Hold On Tight - ELO

Hold On Tight was a major single for the band ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) in 1981 but I don't remember being really aware of it until sometime during the 1990s. To me, this is a very different sound to any of their other material. Hold On Tight is the first ELO song that doesn't feature strings, but it's more than that; I love the throwback to rock and roll with a chunky piano part that punctuates each line. Nostalgia kicks in as I hear the guitar during the chorus; for some reason, I can envisage the guitarist from my old band leaning back with his eyes closed and strumming those long chords, even though I don't think he/we ever played this song.

This has to be one of the most uplifting songs EVER, lacking even the tiniest touch of cynicism. The lyrics have got me through some tough times; this song always seems to play at just the right time and place for me. It was several years before I looked up the lyrics for the third verse and discovered that it is the first verse repeated by in French. Très intelligent!