"Holly Holy" | ||||
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Single by Neil Diamond | ||||
from the album Touching You, Touching Me | ||||
B-side | "Hurtin' You Don't Come Easy" | |||
Released | October 13, 1969 | |||
Genre | Pop, soft rock | |||
Length | 4:27 (single version) 4:40 (album version) | |||
Label | Uni | |||
Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Catalano, Tommy Cogbill | |||
Neil Diamond singles chronology | ||||
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"Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969, [1] it was a successful follow up to "Sweet Caroline", reaching #6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December. [2] [3] The song also reached #5 on the Easy Listening chart. [4] It became a gold record and then eventually a platinum record. [1]
While it is a love song, it also has a spiritual focus. [5] Its storyline and style were influenced by gospel music. [1] The first lyrics are sung by Diamond alone. But in the second verse, a gospel choir is accompanying him as the song builds in intensity. Later lyrics echo a Bible story: "Touch a man who can't walk upright and that lame man, he's gonna fly." [6]
Record World predicted the song "will be as famous as its author and constant hitmaker." [7] It was Diamond's favorite of the songs he had written to that point. [3]
"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 various compilations.
Weekly charts
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Produced by Clancy Eccles in 1970, the song was an instant success for Jamaican reggae group the Fabulous Flames, almost crossing into the UK's popular music chart. [17]
The song was covered by UB40 on their album Labour of Love III in 1998.
The song was covered by Nancy Sinatra and released on her album Shifting Gears in 2013. [18]
The song plays during opening credits of the 1999 Kate Winslet–Harvey Keitel film Holy Smoke! . Additionally, it was played live in concert at the end of the 2001 film Saving Silverman during the end credits scene by Neil Diamond (as himself) and the main cast members (in character). It was also featured in the 2012 Kevin James film Here Comes the Boom as James's character's entrance song in mixed martial arts (MMA). The song was also featured in the 2017 TV series Mr. Mercedes Season 3, episode 4. The song was used in Mike Flanagan's 2021 Netflix miniseries Midnight Mass during a montage in the third episode.
"Deep Inside My Heart" is a song by former Eagles member Randy Meisner, with prominent backing vocal by Kim Carnes. It became a hit in the United States during the summer of 1980, reaching #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a bigger hit in Canada, where it reached #12.
"America" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond, released in 1980 on the soundtrack album of Diamond's film The Jazz Singer. The song was a hit single in the United States in 1981, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and was Diamond's sixth number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard also rated it the #62 pop single overall for 1981. Although the single version was a studio recording, overdubs of crowd cheering simulate the feel of a live performance.
"Tell Me a Lie" is a song composed by Mickey Buckins and Barbara Wyrick. Originally recorded by Lynn Anderson for her 1974 What a Man My Man Is album, it was released later that same year as a single by Sami Jo Cole, who took it to number 21 on both of the major U.S. pop charts. It also charted in Canada (#17). Cole's version was also an Adult Contemporary hit, reaching number 14 in the U.S. and number 27 in Canada.
"Longfellow Serenade" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. It was written by Diamond, produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album Serenade.
"Solitary Man" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, who recorded the song for Bang Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times, notably by T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash and HIM.
"Song Sung Blue" is a 1972 hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released on Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States for one week, the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the Top 40. It also reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Love Ballad" is a song by R&B/Funk band L.T.D. Jeffrey Osborne is the lead singer.
"My Melody of Love" is the title of a popular song from 1974 by the American singer Bobby Vinton. Vinton adapted his song from a German schlager song composed by Henry Mayer, and it appears on Vinton's album Melodies of Love. The song was also recorded by Spanish pop singer Karina as "Palabras de Cristal".
"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" is a pop song recorded by the soul group The Friends of Distinction and released as a single in early 1970. The song was a multi-format success, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1970. It also reached #13 on the R&B chart, and #9 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. The song is ranked as No. 63 on the Hot 100 singles of 1970.
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" is a pop ballad written by Paul Anka and recorded by Buddy Holly in 1958. The song was issued in January 1959, less than a month before Holly's death. "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" reached number 13 as a posthumous hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1959, shortly after Holly was killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. The single was a two-sided hit, backed with "Raining in My Heart". "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" was Holly's last US Top 20 hit and featured the orchestral backing of Dick Jacobs. It was also successful in the United Kingdom, where it became the country's first posthumous number 1 hit.
"Desirée" is a 1977 song written and recorded by Neil Diamond and included as a track on Diamond's 1977 album, I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight. The single peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the U.S. Easy Listening chart to become his fifth number one on that chart. The song likewise reached number one on the Canadian AC chart.
"An American Dream" is a song written by Rodney Crowell. He recorded it under the title "Voilá, An American Dream" on his 1978 album Ain't Living Long Like This, and released it as the B-side to that album's single "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I".
"Love in the Shadows" is an uptempo pop song co-written and recorded by Neil Sedaka. The song became an international Top 20 hit in 1976.
"Really Wanna Know You" is a 1981 song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the U.S., reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was taken from the album The Right Place. The song spent 17 weeks on the chart and became Wright's third biggest U.S. hit. It was his final charting single.
"Could You Ever Love Me Again" is a 1973 song recorded by Gary and Dave. It became their greatest hit, reaching #7 in Australia and #1 in Canada. It was also a minor hit in the United States.
"Let's Call It a Day Girl" is a 1966 song which became a hit for Florida-based pop rock group The Razor's Edge. The song was written by Irwin Levine and Neil Sheppard. Bobby Vee also recorded the song, with his rendition becoming a hit three years later.
"Melanie Makes Me Smile" is a 1970 song written by United Kingdom songwriters Barry Mason and Tony Macaulay. British singer Tony Burrows issued his version in April 1970, which reached No. 87 in the US. Macaulay also produced Burrows' single. Burrows had previously recorded Mason and Macauley's "Love Grows " as lead singer of Edison Lighthouse. "Melanie Makes Me Smile" was released by Australian pop group the Strangers as a cover version in June 1970; it became a top 10 hit there in September.
"Rainy Jane" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1969, covered two years later by Davy Jones. Sedaka's rendition became a minor hit in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
"Hooked on You" is a song written and composed by David Gates, and originally recorded by the soft rock group Bread, of which Gates was the leader and primary music producer. It was the second single released from Bread's 1977 album Lost Without Your Love, and became their final charting hit.
"That's When the Music Takes Me" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1972. It is a track from his Solitaire LP, as it was billed in the UK, entitled as Neil Sedaka in the U.S.