse of the song.

Music video

At the time, the song's music video was the most expensive ever made, with a budget of approximately £40,000. The mostly black and white video features footage of ELO playing the song in a lounge, intercut with scenes in the style of 1940s serial films featuring the band members.

Uses in other media

  • In the mid-1980s, the song was used in The Coffee Achievers television advertisements, which promoted the benefits of drinking coffee. This campaign from the National Coffee Association played in the United States starring celebrities including David Bowie, Heart and ELO. The campaign was later parodied on Saturday Night Live as "The Crack Achievers" in a sketch that also used "Hold On Tight."
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album Chipmunk Rock.
  • In 2005, "Hold On Tight" was used in an Ameriquest commercial. The song was also featured in the season one finale of My Name Is Earl.
  • During 2007 and 2008, "Hold On Tight" was used in television promotions for the Honda Accord.
  • The song was used in the opening of the movie Larry Crowne.

    • References

    Hold On Tight (Electric Light Orchestra song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA