Holding On (Steve Winwood song)
"Holding On" is a 1988 single by Steve Winwood from the album Roll with It.[1] The song was written by Winwood along with Will Jennings. "Holding On" was the last of four number ones for Winwood on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single went to number one for two weeks and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]
| "Holding On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Steve Winwood | ||||
| from the album Roll with It | ||||
| Released | December 5, 1988 | |||
| Genre | R&B, blue-eyed soul, Rock | |||
| Label | Island - IS 288 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Steve Winwood Will Jennings | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Winwood and Tom Lord-Alge | |||
| Steve Winwood singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video
The music video (directed by David Fincher) opens with an unidentified photographer taking out camera equipment. The rest of the video is shown in motion, with flashes indicating candid snapshots of various people from different walks of life: people walking on the street, patrons of a diner, women in formal dress, a dinner suggesting an underworld boss and his girlfriend (although they pose for the camera, others cover their faces or move to leave the table), a soldier just home from the war (presumed to be World War II) embracing his son, and an elderly couple in high spirits on a park bench.
Interspersed with these images are occasional scenes of Winwood playing solitaire in his room, then going out for a walk, having his shoes shined, having coffee at a diner, then finally returning to his room and lying on his bed as the sun shines through his window.
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[3] | 47 |
Credits
- Steve Winwood – lead vocals, keyboards, Hammond organ, Fairlight programming, guitar
- Robbie Kilgore – additional keyboards
- Mike Lawler – additional keyboards
- John Robinson – drums
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion
- The Memphis Horns
- Wayne Jackson – trombone and trumpet
- Andrew Love – tenor sax
- Tessa Niles – backing vocals
- Mark Williamson – backing vocals
References
- Pond, Steve (1988-08-11). "Roll with It". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008.
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 262.
- "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.