Holly Holy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Holly Holy” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Neil Diamond | |||||
| B-side | "Hurtin' You Don't Come Easy" | ||||
| Released | October 1969 | ||||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | ||||
| Genre | Pop/Rock | ||||
| Label | Uni Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Neil Diamond | ||||
| Neil Diamond singles chronology | |||||
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"Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. Released as a single in October 1969,[1] it was quite successful as the follow-on to "Sweet Caroline", rising to number 6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December.[2][3] It became a gold record and then eventually platinum.[1]
A work with a spiritual focus,[4] "Holly Holy" was influenced by gospel music[1] and was Diamond's favorites of the songs he had written to that point.[3] It begins quietly with acoustic guitar against a bass line, with the sparse lyric stretched with elongated vowels. Gradually the arrangement builds up with a tempo shift in the bridge and a backing choir against strings lasting throughout.
"Holly Holy" was later included on Diamond's November 1969 album Touching You, Touching Me.[1] It has been included in live versions on Diamond's Hot August Night (from 1972) and Greatest Hits: 1966-1992 (from 1992), as well as in various compilations.
A treatment of "Holly Holy" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars was a modest R&B hit in 1971.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e William Ruhlmann. Neil Diamond: Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1983). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: 1955 to present. Billboard Publications. ISBN 0-8230-7511-7. p. 88.
- ^ a b Jackson, Laura (2005). Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion. ECW Press. ISBN 1550227076. pp. 65–66.
- ^ Neil McCormick. "Neil Diamond: the hurt, the dirt, the shirts", The Daily Telegraph, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
