Dear Eloise (song)

Last updated

"Dear Eloise"
Dear Eloise Hollies.jpg
Swedish picture sleeve
Single by the Hollies
from the album Butterfly
B-side "When Your Lights Turned On"
Released3 November 1967
Recorded26 September 1967
Studio EMI, London
Genre
Length3:03
Label Epic
Songwriters
Producer Ron Richards
The Hollies singles chronology
"King Midas in Reverse"
(1967)		"Dear Eloise"
(1967)		"Jennifer Eccles"
(1968)
Audio
"Dear Eloise" on YouTube

"Dear Eloise" is a song by English pop band the Hollies, written by members Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash. The song was conceived after Clarke wrote the lyrics on the stairs of the EMI Studios in London. Musically, the song reflected a venture towards psychedelia with elements of bubblegum- and vaudeville pop. Lyrically, it refers to a letter written to an ex-lover. It features several tempo and a slow intro and outro that features Nash on harmonium and vocals. "Dear Eloise" was recorded at EMI on 26 September 1967 with Ron Richards producing.

Contents

In England, "Dear Eloise" received its' first release on the Hollies seventh studio album Butterfly through Parlophone on 1 November 1967. In the US, Epic rush-released "Dear Eloise" as a single on 3 November 1967 with "When Your Lights Turned On" to coincide with a tour of the US by the Hollies. It achieved mild commercial success in the US, reaching number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was more successful in continental Europe where it reached number one in Sweden. "Dear Eloise" received positive reviews upon release, with praise for the arrangement, and has retrospectively been considered one of the Hollies' few forays into psychedelia.

Composition and recording

As with most of the Hollies other post-1966 hits, "Dear Eloise" was penned by vocalist Allan Clarke, lead guitarist Tony Hicks and rhythm guitarist Graham Nash. [1] [2] Clarke recalled that he wrote the lyrics to the song's on the steps of the stairs infront of EMI Studios in London "in about 20 minutes" during the preparation for a meeting and that the song "developed from there". [3] [4] Musically, the song reflected a venture towards psychedelia, with journalist Heather Phares writing that it distilled the "the trippier, cheerier" parts of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band into "three minutes of bubblegum vaudeville pop". [5] Terry Staunton classified "Dear Eloise" as psychedelic pop. [6] According to Cub Koda of AllMusic, "Dear Eloise" was built around "glowing harmonies" and "tempo shifts around Moon/June lyrics". [7] Al Quaglieri described the song's lyrics as a "musical consolation note to an ex-lover, [3] as does Andrew Darlington who further outlines them as epistolary. [4]

With a runtime of 3:03, [2] "Dear Eloise" features three distinctive sections containing several stops and tempo changes. [3] [8] The middle part has the band break into "urgent group harmonies", [4] and reflected the Hollies at their most "exuberant". [8] The intro and outro of the song contrast to the rest of the song, with musicologist Mike Segretto believing them to be an "acid sea shanty". [8] These sections feature an unaccompanied Nash on vocals and harmonium. [4] The intro in particular, breaks down with Nash's vocals fading, before drummer Bobby Elliott's spoken word counting leads into the song's middle part. [4] According to Elliott, the harmonium was provided by EMI Studios "probably free of charge", [9] with producer Ron Richards further stating that the track was recorded during a period of "flower power" where the band "experimented with different things". [3] "Dear Eloise" was taped in one take at EMI Studios on 26 September 1967, [2] [3] and was produced by Richards with Peter Brown engineering. [10] "Elevated Observation" was recorded during the same session. [4]

Release and commercial performance

"Dear Eloise" was originally released by Parlophone in the UK on 1 November 1967, [2] when it was featured as the opening track of the Hollies seventh studio album Butterfly. [7] In the US, Epic rush-released "Dear Eloise" as a single on 3 November 1967, [3] [nb 1] as their previous single "King Midas in Reverse" had underperformed in the charts. [12] The B-side was "When Your Lights Turned On", which had previously been released on the Hollies fifth studio album Evolution in June 1967. [13] The single release coincided with the Hollies American tour, which begun on 17 November 1967. [14] [nb 2] Although "Dear Eloise" was readied for release as a British single in January 1968, [15] it was ultimately not issued as the song was "considered a bit too strange for single release" there. [3] "Dear Eloise" was also released as a single in mainland Europe. [11]

This wasn't meant to be a single at all. We were always trying to do things sort of differently in those days to try to keep up with the Beatles and that was one of those type of songs.

— Allan Clarke (1990) [3]

"Dear Eloise" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on 3 December 1967 at number 86, [16] before peaking at number 50 on 30 December. [17] In the chart published by Record World , it fared better and peaked at number 40. [18] In Canada, the single reached number 36. [19] However, the single achieved its' highest commercial success in Continental Europe, where it reached number two in Austria, [20] number six in the Netherlands, [21] and number eight in West Germany. [22] "Dear Eloise" reached number one for one week on the Swedish Tio i Topp chart, [23] becoming their fifth and penultimate number-one single in Sweden before "Jennifer Eccles". [24]

The Hollies performed "Dear Eloise" and "Carrie Anne" during the 10 December 1967 episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , [25] and additionally recorded a music video for the track in America, in which a quill was depicted as writing the letter described in the song's lyrics. [3] "Dear Eloise" and "King Midas in Reverse" both served as the title tracks for the American equivalent of Butterfly album, Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse , which Epic released on 27 November 1967. [26] "Dear Eloise" has since been featured on several of the Hollies compilation albums, including The Hollies' Greatest Hits (1973), [27] and Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years: The Complete Hollies April 1963 – October 1968 (2011). [6]

Reception and legacy

Upon release, "Dear Eloise" received critical acclaim. [4] Writing for the New Musical Express, Allen Evans described "Dear Eloise" as being performed in the Hollies usual style, but noted the "distorted" and "slow" intro and outro sections as "quite effective". [28] The staff reviewer for Billboard described "Dear Eloise" as having an "easily identifiable lyric" and a "rock beat", believing it would "prove one of the group’s all-time biggest hits". [29] Cash Box's review panel opined that the single contained "pounding orchestrations" alongside a "tremendous vocal sound", which contrasted to the "exotic beginning-finish" that they suggested was a statement that "might come in future Beatles sessions". [30] "Dear Eloise" contained "lots of electronic fiddling and lots of beat" according to Record World . [31]

According to Heather Phares, "Dear Eloise" was one of the tracks which examplified the Hollies' "gifts as synthetists". [5] Dean Johnson of The Boston Globe noted "Dear Eloise" as one of the Hollies' rare ventures into psychedelia, believing the band to otherwise "have as much to do with psychedelic music as Blue Cheer had to do with Chicago blues". [32] Alan Niester of The Globe and Mail believed that "Dear Eloise", "King Midas in Reverse" and "The Air That I Breathe" represented a decline in chart success that contrasted to the Hollies' proficiency in the studio, which was "sharper than ever". [33] Darlington described "Dear Eloise" as "wonderfully strange" and believed it was "rightly regarded as one of the Hollies' finest moments". [34]

Personnel

Personnel according to the liner notes of The Hollies at Abbey Road 1966-1970, unless otherwise noted. [10]

The Hollies

Technical

Chart performance

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Catalogue number Epic 5-10251. [11]
  2. ↑ The single release of "Dear Eloise" had its outro shortened. [3]

Citations

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Graham Nash Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Elliott 1998, p. 8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quaglieri 1990, p. 8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Darlington 2025, p. 88.
  5. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Epic Anthology Review by Heather Phares". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 Staunton, Terry (11 May 2011). "The Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years". Record Collector . Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 Koda, Cub. "Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse Review by Cub Koda". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Segretto 2022, p. 135.
  9. ↑ Elliott 1998, p. 9.
  10. 1 2 Elliott 1998, p. 4.
  11. 1 2 Darlington 2025, p. 96.
  12. ↑ Harris, June (25 November 1967). "Hollies Busy" (PDF). New Musical Express . p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  13. ↑ Darlington 2025, pp. 78, 96.
  14. ↑ Scott, Jane (17 November 1967). "Disc-takes" . The Plain Dealer . p. 26. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Smith, W. H. (5 January 1968). "Engelbert in great voice again with his latest ballad" . Herald Express . p. 10. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ↑ Anon. (3 December 1967). "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard . p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  17. 1 2 Anon. (30 December 1967). "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard . p. 44. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  18. ↑ Anon. (6 January 1968). "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World . p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  19. 1 2 Anon. (27 January 1968). "The RPM 100" (PDF). RPM . p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  20. 1 2 "The Hollies - Dear Eloise" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  21. 1 2 "The Hollies - Dear Eloise" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Dear Eloise" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  23. 1 2 Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 460.
  24. ↑ Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 369.
  25. ↑ Anon. (9 December 1967). "Radio City on Stage for Christmas Special" . Dayton Daily News . p. 4-A. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  26. ↑ Darlington 2025, p. 94.
  27. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "The Hollies' Greatest Hits Review by William Ruhlmann". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  28. ↑ Evans, Allen (18 November 1967). "LPs by Allen Evans" (PDF). New Musical Express . p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  29. ↑ Anon. (18 November 1967). "Pop Spotlights" (PDF). Billboard . p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  30. ↑ Anon. (18 November 1967). "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box . p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  31. ↑ Anon. (25 November 1967). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World . p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  32. ↑ Johnson, Dean (23 December 1982). "Records" . The Boston Globe . p. 53. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ Niester, Alan (10 December 1990). "Hollies Anthology with a Difference" . The Globe and Mail . p. C4. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ Darlington 2025, pp. 87–88.
  35. 1 2 Darlington 2025, p. 87.
  36. ↑ Nimmervoll, Ed (21 February 1968). "Go-Set National Top 40". Go-Set . Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  37. ↑ Kent 2005, p. 103.
  38. ↑ "Dear Eloise" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  39. ↑ Kohler, Steve (23 February 1968). "The N.Z. Hit Parade". Flavour of New Zealand. New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  40. ↑ Hallberg 1993, p. 56.
  41. ↑ Anon. (13 January 1968). "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box . p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 November 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  42. ↑ Anon. (6 January 1968). "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World . p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026– via WorldRadioHistory.
  43. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1968" [Top 100 Annual Review of 1968] (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 11 November 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2026.

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