Wilson Phillips – Hold On

“Hold On” – Single by Wilson Phillips from the album Wilson Phillips
B-side “Over and Over”
Released February 27, 1990
Label SBK
Songwriters Carnie Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Glen Ballard
Producer Glen Ballard
Charted No.1 in US, No.6 in UK, No.1 in Canada, No.15 in West Germany, No.7 in Ireland.

Wilson Phillips is a trio of singers from prominent musical families. Chynna Phillips is the daughter of John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas, while Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson are the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Marilyn Rovell of The Honeys. This song was their breakout hit, and it was a huge one, peaking at #1 on June 9, 1990 (25 years earlier, “Help Me, Rhonda” by The Beach Boys was in its second week at #1). Their next single, “Release Me,” also went to #1, as did another song from their debut, “You’re In Love.”

Despite their privileged upbringing, Wilson Phillips came off as very down-to-earth, wearing jeans instead of runway fashions. Their accessible image made them very relatable and earned them legions of female fans.

Joe Walsh, the man who gave us “Funk #49” and “Life’s Been Good,” played guitar on this track as well as another song from the album, “Impulsive.”

Glen Ballard and Chynna Phillips are listed as the songwriters on this track, with Carnie Wilson credited for “additional lyrics.” In addition to Joe Walsh, other personnel include:

Keyboards: Glen Ballard, Randy Kerber
Guitar: Michael Landau
Percussion: Paulinho Da Cost

“Hold On” won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990. At the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, “Hold On” was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, losing in both categories. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number 15 in their list of “100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time”. In 2020, Cleveland.com ranked it at number 37 in their list of the best Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1990s.[In 2022, Pitchfork ranked number 246 in their list of “The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s”.