Hold On Tight
 

Electric Light Orchestra -- Hold On Tight

An in-depth song analysis

Electric Light Orchestra
  • Record Date: Summer 1981
  • Record Location: Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany; Unknown studio, Los Angeles, USA
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Mack
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (piano, synthesizer, electric piano, guitar), Kelly Groucutt (bass), Rainer Pietsch (orchestra conductor)

    Initially Released On: Time LP album (1981 July — USA — Jet FZ 37371)

    • Comments and Observations

    Hold On Tight is a song about hope. It was originally recorded in part at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany during the summer of 1981. It is known to have been was recorded late in the sessions and was finished at a non-disclosed studio in Los Angeles. Jeff himself has stated it was recorded in Munich and Los Angeles in different interviews, but it remains unclear what was recorded where except the vocal being recorded in Los Angeles.

    The Releases and the Charts: Hold On Tight was released as a single (Jet/CBS ZS5 02408) on July, 1981 in the USA with an original, non-album song When Time Stood Still on the B-side. It was the first worldwide single release from the Time album, from which it was the penultimate track (before the short Epilogue). On July 25, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 and it peaked at #10 for two consecutive weeks on October 3 and October 10, 1977, spending 19 weeks in the chart. It is ELO's twenty-second USA singles charting song.

    In the UK, the single (JET 7011) was released in August 1, 1981 with When Time Stood Still on the B-side. It entered the UK Top 75 chart on August 1, 1981, peaking at #4 on September 5, 1981, spending 13 weeks in the chart. It was ELO's twenty-third UK chart single and twenty-second USA chart single. Comparing the UK and USA chart runs, the song peaked higher and faster in the UK, but it also fell out of the charts faster in the UK, thus it had a longer run and more staying power in the USA.

    The song was considered a massive success, having reach Top 10 throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. It's highest peak was three weeks at #1 in Switzerland. And it spent an astonishing 14 weeks in the Top 10 in Germany, peaking at #2 on September 28 (missing out the #1 spot to The Electronica's Dance Birdie Dance).

    Thanks on Time sleeve notes The French Verse: The song is well known for the French verse (Accroches-toi a ton rêve), which is a near direct translation of the English line. The French is not proper French and there is some variation to the translation (such as "Hold on tight to your dream" is properly transated as "Accroches-toi fermement a ton rêve"). Jeff probably adjusted it a bit to allow it to fit the song's melody. Jeff Lynne credits the translation to his French nanny, Ghislaine. He got the translation the day before the recording, which he apparently got over the phone. At the time, Jeff had property in France and his wife Sandi and daughters were living there, obviously with a nanny for the children.

    SEE IT ON
    Coffee Achievers    		SEE IT ON
    Coffee Achievers    		SEE IT ON
    Coffee Achievers
    Coffee Achievers: Starting in 1983, the song was heavily used for the "Coffee Achievers" campaign in the US. This was an adversiting campaign meant to promote the drinking of coffee put out by the National Coffee Association. There were at least six television spots produced with celebrities featured, including the band Heart, actress Cicely Tyson and athelete Ken Anderson, with several quick cameos with David Bowie, Jane Curtin, Kurt Vonnegut and more. Alhtough the song was used as the soundtrack for most if not all of the commercials, the band made no on-screen appearance.

    Unfortunately, this usage resulted in some backlash toward the band. At the time, it was not considered proper for a charting artist (or movie/TV star) to do advertising and any that was done could be considered scandalous. The backlash resulted in derision toward the band and the song becoming known for many as "the coffee song". Thankfully this reputation has faded with time and the association has mostly faded from public memory.

    Does Jeff Like the Song?: Although Jeff has never been direct whether he likes that song since the early 1980s (except for one small comment on Flashback saying he likes it), it does appear he may not really like the song very much. It has been consistently ignored since 2000's Flashback set. It appeared on the 2005 All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra compilation, as the song was impossible to ignore on that greatest hits compilation. However, it was ignored for the 2012 Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra rerecorded compilation. And with the revival of Jeff Lynne's ELO as a live entity starting in 2014, it has failed to make any setlist at all. In fact, included in the 2017 Wembley Or Bust concert was Twilight, a Time cut that was a much lesser hit than Hold On Tight. Why has Jeff ignored this major hit for ELO over so many others? It may very well be that he just doesn't care for the song.

    The Meaning of the Song: The song itself is a ray of hope at the end of the mostly dreary themed songs on Time. In fact, it does stick out compared to the rest of the album and the fact that it was a late addition is clear. Without the song on the album, the segue from 21st Century Man to Epilogue is natural, but inserting the song makes it often sound out of place. Why was it recorded so late in the sessions? Jeff Lynne himself seems to indicate that he realized the album needed an upbeat, happy tune when he stated in a 1981 Innerview interview "...it was getting a bit doom... hey, man, let's get some happiness going!".

    The lyrics themselves are rather simple. It just tells the listener that when you're feeling really down, that you should have hope and continue to "hold on tight to your dream". It is a song about hope.

    Structure and Lyrics

    Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song by Electric Light Orchestra as available on the standard issues of the Time album

    -Guitar intro
    -Verse 1
       Mmmm, hold on tight to your dream,
       Yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
       When you see your ship go sailing,
       When you feel your heart is breaking,
       Hold on tight to your dream.
    -Verse 2
       Mmmm, 's a long time to be gone (hold on, hold on)
       Oh, time just rolls on and on (hold on, hold on)
       When you need a shoulder to cry on (wah, wah, wa-ooh)
       When you get so sick of tryin' (wah, wah)
       Hold on tight to your dream.
    -Chorus 1
       When you get so down that you can't get up,
       When you want so much, but you're all out of luck,
       When you're so down hearted and misunderstood,
       Just over and over and over you could.
       Oh!
    -Verse 3
       Oh, Accroches-toi a ton rêve,
       Accroches-toi a ton rêve,
       Quand tu vois ton bateau partir,
       Quand tu sents ton cocur se briser,
       Accroches-toi a ton rêve.
    -Chorus 2
       When you get so down that you can't get up,
       When you want so much, but you're all out of luck,
       When you're so down hearted and misunderstood,
       Just over and over and over you could.
       Yeah, Yeah!
    -Verse 4
       Hold on tight to your dream,
       Yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
       When you see the shadows fallin',
       When you hear the cold winds callin',
       Hold on tight to your dream.
    -Closing
       Ooh, yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
       Yeah, yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
       Hold on tight to your dream.
    -Guitar ending
    -Keyboard ending
    		 Original Lyric Sheet

    Variations

    There are five known non-live variations of the original Hold On Tight by Electric Light Orchestra. They are:

    -Hold On Tight (Standard Release)
    -Hold On Tight (Edited Single Version)
    -Hold On Tight (Short Promo Single Version)
    -Hold On Tight (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    -Hold On Tight (Alternate Intro Version)

    The album version ends with a short guitar part, then a bright, shimmering keyboard that has an incomplete fade, just as Epilogue starts. The single versions include the keyboard fade, but it fades faster and completely before it reaches the album's Epilogue part. It is this single version that appears on most compilations where the song was released. Note that the fade on the USA and UK versions are exactly the same, so they must have used the same master.

    The USA promo single has a short version on the flipside. This promo version simply cuts the guitar intro, starting directly with the piano. The Australian 18 Greatest Hits compilation (K-Tel NA 674) has a slight edit of the usual single version, taking the "Ooh, yeah" from the first line of the closing and merging it with the final "hold on tight to your dream" of the closing.

    The 2000 Flashback compilation held a bit of a surprise, as it features a strange keyboard intro to the song. This intro is somewhat hidden, as it is attached to the end of the preceding song on the compilation, Getting To The Point (as are all the weird, previously unreleased intros throughout the set).

    A portion of the songs was also used in two promotional records at the time. The first 1:24 of the song was used as par of the Time Pre-Release Montage, appearing on a promotional 12" single in the US (CBS/Jet AS 1252), featuring the single version of Hold On Tight on one side and the montage, featuring snippets of all songs from Time on the B-side. Another sample was also used for the Argentian promo 7" entitled Time Megamix (Epic DEP-189), featuring the second verse, first chorus, and the third (French) verse.

    Song Section Lyric/Part Hold On Tight (Standard Release) Hold On Tight (Edited Single Version) Hold On Tight (Short Promo Single Version) Hold On Tight (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version) Hold On Tight (Alternate Intro Version)
    Keyboard intro Keyboard intro
    *
    *
    *
    *
    YES
    Guitar intro Guitar intro
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    YES
    Verse 1 Mmmm, hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you see your ship go sailing,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you feel your heart is breaking,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Hold on tight to your dream
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Verse 2 Mmmm, 's a long time to be gone (hold on, hold on)
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Oh, time just rolls on and on (hold on, hold on)
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you need a shoulder to cry on (wah, wah, wa-ooh)
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you get so sick of tryin' (wah, wah)
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Hold on tight to your dream.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Chorus 1 When you get so down that you can't get up,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you want so much, but you're all out of luck,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you're so down hearted and misunderstood,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Just over and over and over you could.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Oh!
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Verse 3 Oh, Accroches-toi a ton rêve,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Accroches-toi a ton rêve,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Quand tu vois ton bateau partir,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Quand tu sents ton cocur se briser,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Accroches-toi a ton rêve.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Chorus 2 When you get so down that you can't get up,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you want so much, but you're all out of luck,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you're so down hearted and misunderstood,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Just over and over and over you could.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Yeah, Yeah!
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Verse 4 Hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you see the shadows fallin',
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    When you hear the cold winds callin',
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Hold on tight to your dream.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Closing Ooh, yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but only includes the "Ooh, yeah" part
    YES
    Yeah, yeah, hold on tight to your dream,
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Hold on tight to your dream.
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Guitar ending Guitar ending
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    Keyboard ending Keyboard ending
    YES
    YES, but fades completely
    YES, but fades completely
    YES, but fades completely
    YES, but fades completely

    Music Charts

    These are the known statistics for the various countries' music charts. If you can fill in the missing information or know of charting information in other countries, please let me know at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

    Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25
    UK Official Top 75 Chart Entry Date: August 1, 1981
    40
    19
    18
    9
    6
    5
    4
    (September 5, 1981)
    5
    7
    14
    20
    38
    56
    USA Billboard Hot 100 Chart Entry Date: July 25, 1981
    67
    46
    39
    33
    28
    21
    18
    14
    12
    11
    10
    (October 3, 1981)
    10
    (October 10, 1981)
    13
    28
    33
    52
    58
    73
    88
    Australia Top 100 Chart Entry Date: August 24, 1981
    90
    32
    21
    16
    12
    9
    7
    6
    5
    (October 19, 1981)
    5
    (October 26, 1981)
    5
    (November 2, 1981)
    10
    13
    17
    23
    27
    32
    44
    49
    66
    Austria Top 20 Chart Entry Date: September 1, 1981
    Published twice monthly
    10
    2
    (September 15, 1981)
    4
    3
    5
    7
    -
    10
    16
    Belgium Ultratop Top 40 Chart Entry Date: August 15, 1981
    19
    14
    12
    8
    4
    (September 12, 1981)
    7
    7
    8
    23
    35
    Canada Top 30 CHUM Chart Entry Date: August 29, 1981
    26
    17
    12
    9
    7
    5
    5
    4
    3
    (October 3, 1981)
    5
    8
    14
    23
    30
    Canada Top 50 RPM Chart Entry Date: August 29, 1981
    23
    17
    12
    9
    8
    6
    (October 3, 1981)
    6
    (October 10, 1981)
    6
    (October 17, 1981)
    8
    8
    9
    26
    31
    Germany Top 75 Chart Entry Date: August 17, 1981
    27
    15
    8
    6
    5
    3
    2
    (September 28, 1981)
    4
    4
    5
    5
    5
    5
    8
    10
    9
    12
    27
    25
    31
    30
    40
    38
    54
    62
    Ireland Top 30 Chart Entry Date: August 15, 1981
    15
    9
    5
    5
    3
    (September 12, 1981)
    10
    25
    Holland Top 50 Chart Entry Date: August 8, 1981
    19
    17
    11
    22
    13
    10
    (September 12, 1981)
    11
    20
    22
    39
    50
    Holland Top 40 Chart Entry Date: August 1, 1981
    23
    13
    10
    7
    6
    5
    (September 5, 1981)
    6
    14
    18
    26
    New Zealand Top 50 Chart Entry Date: September 19, 1981
    14
    7
    (September 26, 1981)
    9
    7
    (October 10, 1981)
    8
    12
    13
    10
    25
    23
    18
    23
    41
    Norway Top 10 Chart Entry Date: August 10, 1981
    10
    9
    7
    (August 24, 1981)
    9
    9
    9
    Sweden Top 20 Chart Entry Date: August 29, 1981
    15
    11
    10
    (Sepember 25, 1981)
    11
    11
    14
    18
    Switzerland Top 20 Chart Entry Date: August 23, 1981
    15
    8
    3
    1
    (Sepember 13, 1981)
    1
    (Sepember 20, 1981)
    1
    (Sepember 27, 1981)
    2
    2
    3
    5
    5
    6
    9
    13
    UK Melody Maker Top 30 Chart Entry Date: August 8, 1981
    20
    11
    7
    5
    3
    (September 5, 1981)
    7
    6
    11
    25
    29

    Releases

    Here are all the known USA and UK releases of the song:

    Hold On Tight (Standard Release)

    Hold On Tight (Edited Single Version)

    Hold On Tight (Short Version)

    Hold On Tight (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)

    Hold On Tight (Alternate Intro)

    Time Pre-Release Montage

    Time Megamix

    Hold On Tight (Time Tour)

    Hold On Tight (Heartbeat 86, March 15 1986)

    Hold On Tight (Balance Of Power Tour)

    Tours

    Hold On Tight's live performances are very little. It was played on the 1981/1982 Time tours, near the end of the show as it was a big hit at the time. It was also played at the Heartbeat '86 concert and the very short Balance Of Power tour. It has not been performed live since 1986 by any version of ELO led by Jeff Lynne.

    All live performances are of the full album version.

    Pictures

    UK 7-inch single (Jet JET 7011) first stock UK 7-inch single (Jet JET 7011) promo USA stock 7-inch single (Jet / CBS ZS5 02408) USA promo 7-inch single (Jet / CBS ZS5 02408) USA promo 12-inch single (CBS / Jet AS 1252)
    UK first stock vinyl 7" single * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]     		UK promo vinyl 7" single * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]     		USA stock stock 7" single * CBS / Jet * ZS5 02408
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]     		USA promo 7" single * CBS / Jet * ZS5 02408
    [b/w Hold On Tight (short version)]     		USA promo 12" single * CBS / Jet * AS 1252
    [b/w Time Pre-Release Montage]
    USA reissue 7-inch single (Golden Oldies Jet / CBS ZS8 03086) USA reissue 7-inch single (Collectables Jet / CBS ZS8 03086) Time album cover Holland cover #1 stock 7-inch single (Jet * JET 7011) Holland cover #2 stock 7-inch single (Jet * JET 7011)
    USA reissue 7" vinyl single * Golden Oldies Jet / CBS * ZS8 03086
    [b/w Mr. Blue Sky]     		USA reissue 7" vinyl single * Collectables Jet / CBS * ZS8 03086
    [b/w Mr. Blue Sky]     		Time album Holland vinyl single cover #1 * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]     		Holland vinyl single cover #2 * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]
    Holland cover #3 stock 7-inch single (Jet * JET 7011) Spain 7-inch single (Jet * JET 7011) Hold On Tight Spain single back cover France 7-inch single (Jet * JET 7011) Japan 7-inch single (Jet * 07SP 560) Japan 7-inch single (Jet * 07SP-754)
    Holland vinyl single cover #3 * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time Stood Still]     		Spain vinyl single * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time STood Still]     		France vinyl single * Jet * JET 7011
    [b/w When Time STood Still]     		Japan vinyl single * Jet * 07SP 560
    [When Time Stood Still]     		Japan vinyl single * Jet * 07SP-754
    [Last Train To London]
    European EP single (Coca-Cola * ESP 12155) European EP single (Coca-Cola * ESP 12155)
    European EP single * Coca-Cola * ESP 12155
    [A-side You May Be Right by Billy Joel and I Could Be Happy by Altered Images]
    [B-side Rosanna by Toto and Hold On Tight]

    Cover Versions

    Use in Movies and TV Programs

    Use in Advertising

    Sample Uses

    No known sample uses of Hold On Tight are known.

    Sheet Music

           
    Sheet music as published in the UK.

           
    Sheet music as published in the USA.

    Promotional Videos and TV Performances

    Hold On Tight promo videoPicture sleeve for the Twilight UK singleThe promo video produced features a take-off of serial B-movie trailers, featuring a man sitting in a theater watching several trailers on the screen. These trailers, although involving many different scenes, often mix in the band playing or singing the song during the scenes. It was the first new ELO video produced after the launch of MTV in August 1981 (a month after the single release), and it got heavy rotation at the time, which may have been a contributing factor in the song's chart success. A still from the music video (or perhaps a photo take during the video shoot) was used for the UK single of Twilight.

    Other than the live performance broadcast for Heartbeat '86, no other TV or promotional appearances were done. By this time in ELO's history, the music video was used on various music television programs including Top Of The Pops (broadcast on August 13, 1981).

    Fan Comments

    Enter comments only about this song. (Inappropriate comments will be removed.)

    Quotations

    Hold On Tight (Standard Release)
    HEAR IT ON
    Hold On Tight.
    This song was used in the early 1980s as the theme song for a coffee advocacy marketing group called the Coffee Achievers. They aired several television ads in the US featuring video images of David Bowie and concert footage of the rock band Heart, all while ELO's Hold On Tight played over the images. Unfortunately, the use of the song for commercial purposes caused a bit of a backlash at this time toward this song and ELO amongst the mainstream public (although more people did start drinking coffee).

    The French lyrics in this song are almost a direct translation. "Accroches-toi a ton rêve" translates to "Hold on tight to your dream" and note that "dream" is not plural. "Quand tu vois ton bateau partir" translates to "When you see your ship leave" and note that there is no mention of sailing. "Quand tu sents -- ton coeur se briser" translates to "When you feel your heart is breaking."

    Part of ELO's Hold On Tight (and Prologue and Twilight) were used as part of the Japanese Anime intro for the DAICON IV convention in 1983.

    "E.L.O.'s new album Time, released by Jet Record on July 31st, offers many surprises. The first single to be released from the album, Hold On Tight, is so different from anything the band have done before that DJs have taken great delight in playing the record without telling listeners who it is."
    Unknown (July 1981 - Time press kit)

    "[Hold On Tight], in keeping with the overall superiority of Time, features what I think is Lynne's first real piece of wit in the area of lyric writing-- in the middle of this rockabilly-revival rave-up, Lynne starts crooning in French, a funny, absurdist touch."
    Ken Tucker (September 26, 1981 - Herald Examiner)

    "[Regarding the 50s rock 'n' roll sound of Hold On Tight] we thought we'd end... we thought we'd have an ending that which was really, sort of, an old, corny sort of ending, really. The idea is, um... it's set in, again, like a futuristic club [unintelligible] with an old rock 'n' roll band playing in it. And, uh, that's [unintelligible] ending song."
    Bev Bevan (1981 - Interview on Perth Radio 6PM)

    "We don't have any feelings about singles. We go in to make an album. We never chose the last single. We told the record company they could have any one they liked. It was CBS in America that particularly wanted Hold On Tight and they were proved right because it was a big hit. We might have chosen something else that wouldn't have done as well."
    Chris Welch (March 1982 - IM & RW)

    "[The uplifting feel of the song is] really what it was [on the Time album] for, yeah. 'Cause it was getting a bit doom [unintelligible], 'Hey, man, let's get some happiness going!' ...I've got a French nanny. No, she taught it... She... she wrote the words out for me before I went off to Germany to record it."
    Jeff Lynne (1981 - Innerview with Jim Ladd)

    "Time [new on US CD] has a one second gap inserted between 21st Century Man and Hold On Tight..."
    Andrew Whiteside (1988 - Face The Music fanzine #4)

    "Finally, and most bizarre of all, The Record magazine in America discussed plans for a film version of Hold On Tight, imaginitively enough to be called Hold, with tentative talk about the lead role bing a toss-up between Dennis Quaid and Kevin Costner. The leading lady was to have been Kirstie Alley, but as Cheers has recently resumed production, it looks as if Hold will remain on hold, if you'll forgive the pun, for the foreseeable future."
    Andrew Whiteside (1989 - Face The Music fanzine #6)

    "Amid the roboticized processed vocals of 1981's Time, Lynne renews his vows to classic rock 'n' roll with Hold On Tight, a bilingual humdinger that became ELO's last Top 10 single [in the USA]."
    Ira Robbins (1990 liner notes for Afterglow)

    "Following [21st Century Man on the Time album] was always going to be difficult, but Hold On Tight sounds hopelessly out of place-- which of course, it was. A bracing blast of buzzsaw rockabilly guitar cuts through the future reverie and reminds us instantly of the past that the music conjures up (the only keyboards here are Richard's boogie-woogie piano). The message too is unmistakeably positive-- hold on tight to your dream-- in our hero's case, to get back to 1981. [...] [The concept of Time is] a modern-day fable perhaps: can technology really make us happy? Jeff seemed to think not, with the basic rock n' roll of Hold On Tight holding sway over the synthesized epics. No-one knew it then, but in his own career Jeff was eventually to eschew electronics and get back to basics."
    Andrew Whiteside (1992 - Face The Music fanzine #13)

    "What is often overlooked is that [Don't Bring Me Down is] also the first ELO song not to feature strings. This fact was not lost on Jeff Lynne, who ensured that every ELO album from this point on would feature a rocker as its closing track (before of you get smart, Hold On Tight is the last track on Time as Epilogue is just that-- an epilogue!)."
    Andrew Whiteside (1992 - Face The Music fanzine #11)

    "For Hold On Tight E.L.O. produced a real video clip for promotion. The four piece album band of Jeff, Bev, Richard and Kelly was completed by Mik Kaminski who was seen in the video miming acoustic guitar. The video featured recreations of old movie scenes with 'Goodies and Baddies'. E.L.O. were standing at the bar performing, whilst a motorbike rode throught the wall over a table. This idea was actually 'lent' from the James Bond-movie For Your Eyes Only which was in cinemas in 1981!"
    Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)

    "I like Hold On Tight too. [...] Recorded in L.A. with the words translated by the French nanny on the day before the session."
    Jeff Lynne (2000 - Flashback)

    "This is one of my jolliest songs, but I do like the sound of it."
    Jeff Lynne (2001 - Time Remaster)

    "The Time album benefits from one of the biggest singles in ELO's career, Hold On Tight (Top 10 in the US, Top 5 and gold in the U.K.)."
    Unknown (May 2001 - 2001 ELO remasters press kit)

    "1981's Time was a departure from the traditional ELO sound and used synthesizers instead of strings. It still went to No. 1 though, with the bi-lingual rocker Hold On Tight."
    Rob Caiger (2003 liner notes for The Collection)

    "The sci-fi theme [of Time] produced the madcap piano-driven Hold On Tight and further downplayed the use of strings, replacing them with the more streamlined futuristic use of electronics."
    Jaan Uhelszki (April 1, 2003 liner notes for The Essential Electric Light Orchestra)

    "This automobile ad, which features a Honda Accord motoring past projected nostalgic scenes that could be emanating from a dusty, oft-played family video, is appropriately set to the Electric Light Orchestra's 1981 hit single [Hold On Tight]. As a car whizzes by typical Americana such as a Little League game and a school band marching down Main Street, the song's chorus implores you to 'hold on tight to your dreams,' marrying the wistfulness of the words with the requisite life-is-a-highway visual metaphor. The bouncy, chugging rocker was the last major hit by the Birmingham, England, exponents of Beatles-leaning '70s orchestral rock, reaching the Top 10 in '81. It was produced by ELO singer-songwriter-guitarist Jeff Lynne, who is also famous for his stint in the late-'80s/early-'90s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys as well as his production work for fellow Wilburys George Harrison and Tom Petty. Hold On Tight, which appears on ELO's futuristic concept album Time, actually deals with the theme of nostalgia in a more extreme fashion: the record's lead character has been abducted from 1981 into the late 21st century and longs for the life and the woman he was taken away from. This is by no means the first time Hold On Tight has been appropriated by commercial concerns. In fact, one of the earlier examples of rock music recontextualized for an ad is the song's use in the celebrity-studded 1980's-era 'Coffee Achievers' campaign for the National Coffee Association. In the series of spots, stars along the lines of David Bowie, Cicely Tyson, Kurt Vonnegut and Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson implore us to join them in the glamorous pursuit of guzzling cups of hot java. The song was also featured in a 2005 advertisement for mortgage brokers Ameriquest as well as the first-season finale of the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl."
    Unknown (September 28, 2007 - spinner.com)

    "Honda pretty much let Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne do all the talking in this spot promoting the Accord's fuel efficiency and environmental chumminess, and it works. As the field of sunflowers and herds of antelope pass by in a tunnel, the influential singer's layered harmonies are the hopeful notes that keep this ad playing in your head well after it's over."
    Charlie Moran (December 17, 2007 - Advertising Age online magazine)

    "But during his ELO days, Lynne proved to be the master of studio magic, creating complex and layered tracks that still sound fresh today. That probably explains why ELO songs such as Mr. Blue Sky and Hold On Tight are still used in television commercials to pump up the hip factor of whatever car or soft drink the tne is helping to promote."
    Devin Grant (February 21, 2008 - The Post and Courier)

    "[On November 27, 2008] NASA roused the crew with the song Hold on Tight by the band Electric Light Orchestra, a tune chosen for Endeavour astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper as a Thanksgiving treat for her and the entire crew."
    Tariq Malik (November 27, 2008 - Space.com)

    "Further commercial success came with the 1981 sci-fi concept album Time, which replaced the strings of previous recordings with synthesisers, topped the British charts and spawned the hit single Hold on Tight."
    Unknown (February 25, 2009 - The Times)

    "Hold On Tight, yeah, I suppose that's one of the last really big hits. It's got a very 60s rock 'n' roll feel to it, which is quite apt, really."
    Bev Bevan (August 29, 2010 - Isle of Wight Radio)

    "By September 1981, ELO - already a household name in America - had a new song about to break into the popular psyche — Hold on Tight."
    David Scott-Morgan (December 2011 - Patterns In The Chaos)

    "Of the four singles released [from Time], Hold On Tight was the most successful, reaching #4 in the U.K. and #8 in the U.S.; the other three singles were not as well-received in the United States."
    Kayla Roth (2012 - South Central Music Bulletin Volume XI, Numbers 1-2 (Fall 2012 — Spring 2013))

    "The lead-off single [from the Time album], Hold On Tight, including a verse in French which had been translated from English by the Lynnes French nanny on the day before the session, was released in July 1981. Things looked good when it peaked at No. 4 in Britain."
    John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)

    "Ain't It a Drag recalls the breathless momentum of 1981 s Hold on Tight."
    Phil Mongredien (November 15, 2015 - The Observer)

    "The fastpaced Ain't It A Drag is a catchy rocker in the vein of ELO s 81 hit Hold On Tight"
    Colm O'Hare (November 27, 2015 - Hot Press)

    "Progressions made up of the three primary (major) chords of a major key — [I], [IV] and [V] — are some of the most basic chord progressions in popular music (Bennett 2008, 60). Rock n Roll Is King, Showdown and the verses of Hold On Tight all utilize the three primary chords only. [...] Very rarely do chords act non-functionally; most of the music discussed here is quite tonal and allows for functional harmony and consonance. Movement from tonic to its relative minor or major is also common. [...] In Hold On Tight and Rock n Roll Is King, it is difficult to establish a definite chorus, as the hook of each song — in both cases, the song s title — is repeated at the end of each verse, rendering the following sections refrains instead of choruses. [...] Each song included in this study begins with an introduction. In thirteen of the twenty-two songs (approximately 59%), the introduction is simply a riff or ostinato pattern that incorporates the chords of the upcoming verse. Examples of this type of introduction can be found in... Hold On Tight. [...] Evil Woman is also in verse-chorus form, though it would be considered simple verse-chorus in that the harmonies of the chorus are identical to the harmonies of the verse. In thirty-two-bar form, or AABA form, the verse is the focus of the song, and is prepared and contrasted by a bridge or refrain. Examples of thirty-two-bar form include Rockaria!, Hold On Tight, and Rock n Roll Is King. These forms, like many of the chord progressions previously discussed, are not atypical in popular music."
    Kayla Roth (2015 - South Central Music Bulletin XII-XIII (2013-2015))

    "Well, I guess you can't call him modern anymore but a favorite of mine besides Elvis and the Beatles is Jeff Lynne. My all-time favorite rock and roll recording is ELO's Hold on Tight."
    Davie Allan (February 22, 2016 - Ultimate Guitar)

    "Beyond that is remembered only for its one major hit single, Hold On Tight."
    Paul Elliott (December 19, 2016 - Teamrock.com)

    "Before we look at the [Time] album as a whole, though, it's only natural for you to ask yourself if you've ever heard songs from Time somewhere in this crazy world of ours. And the answer is... probably? Hold on Tight was part of some ad spots for the Honda Accord in 2008 that you might remember."
    Dany Roth (April 7, 2017 - SyFy Wire)

    "Lynne became convinced that Xanadu contributed to ELO's demise. When Time, the follow-up project featuring their Top Billboard 5 hit Hold on Tight went only gold, Lynne said he knew why. 'It's because of that film,' he told the Inquirer. 'Rock-radio programmers were saying, We don't want to touch them after that bloody film. It's because the film is so bad, and it's a failure and we're associated with it.'"
    Nick DeRiso (August 11, 2020 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine)

    "The eleven tracks [on Time] in between are variously silly, poignant, droll, exciting, gauche – all the things that ELO ever were, that is – and often all at once. A handful of them (Twilight, Yours Truly, 2095, Hold On Tight, From The End Of The World, with its echoes of Elvis and of Lynne's future fellow Travelling Wilbury, Roy Orbison) are either the kind of lickety-split rock & roll blasters Lynne was always sure to include on any ELO LP, ever since a cover of Roll Over Beethoven gave them a hit from ELO 2, or Don't Bring Me Down-style piledrivers – all pleasingly retooled for retrofuturism."
    David Bennun (July 26, 2021 - The Quietus)

    "Jeff Lynne was never a man who failed to dream big, so when the '80s came, his Electric Light Orchestra jumped on the music video spaceship with the ambitious clip for Hold on Tight, a (mostly) black-and-white amalgamation of '40s-style adventure, sci-fi and romance film pastiches starring the band members. The scale for the video was almost unheard of for the pre-MTV age; within a couple years, its 40,000-pound budget would essentially be par for the course for any big-name artist."
    A.U. (July 29, 2021 - Billboard)

    listenThis sample is the full French language chorus in Hold On Tight.
    Also hidden in plain sight are the French lyrics for the third verse in Hold On Tight. The line is basically a direct translation of the first verse from English to French. The original Time album's liner notes credits this as "Accroches-toi a ton rêve, Accroches-toi a ton rêve, Quand tu vois ton bateau partir, Quand tu sents ton cocur se briser, Accroches-toi a ton rêve". At it turns out, Jeff and his family had a home in France at the time, which is where his daughters were living with their mother. At the time, Jeff was in Musicland Studios in Germany recording the song, and apparently called up the girls' nanny in France to get the translation. The French lyrics, credited to Ghislaine (probably the nanny), are not a 100% true translation, although they are very close. Translating the French lyrics back to English, they are: "You hang on to your dream; You hang on to your dream; When you see your ship is parting; When you feel your heart is breaking".

    Hold On Tight (Edited Single Version)
    This version is a very slight edit compared to the Time album version, fading shortly after the last guitar note and cutting part of the keyboard part that merges with Epilogue.

    Hold On Tight (Short Version)
    This version is different from the Time album version in that it is missing the first two guitar note intro and starts at the piano. Like the regular single version, it also fades shortly after the last guitar note and cutting part of the keyboard part that merges with Epilogue.

    Hold On Tight (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    This version, found on the Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP from 1984, differs from the original Time version in that it cuts the next to last "hold on tight to your dreams" line, just before the big finish. Like the regular single version, it also fades shortly after the last guitar note and cutting part of the keyboard part that merges with Epilogue.

    Hold On Tight (Alternate Intro)
    This version has a very odd, heavy, futuristic keyboard sound at the beginning before launching into the song, which is otherwise the same as the Time version, except, like the regular single version, it also fades shortly after the last guitar note and cutting part of the keyboard part that merges with Epilogue. On the Flashback boxed set, the keyboard intro is on the tail end of Getting to the Point, the song previous to Hold On Tight. However, since the keyboard sequence begins after the final fade of Getting to the Point, actually blends into Hold On Tight, the keyboard sound is much closer to the sound from Time than Balance of Power, and the Flashback set is rife with problems of the known intros to songs (including several Face The Music tracks) being stuck on the end of the previous songs, it is believed that the keyboards are the intro to Hold On Tight and the tracking on the Flashback set is incorrect.

    Time Pre-Release Montage
    This is difficult to classify as a proper song. It is a "song" that was released on the B-side of a USA issued Hold On Tight 12" single promo. It is simply an approximate one minute sample, faded in and faded out, of each song from the Time album (minus Prologue and Epilogue) in the same order they appear on the album.

    Time Megamix
    This is a remix of Time songs available on the Argentinian promo single (Epic DEP-189). It features a mix of various edits of the songs Twilight [0:00 to 1:17], Yours Truly, 2095 [1:17 to 2:13], Hold On Tight [2:13 to 3:21], Here Is The News [3:21 to 4:28], From The End Of The World [4:28 to 5:55], and Twilight repeated [5:55 to 7:10], in that order.

    Hold On Tight (Time Tour)
    "After the third of a half dozen standing ovations, ELO ended the proceedings with its new hit, Hold On Tight, encored with You Bring Me Down, Bruce [sic] and Do Ya and returned once more for a rendition of Roll Over Beethoven."
    Unknown (December 10, 1981 - Billboard review of September 23, 1981 show)

    Hold On Tight (Heartbeat 86, March 15 1986)
    "ELO played a barnstorming set, including Telephone Line, Do Ya, Calling America, Hold On Tight and, in a furious final , Don't Bring Me Down, a tough act for The Moody Blues to follow."
    Paul Cole (March 12, 2016 - Birmingham Mail)

    Hold On Tight (Balance Of Power Tour)

    This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Electric Light Orchestra song Hold On Tight. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at jefflynnesongs@gmail.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

    Robert Porter
    December 2025