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1982 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Hold Me" is a 1982 song by the British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was the first track to be released as a single from the band`s thirteenth album Mirage. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton, McVie and Lindsey Buckingham shared lead vocals on the song. The single reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the band`s first to break the top five since 1977.

Background

"Hold Me" was written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton. According to Mick Fleetwood in his 1990 autobiography, "Hold Me" was written about McVie`s failed relationship with Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys.[2] During one of the recording sessions, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham suggested that he and McVie perform "Hold Me" as a duet similar to "Don`t Stop". The two vocalists sang their parts with the studio windows open over the Paris countryside.[3]

Released in June 1982 in advance of the album itself, the song became one of Fleetwood Mac`s biggest hits in the United States, peaking at No. 4 for a then-record seven consecutive weeks, from July 24, 1982, to September 4, 1982. (Potential higher chart placement was prevented by songs including "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor and "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band, as well as the No. 2 peaking of "Hurts So Good" by John Cougar.)[4] "Hold Me" ranked at No. 31 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1982.

In the United Kingdom, "Hold Me" was released in July 1982, but failed to chart. The song was eventually re-issued in February 1989 to promote the group`s Greatest Hits (1988) package with "No Questions Asked" as the B-side and reached No. 94.[5]

The song is also included on the 2002 US version, and 2009 UK re-issue of the greatest hits album The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac.

Critical reception

Cash Box said that "the catchy hook, the solid rhythm and, of course, the female harmonies all come together in a package that can`t be beat."[7] Billboard called it a "buoyant midtempo love song."[8] Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic labeled "Hold Me" as a "gorgeous Christine McVie creation" that "goes to all of the right places at the right times."[9] Paste ranked the song number 16 on its list of the 30 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Hold Me" features the band in a surreal scenario set in a desert, in keeping with the album title, based on several René Magritte paintings. In the video, Christine McVie is in a room surrounded by paintings, using a telescope to search for Lindsey Buckingham in the desert. Buckingham discovers Stevie Nicks lying on a chaise longue and paints a portrait of her. In other scenes, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are archaeologists, dressed in khaki shorts and pith helmets. They find the desert littered with broken mirrors, which serve as a motif in the video, along with partially buried pianos, electric guitars, bass guitars, and other instruments.

Due to the band members` strained relationships at the time, the video shoot in the Mojave Desert was a "nightmare," according to producer Simon Fields. "[They] were, um, not easy to work with," agreed Steve Barron, who directed the clip. Most scenes feature only one or two band members at a time and the entire band is never seen together.[11]

The shooting of the music video began around 5 a.m. in an effort mitigate the amount of heat exposure in the Mojave Desert.[12] However, this proved to be insufficient. "It was so hot, and we weren`t getting along," recalls Nicks. Buckingham was still not over their breakup six years earlier, nor her subsequent affair with Fleetwood. Further, she elaborates, the rest of the band was angry with Fleetwood because he had then begun an affair with Nicks` best friend, causing serious issues for Nicks.[11]

"Four of them, I can`t recall which four, couldn`t be together in the same room for very long. They didn`t want to be there," says Barron. "Christine McVie was about ten hours out of the makeup trailer. By which time it was getting dark." According to Fields, "John McVie was drunk and tried to punch me. Stevie Nicks didn`t want to walk on the sand with her platforms. Christine McVie was fed up with all of them. Mick thought she was being a bitch, he wouldn`t talk to her."[11]

Track listing

7-inch single (US) (Warner Bros / 7-29966)[13]

A. "Hold Me" — 3:42

B. "Eyes of the World" — 3:41

12-inch promotional single (US) (Warner Bros / PRO-A-1040)[14]

1. "Hold Me" — 3:42 (both sides)

Personnel

• Lindsey Buckingham – twelve-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lead (dual lead in harmony with C. McVie) and backing vocals
• Christine McVie – piano, Yamaha CP30 electric piano, lead (dual lead in harmony with Buckingham) and backing vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, tambourine, congas

Charts