Hold On by Sarah McLachlan

Album: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993)

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

"Hold On" was inspired by a 1992 Canadian television documentary called A Promise Kept, about a woman named Karin Donitz, whose husband Blair was dying of AIDS. Her promise was to tell their story.

After watching the documentary, McLachlan was struck by Karin's compassion and commitment as she care for Blair, and she used it as the basis for "Hold On." The song resonates with listeners who are facing the death of a loved one. McLachlan has a talent for bridging the emotional gap between her and the audience. It comes through in the opening lines, which hit hard for anyone going through this kind of struggle:

Hold on to yourself
For this is gonna hurt like hell
"Hold On" followed "Possession" as the second single from McLachlan's third album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. By this time, she was well-known in her native Canada and making inroads in America. "Possession" was her first chart hit in the US, reaching #73. "Hold On" didn't chart, in part because the radio and festival environment was inhospitable to female artists. McLachlan helped rectify that by launching the Lilith Fair in 1997, the same year she released her next album, Surfacing, with the hits "Adia" and "Angel." She picked up a lot of new fans who reached back for the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album, which ended up selling over 3 million copies in the US.
On her VH1 Storytellers appearance in 2004, McLachlan said this song came to her quickly and easily after watching A Promise Kept and being moved by Karin Donitz' story. "It struck home in a way that I couldn't really describe except by writing this song," she said. "I really feel like it's something that came out of me through her."
The video was directed by Tony Pantages, a Canadian actor and director who appears in the "Possession" video clinging to McLachlan. For "Hold On," Pantages used a trapeze artist couple to dramatize the song. A live video was released as part of McLachlan's 1999 concert film Mirrorball.
"Hold On" has always been a very popular song title, but particularly in the early '90s. Wilson Phillips and En Vogue both had hits with that title.

Comments: 8

Fbde from EarthSarah Ann wrote this song about a woman losing her husband to the AIDS virus
Katja from Kenai, AkA song that always brings tears in the beginning, but gives strength to those suffering from loss...whether its love or life.
Adia from Philedelphia, PaMy fav. version is the piano on The Freedom Sessions - it's really made me cry. I've gone through enough to be able to relate to it. It's so gentle and despite it's simple words - it's so honest, and so heartfelt.
Mike from Cheshire, CtOne of the single most beautiful songs ever recorded. There was a version (remix?) on the No Alternative CD released about 10 years ago to support AIDS research. A song guaranteed to make you cry.
Eric from Brantford, CanadaA beautifully, sad love song. One of Sarah's least popular, which is a shame. The version of 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' is good.
Andrew from Ny, Nyi serve men who are dying form AIDS, and i'll tell ya, this song means a lot, and says a lot!
thank you, sarah!
Scott Baldwin from Edmonton, CanadaI own "rarities,b-sides and other stuff"it's a good C.D.!Buy it!
Jerica from Springtown, TxTo me this song deals w/the situation b/n me and my b/f before we were together. (We had been best friends for a few years before we got together.) We went through a lot of stress and emotional pain to be together. (To make a really long story extremely short.) I use to sing this song when things got really tough.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Call Me MaybeCarly Rae Jepsen

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen was the song of the summer in 2012 and a major meme. It got some help from her fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, who tweeted that it was "possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard."

Heaven KnowsRobert Plant

Robert Plant's "Heaven Knows" is a satirical look at the '80s, when style seemed to trump substance.

I Wanna Be BadWilla Ford

Willa Ford came up with her hit "I Wanna Be Bad" when her record company told her to tone down her music in a effort to differentiate her from Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who were in their "bad girl" eras.

I'd Like To Teach The World To SingThe New Seekers

The first hit song that was used in a commercial before it was released as a single was "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing," which was written for a Coke ad.

Good TimesChic

The disco song "Good Tmes" by Chic was a huge influence on early rap, providing the bassline for "Rapper's Delight."

What's Up4 Non Blondes

"What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes has endured as one of the most popular songs of the '90s, but it wasn't a huge hit at the time and the band split after one album. Frontwoman Linda Perry went on to write hits for Pink and Christina Aguilera.