Hold On Tight (Electric Light Orchestra song)

13 tracks
	Side one "Prologue"; "Twilight"; "Yours Truly, 2095"; "Ticket to the Moon"; "The Way Life's Meant to Be"; "Another Heart Breaks"; Side two "Rain Is Falling"; "From the End of the World"; "The Lights Go Down"; "Here Is the News"; "21st Century Man"; "Hold on Tight"; "Epilogue";

"Hold On Tight"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Time
B-side	"When Time Stood Still"
Released	17 July 1981 (UK); July 1981 (US);
Format	7" single
Recorded	1981 Musicland Studios, Munich
Genre	Electronic rock; rock and roll;
Length	3:06
Label	Jet
Writer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
Time track listing
13 tracks
	Side one "Prologue"; "Twilight"; "Yours Truly, 2095"; "Ticket to the Moon"; "The Way Life's Meant to Be"; "Another Heart Breaks"; Side two "Rain Is Falling"; "From the End of the World"; "The Lights Go Down"; "Here Is the News"; "21st Century Man"; "Hold on Tight"; "Epilogue";
Music video
	"Hold On Tight" on YouTube

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

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,^[2] and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as number two on the US Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Uses in other media

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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.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[7]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[8]	4
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)^[9]	2
Canada (CHUM)^[10]	3
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[11]	6
France (IFOP)^[12]	24
Germany (Official German Charts)^[13]	2
Ireland (IRMA)^[14]	3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[15]	5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[16]	10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[17]	7
Norway (VG-lista)^[18]	7
South Africa (Springbok Radio)^[19]	4
Spain (AFE)^[20]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[21]	10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[22]	1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[2]	4
US Billboard Hot 100^[3]	10
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks^[3]	2
US Cash Box^[23]	8
US Record World^[24]	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[25]	32
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[26]	6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[27]	39
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)^[28]	38
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[29]	42
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[30]	49
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[31]	3
US Billboard Hot 100^[32]	81
US Cash Box^[33]	55

Preceded by "Love What's Your Face" by Ingrid Kup	Swiss number-one single 13 September 1981 – 27 September 1981 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton

References

↑ Electric Light Orchestra – Time at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 April 2008). Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 "Archive Chart: 1981-09-05" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
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↑ UK Midlands Central TV News, August 1981
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↑ "Austriancharts.at – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
↑ CHART NUMBER 1289 – Saturday, October 03, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0392." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
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↑ "Officialcharts.de – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
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↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
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↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 3, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ RECORD WORLD 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
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↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[1] Electric Light Orchestra – Time at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 April 2008). Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 May 2013.

[UK-2] 2.0 ^2.1 "Archive Chart: 1981-09-05" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

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[4] UK Midlands Central TV News, August 1981

[5] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[6] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[sc_Austria_Electric_Light_Orchestra-7] "Austriancharts.at – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_Flanders_Electric_Light_Orchestra-8] "Ultratop.be – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[9] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[10] CHART NUMBER 1289 – Saturday, October 03, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_Canadatopsingles_-11] "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0392." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 June 2013.

[12] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[ac_Germany2_Electric_Light_Orchestra-13] "Officialcharts.de – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[14] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[sc_Dutch40_Electric_Light_Orchestra_-_Hold_On_Tight-15] "Nederlandse Top 40 – Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_Dutch100_Electric_Light_Orchestra-16] "Dutchcharts.nl – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_New_Zealand_Electric_Light_Orchestra-17] "Charts.org.nz – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_Norway_Electric_Light_Orchestra-18] "Norwegiancharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

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[sc_Sweden_Electric_Light_Orchestra-21] "Swedishcharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[sc_Switzerland_Electric_Light_Orchestra-22] "Swisscharts.com – Electric Light Orchestra – Hold On Tight". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[23] CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 3, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[24] RECORD WORLD 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 July 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

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[33] The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 September 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

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Hold On Tight (Electric Light Orchestra song)

Contents

Music video

Uses in other media

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

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