Hold On Loosely
"Hold On Loosely" is a 1981 rock song by 38 Special and the first track from their fourth studio album Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. Released as the lead single from the album, the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart and No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. It later appeared on their 1987 compilation album Flashback: The Best of 38 Special and their 1999 live album Live at Sturgis. It was the 13th music video to be played on the day that MTV debuted in 1981.[2] Don Barnes sang lead vocals on the song.
| "Hold On Loosely" | |
|---|---|
| Single by 38 Special | |
| from the album Wild-Eyed Southern Boys | |
| Released | February 1981 |
| Format | 7", 12" |
| Recorded | 1979–1980 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:40 (12" version) 3:58 (7" version) |
| Label | A&M |
| Songwriter(s) | Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi, Jim Peterik |
Origin
Recalling coming up with ideas with Don Barnes,[3] Jim Peterik described the song's opening riff as "like the Cars meets Lynyrd Skynyrd or something".[3]Taking inspiration from the "Just what I needed" song by the Cars, Jeff Carlisi wrote the famous one eighth note riff to the .38 Special song.
References
- Clark, Jeff (7 June 2016). "38 Special bring thrill of 'Hold on Loosely' to Hard Rock Live". Sun Herald. Sun Herald. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- Daniel Rubin, "Blinq: After 25 years, do you still want your MTV?" Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 2006 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- Wardlaw, Matt. "How Survivor's Jim Peterik Helped .38 Special + Sammy Hagar Write Big Hits". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 6 June 2019.