Hold On

Album: single release only (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Colbie Caillat figuring out what to do about her relationship with her lover, which is on the verge of collapse. The song was released on November 19, 2013 as the original lead single from Gypsy Heart. However after selling poorly it was scrapped from all versions of the album apart from the German edition.
  • "Hold On" was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. Caillat has known Tedder since she was a teenager, and she previously worked with the songwriter on her 2011 album All of You.
  • With a pounding drumbeat and multiple vocal tracks, the song is a departure from Caillat's previous mellow acoustic work. "It's always good to grow as an artist," the singer told USA Today. "I like that when I sing it, I feel rad - 'rad' is my word right now. The production that Ryan used, the second the music comes on, I get in the moment. It makes me come alive, and it makes me want to perform."
  • The lyrics were inspired by Caillat's own experiences with broken-down relationships, where she's been the one urging to give it another shot. "I know a lot of people can relate, it's like the game of love," she told Billboard magazine. "When I was writing with Ryan it was basically about, 'You're ready to let go of this person, and the second you do, that's when they're all about you. They pull their same spiel where they back away, and you only want them more.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.