Songoftheday 2/28/17 - I know there's pain why do you lock yourself up in these chains?
from the album Wilson Phillips (1990)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 18
Today's song of the day comes from the trio made of offspring of members of two of the biggest groups in 60s pop, Wilson Phillips. With the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson joined by Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, they adapted their California harmony style to a 90's soft-rock atmosphere for their self-titled debut album at the beginning of the decade. The first single from the set, "Hold On", was the adult contemporary pop version of one of those kitten hanging on a branch motivational posters, but after the dull gloom of the Reagan-Bush I years (which unbeknownst were winding down) it was a needed shot of positivity on the radio. And their musical pedigree showed in their spot-on vocals, like sirens calling Odysseus to his doom. It was written by Chynna and Carnie with producer Glen Ballard...
"Hold On" went all the way to #1 on the American pop chart in June of 1990, spending 18 weeks in the top-40 (tied with Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time" for most weeks that year). The song ended up Billboard's top Hot 100 pop hit for the year. It spent a week atop their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the record reached the top ten in Australia (#2), Canada (#3), the UK (#6), New Zealand (#6), Ireland (#7), and Sweden (#10). They would be nominated for four Grammys that year, including Song of the Year for "Hold On", but lost all of them.
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Here's the trio performing "Hold On" live for MTV in 1990...
...and again at the Grammy Awards in 1990, where they were nominated for New Artist and Album of the Year as well...
They did take home the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year in 1990, where they also performed...
In 2012, during the Chik-Fil-A marriage equality kerfluffle that had millions boycott the fast-food chain for the owners support of measures against it, drag queens William, Detox, and Vicky Vox came together for a parody of the song called "Chow Down", which went "viral" on YouTube, and remains one of the best drag takeoffs in pop music...
A year earlier, Chynna, Wendy, and Carnie made their cameo on the comedy film Bridesmaids singing "Hold On"...
Finally, here's Wilson Phillips reuniting last year for TV...
Up tomorrow: Scotsman sings about his ancient organ.
Comments