Hold an Old Friend's Hand | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 21, 1988 | |||
Recorded | August–October 1988 | |||
Studio | Roxx Studios (North Hollywood, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:28 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | George Tobin | |||
Tiffany chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hold an Old Friend's Hand | ||||
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Hold an Old Friend's Hand is the second studio album by American singer Tiffany, released on November 21, 1988, by MCA Records. It was produced by George Tobin, who previously worked with Tiffany on her self-titled debut album. Hold an Old Friend's Hand is a teen pop and bubblegum pop album that explores the themes of young adulthood. Musically, the album incorporates elements of pop, rock, funk, disco, dance, and country pop.
The album received mixed reviews by critics. Some critics praised the album as well-crafted and an improvement to her self-titled debut album, while others criticized the calculated production. In the US, the album failed to replicate the success of her previous album, peaking at No. 17 on Billboard 's Top Pop Albums chart. The first single of the album, "All This Time", peaked at No. 6 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fourth and final top-ten single on the chart. "Radio Romance" achieved success in the UK, peaking at No. 13 on the UK Single Charts.
In April 1986, Tiffany signed a contract with MCA Records at the age of 14. [1] [2] [3] [4] Her self-titled album was recorded in North Hollywood, California, [5] and production for the album lasted ten months. [6] Released on June 29, 1987, [7] Tiffany became a teen pop icon. Her self-titled album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard 's Top Pop Albums chart during the week of January 23, 1988, and remained for two weeks. [8] At the age of 16 years, TIffany became the youngest female artist to achieve a No. 1 album and the first female solo and third artist to have an album chart on the chart under the age of 18 years. [9] Her second single, "I Think We're Alone Now", was a success, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 during the week of November 7, 1987, and remaining for two weeks. [8] Her third single, "Could've Been", made Tiffany the youngest artist to have two No. 1 consecutive singles. [9]
Tiffany embarked a shopping mall tour called The Beautiful You: Celebrating the Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87, which included 60 concerts. [10] [11] She triggered hundreds of sales of her self-titled album for each performance by the end of the tour, [10] including over 600 units during some weekends. [12]
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The album was recorded and mixed digitally between August and October 1988 on a Trident DI-AN console at Roxx Studios in North Hollywood, California. [13] It was going to originally include Tiffany's cover of The Rascals' "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore", [14] but was later removed for unknown reasons. Her cover was later included in the 2005 re-release of her fourth album Dreams Never Die .[ citation needed ]
Like her self-titled debut album, Hold an Old Friend's Hand is a teen pop album [15] that consists the themes of teenage girls' fantasies. [16] The album is also a collection of bubblegum pop [17] with a "(slightly) more mature" sound. [18] The album explores genres of pop, [19] rock, [19] [20] dance, [19] [21] disco, [21] funk, [22] and country pop. [19] According to music critic Jim Zebora, the album is a "collection of ballads and romantic pop songs, occasionally with a hint of jazz in the background." [23] The Tribune review also stated that the album has a "split between catchy dance songs and bubblegum ballads." [21] Most of the songs incorporate a "heavy dose" of Simmons drums, [24] mid-tempo beats, [24] "swirling" synths, [22] a heavy metal guitar, [25] and echoes. [25] Lyrically, the album included more "grown-up" songs, [18] exploring the "perils of young adulthood." [26] Recurring themes of the album include adolescent angst, [27] love, [27] heartbreak, [27] joy, [27] and friendship. [28] Dennis Hunt of Los Angeles Times described the songs as "full of adolescent yearning". [16] Like her self-titled debut album, [1] [29] Tiffany's vocal style was influenced by Stevie Nicks. [19] However, according to John Milward of Knight-Ridder, the "more sophisticating" styling of her new music "makes her sound even more like Stevie Nicks." [30] The songs shift from ballads ("All This Time", "It's the Lover (Not the Love)") to clunkers ("Oh Jackie", "Drop That Bomb"). [31]
The album's opening track, "All This Time", is a ballad that "elicits with sympathy." [31] "Oh Jackie" is lyrically about heartbreak. [27] Musically, it includes a funk rock and pop rock arrangement. [22] [30] The title-track is a rearranged version of the original country version. [18] A "softly propulsive", "California-rock" ballad, [30] it lyrically tells a girl rekindling a love gone bad [23] and asking for a moment with an old friend. [26] Barry Walters of The San Francisco Examiner stated that the song "conjures images of pedophilia" due to Tiffany's age at the time. [25] Musically, it incorporates Tiffany's "country-flavored" vocals and an electronic treatment. [31] According to John Milward of Knight-Ridder, the music production was reminiscent of the Eagles and defines Tiffany's new sound. [30] Bill Henderson of The Orlando Sentinel described her vocals in the song as "raspy [...] and almost as potent." [31] "Radio Romance" is an up-tempo song that explores disco and doo-wop music, [21] [32] and lyrically describes a girl getting a request for her "secret love out in [the] radio-land." [31] The music production incorporates an "early '60s sound" and a "Phil Spector[-ish] girl group aura" with drum machines. [25] [31] "We're Both Thinking of Her" explores funk rock [22] and dance-pop music, [26] and lyrically speaks of a girl having fun despite a guilty conscience. [33] Barry Walters of The San Francisco Examiner was questionable of whether the song has an allusion to a bisexual love triangle. [25]
In the pop-oriented track "Walk Away While You Can", [26] Tiffany sings with a Tina Turner-inspired "gritty delivery and confident stance." [31] Helen Metella of Edmonton Journal stated that the song was reminiscent of the discography of Fleetwood Mac. [24] "Drop That Bomb" explores dance-pop music, [25] [26] and borrows riffs from Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It For the Boy", the Pointer Sisters' "He's So Shy", and the Four Seasons' "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)". [34] Robert Sheffield of Spin commented that the song begins with the percussion of Debbie Gibson's "Only In My Dreams", "and continues into a strong vocal and lyrical" similarity to Gibson's "Play the Field". [34] "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" is a slow ballad. [22] [31] "I'll Be the Girl" is a disco [21] and funk rock [22] song that lyrically speaks of joy. [27] John Milward of Knight-Ridder stated that Tiffany's vocals "sound like [a] soft-core Madonna." [30] "Hearts Never Lie" is a love ballad that features country singer Chris Farren. [27] [30] [31] The album's final track, "Overture", is an acoustic guitar instrumental performance by Grant Geissman. [31] [34]
Hold an Old Friend's Hand was originally scheduled to be released on October 24 [35] and November 7, 1988. [36] It was released on November 21, 1988, by MCA Records. [37] [38]
The first single, "All This Time", was released on October 24, 1988, to contemporary hit radio in the United States. [39] [40] The song was later released on January 30, 1989, as the second single in the United Kingdom. [41] It received moderate success, peaking at number 6 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary Chart. [8] It was her fourth and last top-ten single in the US. [8] The second single, "Radio Romance", was released in October 1988 in the United Kingdom[ citation needed ] and on March 24, 1989, in the United States. [42] In the United Kingdom and Australia, "Radio Romance" was served as the first single of the album.[ citation needed ] The single received minor success in the United States, peaking at the Top 40 on Billboard Hot 100. [8] It was her final solo single to appear on the chart. [8] The single also achieved moderate success in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. [43]
The third single, "Hold an Old Friend's Hand", was released in May 1989, [44] exclusively released only to the United States, Australia, and Japan.[ citation needed ] The single received very minor success in the US and Australia, peaking at number 37 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart [8] and number 161 on the ARIA Singles Charts.[ citation needed ] It was Tiffany's last solo single to enter any Billboard charts until 2007. [45] In Japan, "Oh Jackie" was released in 1989.[ citation needed ] In the United States, "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" was released as the fourth and final single of the album in July 1989. [46] Despite receiving minor airplay, the single completely failed to enter any Billboard charts.[ citation needed ]
In the US, Hold an Old Friend's Hand received moderate success, peaking at No. 17 on the week of January 21, 1989. [47] The album charted at the top-twenty in Canada and Japan. [48] [49] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 20, 1989. [38] In Canada, it was certified 2× Platinum for shipping over 200,000 copies. [50] In the United Kingdom, it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry for shipping over 60,000 copies. [51]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [26] |
Robert Christgau | B− [20] |
Number One | [32] |
The Orlando Sentinel | [31] |
The Record | [27] |
Record Mirror | [52] |
Rolling Stone | [15] |
Upon its release, Hold an Old Friend's Hand received mixed reviews from critics. Some critics reviewed the album's production as enjoyable and an improvement to her self-titled debut album. Dennis Hunt of Los Angeles Times was enthused about the album, describing it as an improvement to her self-titled debut album. He also described the songs as "more keenly", and "All This Time" and "It's the Love (Not the Lover)" as "some of the year's prettiest melodies". [16] Bill Henderson of the Orlando Sentinel gave the album three out of five stars, describing the album as "enjoyable". Henderson praised the production of "All This Time" as "clever without being overwrought" and chose "Radio Romance" as the best song on the album. [31] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "B−", stating that "Maturity doesn't become her--exchanging schlock-rock remakes for still more Hollywood readymades, she's hellbent for biz divahood and may well get there." [20] Barbara Jaeger of The Record gave the album two-and-a-half out of five stars. Jaeger called the music "simplistic" and the sentiments "sappy", but praised the album as a "well-crafted, well-produced 10-song collection". [27]
Other critics criticized the calculated production. Ron Sylvester of The Springfield News-Leader gave the album two out of six strings, stating that Tiffany continues to suffer from the "lack of originality". He chose "Radio Romance", "Drop the Bomb", and "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" as highlights, describing the latter as a "hint of gaining maturity as a singer." [17] Helen Metella of Edmonton Journal criticized the album as "poorly served", but praised her vocals as "fabulously flexible". [24] Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer criticized the album as "even more scattershot and uneven than her debut" and described "Radio Romance" as "sweetly silly". [53] Music critic Deborah Wilker described the album as a "perfect example everything that went wrong with pop music in the '80s." Wilker criticized the "bland, meaningless songs" and "cliche arrangements", and concluded that the album is a "waste". [54] Music critic Jim Zebora rated the album a "D", describing the album as one of the "safest, least demanding album [he] has ever been bored by." [23] Michael Anft of The Evening Sun criticized the calculated production, including the "weak" songwriting. [22] Jimmy Guterman of Rolling Stone gave this album one out of five stars, stating that the record is "full of the same brand of synthesizer-heavy teen pop, with all hands trying to fill in the massive holes left by the Tiff's weak warble." [15] Music critic Cliff Radel also gave the album one out of five stars, lamenting the album as "awful" and her vocal tone as "raspy and slurred". [55]
In a retrospective review, Bryan Buss of AllMusic stated that the album is a "stronger, more complete package than the first". Although he praised "We're Both Thinking of Her", "Walk Away While You Can", and "Drop That Bomb" for being "perfect pop-jingles", he criticized "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" for "[sounding] like she's shouting" and "I'll Be the Girl" for being "somewhat grating", though, he also praised them for being "undeniably catchy". [26]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "All This Time" |
| 4:20 |
2. | "Oh Jackie" |
| 4:14 |
3. | "Hold an Old Friend's Hand" | Donna Weiss | 4:24 |
4. | "Radio Romance" |
| 4:04 |
5. | "We're Both Thinking of Her" |
| 3:40 |
6. | "Walk Away While You Can" | Mike Piccirillo | 4:04 |
7. | "Drop That Bomb" |
| 3:44 |
8. | "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" |
| 4:08 |
9. | "I'll Be the Girl" |
| 4:27 |
10. | "Hearts Never Lie" |
| 4:59 |
11. | "Overture" |
| 1:24 |
Total length: | 43:28 |
Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes: [13]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [50] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [60] | Gold | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [51] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [38] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Tiffany Renee Darwish, known mononymously as Tiffany, is an American pop singer. Her 1987 cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song "I Think We're Alone Now" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was released as the second single from her debut studio album Tiffany.
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Tiffany is the debut studio album by American singer Tiffany, recorded when she was 14 and 15 years old, and released on June 29, 1987, by MCA Records. The album peaked at number 1 for two weeks in the US, making Tiffany the youngest female artist to achieve a number 1 album. Certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the album sold over seven million copies worldwide.
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"I Think We're Alone Now" is a song written and composed by Ritchie Cordell that was first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was a major hit for the group, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100 in April 1967. It finished at No. 12 on Billboard magazine's year-end singles chart for 1967.
"The Flame" is a power ballad released in 1988 by the American rock band Cheap Trick as the first single from their tenth album, Lap of Luxury. It was written by songwriters Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham, and was produced by Richie Zito. "The Flame" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1988, becoming the band's only number one hit. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada.
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"All This Time" is a song recorded by American singer Tiffany. The song was written by Tim James and Steven McClintock, and produced by Tiffany's manager George Tobin. It was released through MCA Records on October 24, 1988, as the lead single to her second album, Hold an Old Friend's Hand (1988). The song was heard five days earlier within the season premiere of the TV sitcom Growing Pains.
"Radio Romance" is a song by American recording artist Tiffany, recorded for her second studio album Hold an Old Friend's Hand (1988). The track was written by John Duarte and Mark Paul and produced by her manager George Tobin. A teen pop song, it was first released on October 31, 1988 in the United Kingdom as the lead single from the album. In the United States, the song was released to radio in February 1989 as the second single from the album following "All This Time".
"Hold an Old Friend's Hand" is a song recorded by American pop music artist Tiffany. It is the title track to her second studio album Hold an Old Friend's Hand (1988). It was released as the third single from the album in April 1989 and was released exclusively to US adult contemporary radio, Australia and Japan. In Japan, the song was titled simply "Friends". The song was written by Donna Weiss and was originally recorded by Brenda Patterson in 1973.
"Higher" is a song by American pop artist and former teen idol Tiffany. The song was written by Tiffany, Margie Hauser, and Jay Condiotti, with Hauser and Jason Dauman being executive producers. It was released in 2007 via Dauman Music as a standalone single. It was promoted with remixes by Josh Harris, Matt Johnson, and JJ Sanchez. The track became a moderate dance hit upon its release.
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"If We Hold on Together" is the theme song to the 1988 film The Land Before Time, and is performed by American singer Diana Ross. Played during the film's ending credits, it was released on the film's soundtrack as well on Ross' nineteenth studio album, The Force Behind the Power (1991). It was also released as the soundtrack's first and only single on November 5, 1988 by MCA. The song was written by James Horner and Will Jennings, and produced by Peter Asher. It reached number 23 on the US adult contemporary chart and became Ross' biggest hit song in Japan.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American former teen idol singer Tiffany. The compilation features all of her singles from her first three albums Tiffany (1987), Hold an Old Friend's Hand (1988), and New Inside (1990) except "Oh Jackie" and "New Inside". It was released on October 22, 1996, via Hip-O Records and distributed through Tiffany's former label, MCA Records. Although no new material was recorded, the track "Mr. Mambo" was included after it previously appeared exclusively as a b-side to "I Saw Him Standing There". In the United States, it was the first official new Tiffany release since New Inside as her 1993 album Dreams Never Die was not released in the country.
This is the discography for American pop singer Tiffany Darwish, known mononymously as Tiffany, who scored five US top 40 hits in the late 1980s, which included "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been", both of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
It's institutional, international pop with muted dance music, muted ballads, muted country-pop and muted rock, all calculated to play with listeners' memories and sense of nostalgia.
The tunes here fall into two categories. treacly and overblown slow ones ("It's the Lover (Not the Love)", the title cut) and pre-fab funk 'n roll ("I'll Be the Girl", "We're Both Thinking of Her" and "Oh Jackie").