Friday, July 12, 2019

A Window Above: I Can't Hold Back

Song: "I Can't Hold Back"
Writers: Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan
Original Release: August 1, 1984
Band: Survivor
Album: Vital Signs



"I Can't Hold Back" is Survivor's best song.  Oh yes, I hear you gasping in astonishment.  "Eye of the Tiger" is a classic of its era, surely the song that will carry the band's legacy from now to the end of time, right?  Yes, probably.  But it's not their best.

A couple especially clever songwriting moments in "I Can't Hold Back":
  1. The pre-chorus, as Peterik himself describes it.  Comes up first at 1:12 in the video.
  2. The bridge folding back into the pre-chorus at 2:19.  Throughout the song, the melody has a Steve Winwood-esque wrap-around feel to it.  That 2:19 point is where I feel it most strongly.

Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?

Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?


10 comments:

  1. This song brought me right back. Amazing that I feel like I haven't heard it in at least a few years- but every lyric came right back. The video is also interesting- lol- so the time period. :) Thanks for sharing.
    ~Jess

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    1. It's not one you hear often. Funny how some songs disappear.

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  2. "Eye of the Tiger" was never one of my favorite Survivor songs, which is not to say I don't like it, but movie theme songs never really do it for me on some level.
    This one, though, is.

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    1. "Eye of the Tiger" has one of the greatest hooks ever, there's no denying it. But this song, to me, has more depth overall.

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  3. The 80s are seen in this video! I remember this song but it doesn’t have memories that some songs had. Maybe it was the year as 84 wasn’t one of my best on a personal side (although I excelled professionally that year).

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    1. Oddly enough, one of my strongest associations is with a college basketball montage from back in the day: the '85 Big East Conference Final. I looked for a YouTube video but couldn't find it.

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  4. Oh, that album. The whole thing brings back memories. For my 2 cents, I'd probably say "High on You" is the archetypical non-movie-soundtrack Survivor song, but this one is pretty great, too.

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    1. Worthy candidate - not quite as clever as this one, I don't think, but it's a catchy tune.

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