King Midas in Reverse
"King Midas in Reverse" is a song by British pop group The Hollies, written by Graham Nash but credited to Allan Clarke, Nash and Tony Hicks. It was released by The Hollies as single in September 1967 in anticipation of their album Butterfly.
| "King Midas in Reverse" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by The Hollies | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | UK: 22 September 1967 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 3 & 4 August 1967 Abbey Road Studios[1] | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic pop | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | UK: Parlophone R5637 US: Epic 10234 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Graham Nash Allan Clarke Tony Hicks | |||
| Producer(s) | Ron Richards | |||
| The Hollies singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Musical style
The track was a departure in style and influenced by Graham Nash's visits to America. Nash wanted to take the band in a new direction which was resisted by other members of the band, and this led to his departure and move to the United States. It was released in the UK on the Parlophone label (R5637) and in the US on the Epic label (10234). While a critical success, the song was a commercial failure by the Hollies' standards prompting them to write and record the more commercial song "Jennifer Eccles" for their next single.
Charts
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set)[2] | 17 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Singles Chart)[3] | 16 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] | 18 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 51 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[6] | 31 |
Cover versions
- Nash performed the song in his solo part of concerts with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the band Nash joined after the Hollies, during their 1970 tours. It appears on the 1992 reissue of their album 4 Way Street.
- DCL Locomotive, a spinoff of the post-punk band The Cravats, released their version of the song as a 12" single in 1984.[7]
- The Posies covered the song in 1995 for the tribute album Sing Hollies in Reverse.
References
- The 30th Anniversary Collection (CD). The Hollies. EMI Records. 1993. D 202205.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Go-Set Australian Charts – 22 November 1967". Pop Archives. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- Hung, Steffen. "The Hollies - King Midas In Reverse". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "The Hollies Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Hollies, The – King Midas in Reverse". GfK Entertainment Charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Hollies, The"
- "DCL Locomotive – King Midas In Reverse". discogs.com. Retrieved 16 May 2013.