"Holiday" by Nazareth

Song#:  0102
Date:  03/29/1980
Debut:  92
Peak:  87
Weeks:  3
Genre:  Rock, Hard Rock



Pop Bits:  Formed in 1968 in Scotland, the hard rock group had a good string of hits in the UK but failed to make much headway in the US until their cover of "Love Hurts" (The Everly Brothers) peaked at #8 in 1975. They continued to release albums that sold pretty well in the US but they only had one other chart hit, which was this very minor entry. Luckily they got this, otherwise they would be a true one-hit wonder.

ReduxReview:  Nazareth is a band that seemed bigger than what they were. I remember kids liking them a lot back in the day but I think it was just the one album "Hair of the Dog" with "Love Hurts" on it that they had heard. No one thinks of them as a one-hit wonder, yet by the definition of a lot of those lists, they should be on one (not mine, of course). This particular song is a bit odd. It's kind of a rock n' roll song with pop elements tossed in. For some reason if this song were done today (or maybe the 90s) I'd say it might be by Soul Asylum. It's an okay song musically, but I do like the lyrics. This is a great line: "mama mama please no more facelifts- I just don't know which one you are."

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  They had some odd choices for covers along the way. In addition to "Love Hurts," they also did a rock version of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight." Released as a single, it peaked at #11 in the UK and #1 in Germany.

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