Hold Me (Laura Branigan song)

"Hold Me"
Single by Laura Branigan
from the album Hold Me
B-side"Tenderness"
Released1985
Genre
Length4:15
LabelAtlantic Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Beth Andersen
  • Bill Bodine
Producer(s)
Laura Branigan singles chronology
"Spanish Eddie"
(1985) 		"Hold Me"
(1985) 		"Maybe Tonight"
(1985)
Audio
"Hold Me" on YouTube

"Hold Me" is a song by the American pop singer Laura Branigan, which was released in 1985 as the second single from her fourth studio album Hold Me.[1] It was written by Bill Bodine and Beth Andersen, and produced by Jack White and Harold Faltermeyer.[2]

Following the Top 40 success of the first single from Hold Me, "Spanish Eddie", "Hold Me" was released as the follow-up single. It reached No. 82 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart and No. 39 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart.[3]

Release[edit]

"Hold Me" was released on both 7" and 12" vinyl in North America and on 7" vinyl in Japan. The B-side for the North American 7" releases was "Tenderness", which was taken from Hold Me. The Japanese release featured a different track from the album, "When the Heat Hits the Streets".[4] For release as a single, "Hold Me" was edited, removing around half a minute from its duration.[5] An American 7" promotional single was also issued, featuring "Hold Me (Edited Version of Remix)" as the A-side and "Hold Me (New Extended Remix)" as the B-side, both remixed by American producer Beau Hill.[6]

The American 12" vinyl featured "Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix)" as the A-side, with "Tenderness (Vocal/Extended Remix Version)" and "Spanish Eddie (Vocal/Extended Remix Version)" as the two B-sides.[7] An American 12" promotional single featured "Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix)" on both sides of the vinyl.[8]

Promotion[edit]

No music video was filmed to promote the single.[9] Branigan performed the song on American music TV show Solid Gold,[10] and Dick Clark's Nitetime.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Upon release, Billboard listed the song as a dance pick and commented: "A straight-ahead, American-sounding rock ballad; more booming beat boxes, less exotica than her usual repertoire."[12] Cash Box wrote: "An urgent ballad with a surging rock feel, "Hold Me" showcases the Branigan voice in all its many textured volume. With sharp hooks and a hummable melody, the tune could mean another chart racer for one of pop's favorite singers."[13]

Track listing[edit]

7" single (US release)
  1. "Hold Me" - 4:15
  2. "Tenderness" - 3:42
7" Single (US promo)
  1. "Hold Me (Edited Version of Remix)" - 4:15
  2. "Hold Me (New Extended Remix)" - 5:16
7" Single (Japanese release)
  1. "Hold Me" - 4:14
  2. "When the Heat Hits the Streets" - 3:42
7" Single (Japanese promo)
  1. "Hold Me" - 4:13
  2. "When the Heat Hits the Streets" - 3:40
12" Single (US release)
  1. "Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix)" - 5:16
  2. "Tenderness (Vocal/Extended Remix Version)" - 5:50
  3. "Spanish Eddie (Vocal/Extended Remix Version)" - 5:31
12" Single (US promo)
  1. "Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix)" - 5:16
  2. "Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix)" - 5:16

Personnel[edit]

  • Jack White - producer of "Hold Me", arranger on "Tenderness"
  • Harold Faltermeyer - producer of "Hold Me", arranger on "Hold Me", arranger on "Spanish Eddie"
  • Mark Spiro - producer of "When the Heat Hits the Streets", associate producer on "Tenderness", arranger on "Tenderness"
  • Ed Arkin - arranger on "Tenderness"
  • Jerry Hey - horns arrangement on "Tenderness"
  • Beau Hill - remixes of "Hold Me"

Charts[edit]

Chart (1985) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 82
US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart[3] 39
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[14] 79

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  2. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. ^ a b c Laura Branigan. "Laura Branigan - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  4. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me". Discogs.
  5. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  6. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  7. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me (Vocal/New Extended Remix) (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  8. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  9. ^ "Laura Branigan - Spanish Eddie [HQ". YouTube. 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  10. ^ "Laura Branigan - Hold Me (Solid Gold Video Clip) 1986". YouTube. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  11. ^ "Laura Branigan performing "Hold Me" (1986)". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  12. ^ Billboard magazine - Singles reviews - October 5, 1985 - page 65
  13. ^ Cash Box newspaper - October 12, 1985 - Single releases - page 11
  14. ^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 36. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
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