Songfacts®:

• "Holler" is the title track from The Watson Twins' 2023 album of the same name. Written by identical twin sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson, the song serves as a rallying cry for unity and positive change.
• The Watson Twins wrote "Holler" in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. It started from a dark place but evolved into a broader message about collective strength and perseverance. Leigh Watson told the story behind it in a Songfacts interview: "When we first started writing that particular song, it didn't have a name. We were trying to stay out of the dark alley, because we felt like there had been so much negativity and sadness in the world in general. And then to have Roe v. Wade overturned just felt like another slam. We were ruminating on that and saying, 'We can't go into the dark alley, we have to stay in the light and carry that light.'
  
  The song started out quite depressing and not like the song we ended up releasing. We were working on it and thought, this doesn't serve anybody. Everyone knows what's going on. We don't need to regurgitate the current state of the world. Let's try to create something that encourages people to love one another, stand together, and be a part of positive change and represent something that is universally simple. It's respecting people and carrying that message forward."
• Musically, "Holler" features barroom piano played by Thayer Sarrano and slide guitar by Steven Cooper, contributing to the song's rootsy, Americana sound. This sonic palette reflects the Watson Twins' Kentucky upbringing and their blend of gospel, country, and rock influences.
• In Kentucky, where The Watson Twins are from, there are lots of "hollers," meaning valleys (as in the Randy Travis song "Deeper Than The Holler"). But that's not what they're singing about here. "'Holler' is not a place, it's a sound," Leigh Watson told Songfacts. "Where we come from in Kentucky, somebody could be from the holler. This is not that type of holler. This is the holler that is the sound that people make when they come together, and that's really what this is, a cry for connectivity and like-mindedness and for people to come together to create positive change."
• The song exemplifies the collaborative approach the Watson Twins took for the entire Holler album. Unlike their earlier works where they often wrote separately, Holler saw the sisters fully embracing their partnership as both vocalists and songwriters. They sing every line of the song together, alternating between harmonies and unison melodies.
• In live performances, the Watson Twins encourage audience participation during "Holler," inviting listeners to respond to the "Holler if you hear me" lyric. This gives the crowd a chance to "holler back," making it feel more communal.
• "Holler" was produced by Butch Walker and recorded live in the studio with the Watson Twins' touring band, capturing the energy and spontaneity of their live shows. Walker, like the Watson Twins, is a southern native (he's from Georgia) who had spent more than a decade in Los Angeles before moving to Tennessee.