Hang On to Your Life

Last updated
"Hang On to Your Life"
Hang on to Your Life.png
Cover of the 1971 Spanish single
Single by The Guess Who
from the album Share the Land
B-side "Do You Miss Me Darlin'"
ReleasedDecember 1970 (CAN)
January 1971 (US)
March 1971 (UK)
Recorded1970 at RCA's Mid-America Recording Center, Chicago, Illinois
Genre Rock
Length4:09 (album)
3:20 (single)
Label Nimbus Records 0414 (CAN)
RCA Victor 0414 (US)
RCA Records 2065 (UK)
Songwriter(s) Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter
Producer(s) Jack Richardson
The Guess Who singles chronology
"Share the Land"
(1970)
"Hang On to Your Life"
(1970)
"Albert Flasher"
(1971)

"Hang On to Your Life" is a song written by Burton Cummings and Kurt Winter and performed by The Guess Who. The song is featured on their 1970 album, Share the Land . [1] The producer was Jack Richardson and the arrangement was by The Guess Who. [2] On the 8-track tape edition of Share the Land, the song was edited to make it a bit longer in order to fill out the timing on the first channel (a few extra measures appear before each verse).

Contents

Background

This song is an anti-drug message. In the chorus section, the phrase: "Oh Life", is repeated a few times, in an echo that fades falsely, depicting a heartbeat. ("Oh Life, Oh Life, Oh Life"). Before the song's ending, the "Oh" in the phrase is heard stronger, with the repeated phrase fading in the spoken coda section.

At the end of the album version Cummings recites verses 13-15 of Psalm 22. The single version ends just before he speaks.

Chart performance

It reached #5 in Canada [3] and #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. [4] It was also released in the United Kingdom as a single, but it did not chart. [5]

Related Research Articles

Randy Bachman Canadian musician

Randolph Charles Bachman is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a number of short-lived bands such as Brave Belt, Union and Ironhorse. He was a national radio personality on CBC Radio, hosting the weekly music show, Vinyl Tap. Bachman was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016.

The Guess Who Canadian rock band

The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, best known for their blues rock and psychedelic rock hits from 1968 to 1975.

Burton Cummings Canadian musician, singer and songwriter

Burton Lorne Cummings is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is best known for leading The Guess Who during that band's most successful period from 1966 to 1975, and for a lengthy solo career.

<i>American Woman</i> (album) 1970 studio album by The Guess Who

American Woman is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released in January 1970. It was the last to feature lead guitarist Randy Bachman until a reformation effort in 1983. The album was one of their most successful releases, receiving Gold certification in the United States.

"No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" is a medley by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. It was released on their 1970 album American Woman, and was released on the B-side of the "American Woman" single without the "New Mother Nature" section. The single was officially released as "American Woman/No Sugar Tonight" and peaked at #1 on the RPM magazine charts and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, for three weeks on both charts. In Cash Box, which at the time ranked sides of singles independently, "No Sugar Tonight" reached #39.

No Time (The Guess Who song)

"No Time" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who. Composed by guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings.

These Eyes

"These Eyes" is a song by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. The song was co-written by the group's lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and originally included on the band's 1969 album Wheatfield Soul. It was first released as a single, in their native Canada, where its chart success (#7), along with the influence of CKLW-AM Windsor's radio station music director Rosalie Trombley, helped land them a U.S. distribution deal with RCA Records. It was then released in the U.S. in March 1969, and became a breakthrough success for the group, as it would be their first single to reach the top ten on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, peaking at number six, and would eventually be certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies. It was also a top ten hit in South Africa. While it was actually the 18th single released by the band overall, it was the first from the line-up of Cummings, Bachman, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson as produced by Jack Richardson.

<i>Share the Land</i> 1970 studio album by The Guess Who

Share the Land is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, released in October 1970. It was their first album following the departure of Randy Bachman, and the band brought in two new guitarists, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. The album was another international success for the band, reaching number seven in Canada and number fourteen in the US, and spawned three hit singles in the title track, "Hand Me Down World" and "Hang On to Your Life".

<i>Wheatfield Soul</i> 1969 studio album by the Guess Who

Wheatfield Soul is the fourth studio album by the Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released in March 1969. The album is notable for being the first full-length Guess Who album to feature Burton Cummings exclusively on lead vocals, without original lead singer Chad Allan. Featuring the US top 10 hit "These Eyes", it marked the beginning of the band's international success.

Runnin Back to Saskatoon

"Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" is a song written by Burton Cummings and Kurt Winter.

Guns, Guns, Guns

"Guns, Guns, Guns" is a popular rock and roll song written by Burton Cummings recorded by the Canadian rock group The Guess Who for the album Rockin'. It is also included on their 1974 compilation album The Best of the Guess Who, Vol. 2.

<i>Live at the Paramount</i> (The Guess Who album) 1972 live album by The Guess Who

Live at the Paramount is a live album released by Canadian rock group The Guess Who in 1972. It was recorded on May 22, 1972 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Live at the Paramount was the first Guess Who album to feature Donnie McDougall on rhythm guitar and the last to feature original bassist Jim Kale. It also includes performances of 3 exclusive songs not included on any of their studio albums: "Glace Bay Blues," "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon," and "Truckin' Off Across the Sky."

Hand Me Down World

"Hand Me Down World" is song written by Kurt Winter performed and released in 1970 by The Guess Who, for whom Winter served as lead guitarist from 1970 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978. It reached #10 in Canada, #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #65 in Australia. The song was also released in the United Kingdom as a single, but did not chart. It is featured on their 1970 album, Share the Land.

Undun (song)

"Undun" is a popular song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who. It spent two weeks at #21 on the Canadian Singles Chart in November–December 1969 and reached #15 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Believe Me (The Guess Who song)

"Believe Me" is a song written by Randy Bachman and performed by The Guess Who. It reached #10 in Canada in 1966. The song was released in the United States as a single, but it did not chart. It was featured on their 1966 album, It's Time.

Share the Land (song)

"Share the Land" is a song written by Burton Cummings and performed by The Guess Who. It reached #2 in Canada, #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #63 in Australia in 1970. The song was also released in the United Kingdom as a single, but it did not chart. The song is featured on their 1970 album, Share the Land.

Albert Flasher 1971 single by The Guess Who

"Albert Flasher" is a song written by Burton Cummings and performed by Canadian rock band The Guess Who. Initially released as the B-side of their "Broken" single in 1971, it was promoted to A-side status in mid-May of that year, according to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It did not appear on any of their studio albums at that time, although it would much later be included on reissues of the band's 1971 album So Long, Bannatyne. It would also appear on many of their later compilation albums, including the 1973 release The Best of The Guess Who Volume II and the 1973 compilation EP titled The Guess Who. It was also performed many times in concert, including the performance captured on Live at the Paramount (1972).

Sour Suite

"Sour Suite" is a song written by Burton Cummings and performed by The Guess Who. It reached #12 in Canada and #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. The song was featured on their 1971 album, So Long, Bannatyne. Cummings said it took between two and three days to write the song. Its lyric about being "back in 46201" refers to a zip code for Indianapolis. Cummings took it from the return address of a letter sent to him by a female fan.

Follow Your Daughter Home

"Follow Your Daughter Home" is a song written by Burton Cummings, Donnie McDougall, Garry Peterson, Bill Wallace, and Kurt Winter and performed by The Guess Who. It reached #20 in Canada and #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. The song was also released in the United Kingdom as a single, but it did not chart. The song was featured on their 1973 album, Artificial Paradise. The song has a calypso-influenced melody.

<i>The Best of The Guess Who</i> 1971 compilation album by The Guess Who

The Best of The Guess Who is the fourth compilation album by the Canadian group The Guess Who. It was originally released by RCA Records in April 1971 and contains recordings made between 1968 and 1970. The album reached number 12 on the Billboard top LPs chart in the United States.

References