"Holding On" by Steve Winwood

Song#:  3733

Date:  11/26/1988

Debut:  71

Peak:  11

Weeks:  17

Genre:  Rock

Pop Bits:  Winwood's Roll with It album would end up being his only one to reach #1 in the US. It got there thanks to the #1 showing of the lead single title track, which was his second and final song to hit #1. After a second Top 10 with the beer ad-related tune "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do," this third single was issued out. It would go on to become Winwood's fourth AC #1 while making it to #2 at Rock. It seemed like the song was going to make the Pop Top 10, but then it stopped just shy at the dreaded #11 spot. Just as this single was debuting on the Pop chart, the album reached the double-platinum mark. More copies would sell, but not enough to match the triple-platinum sales of his previous LP Back in the High Life.

ReduxReview:  I barely remember this song. As an album track it grooved along just fine and sounded good. As a single it couldn't compete with Winwood's bigger, hookier hits. I'm surprised it nearly made the Top 10, but he was at a popularity peak at the time and with this song doing well at AC and Rock, Pop was bound to follow suit.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  The song "Roll with It" would earn Winwood Grammy nods for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, while the album would get one for Album of the Year. Winwood would lose all three, but the album would end up winning a Grammy in a technical category. It would win for Best Engineered Record, Non-Classical. That award would be handed over to Tom Lord-Alge. It was his second win in that category. He previously won for Winwood's Back in the High Life album. As part of the team that created Santana's 1999 hit LP Supernatural, Lord-Alge would win a third Grammy when the LP won for Album of the Year. His work with Winwood really boosted his career and over the years Lord-Alge has worked with top artists like The Rolling Stones, P!nk, Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthews Band, Marilyn Manson, and Sarah McLachlan. Lord-Alge's brothers Chris and Jeff also had successful careers as music engineers. Chris would earn five Grammys for his work.

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