Hold On To Memories

Album: Evolution (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • The lyrics for this poignant acoustic ballad were inspired by the Mexican holiday Day Of The Dead, when celebrants gather to light candles to remember loved ones who have passed on.

    Hold on to memories
    Hold on to every moment
    To keep them alive
    The world's greatest tragedy
    Souls who are not remembered
    Cannot survive


    Many Mexicans believe that as long as their loved ones are remembered, their souls remain intact in the afterlife. If they don't remember them, they disappear.
  • The song was created early in the writing process for Evolution. It was not until near the end of the album sessions that the band completed the track, including Dan Donegan's acoustic guitar solo.
  • Lead singer David Draiman was inspired to write the song by the passing of several of his rock colleagues, including Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell and Vinnie Paul, as well as his grandmother. Speaking to Metal Hammer, he explained:

    "The more people you lose, the more you start thinking about your own mortality. It drags you down, but it's important to recognize that as long as you keep their memory with you, a piece of them is still alive."
  • The emotional live video, directed by Rafa Alcantara, includes a montage of throwback photos and clips of the band as well as footage of various fallen rockers. According to the press release, the visual is "both a remembrance of those who are no longer with us, as a well as a celebration of their life and the light they brought to those closest to them."
  • Following the live visual, Disturbed released a second video, which stars a selection of people painting masks in honor of the loved ones they've lost. Matt Mahurin directed the clip; he previously helmed Disturbed's "The Sound of Silence" music video.
  • This was the fourth and final single from Evolution, the band's seventh studio album. It peaked at #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart, breaking the band's run of seven consecutive chart-toppers.

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