Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Retro Video of the Week: "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips

For two years in the early '90s, three children of legendary '60s rockers took the world by storm.  In 1990, Carney and Wendy Wilson -- daughters of Beach Boys wunderkind Brian Wilson -- and Chynna Phillips -- whose mama and papa were Mamas and Papas members Michelle and John Phillips -- teamed up to capture the hearts of everyone in the world.  And then by 1992, poof!  Their reign was as short as Phillips's weird, early '90s choir-boy haircut.

Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Wilson Phillips's wildly successful self-titled debut album, which spawned three Billboard #1s ("Hold On," "Release Me," and "You're In Love,"), another Top 5 song ("Impulsive," which hit #4), and another Top 20 song ("The Dream Is Still Alive," which hit #12).  

The Wilson Phillips song everyone remembers best is, of course, "Hold On," which not only reached #1 on the Billboard charts in June 1990, but was also ranked as the #1 song of that whole year by Billboard.  I supposed you could say it has stood the test of time, as evidenced by the show-stopping cameo rendition at the end of Bridesmaids and the fact that, if you have been in a bar on karaoke night since 1990 and there have been more than two women in the bar, you have undoubtedly heard this song.  It's annoyingly catchy, and nearly impossible to hear and not sing along to, no matter how hardcore you think you are.  Then again, what did you expect from the children of the people who wrote "Don't Worry Baby," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Monday Monday," and "I Saw Her Again"?

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