Meaning of “Hold On Loosely” by 38 Special

Co-writer Jim Peterik revealed that this piece was inspired by his real-life romantic experiences, i.e. him being able to understand and lay down the meaning “Hold on Loosely” simply after being introduced to its title. 

Or as Jim put it, he had a girlfriend back in the day that he “was getting too serious for”. Fortunately, by the time all was said and done, they proved to be spouses. But back then, his clinginess resulted in the termination of their romance.

So that would apparently be the episode the vocalist is referring to in the chorus. He remembers a ‘girl he met some years ago’ who gave him some wisdom. And that would be that ‘clinging too tightly’ to a romantic interest is detrimental to the relationship at large. Or as homegirl put it, a lady needs “someone to believe in and a whole lotta space to breathe in”.

“Just hold on loosely, but don’t let go
If you cling too tightly
You’re gonna lose control
Your baby needs someone to believe in
And a whole lot of space to breathe in”

That latter clause is pretty understandable, that a girl may not feel like being around her boyfriend all the time. But as with the former clause, maybe what she was trying to tell Donnie is that a guy should focus more on doing his own thing, i.e. forging his own life ahead, thus giving his sweetheart “someone to believe in”, rather than focusing exclusively on the girl herself.

But as the verses – and especially the second – indicate, for some of use adopting such a modus operandi is easier said than done. Or as the singer puts it, guys like himself have a tendency to “overprotect” and “love” their honeybuns “too much”. 

But ultimately, apparently having been dumped for that very reason, he has come to see the light. So in the bridge, the vocalist proceeds to advise ‘sentimental fools’, as he was in the past, against ‘letting your heart get in the way’ of allowing a romantic interest her requisite freedom.

Release Date of “Hold On Loosely”

“Hold On Loosely” was officially released in January of 1981 as the opening track of 38 Special’s 4th studio album, “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys.” It served as the first of three singles released from the album, alongside “Fantasy Girl” and the titular track, “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys.”

Credits

The songwriting credits for “Hold On Loosely” go to the following songwriters:

• Don Barnes
• Jeff Carlisi
• Jim Peterik

Production was handled by American record producer Rodney Mills.

The Long and Short of “Hold on Loosely”

This all about not being too clingy in a relationship. Jim Peterik, who co-wrote it, based it on his own love life. Apparently, he was pretty attached to his girlfriend (who later became his wife) and that suffocating affection ended up causing a breakup.

The chorus is referencing a gal he met years ago who dropped some serious wisdom on him: being too possessive can ruin a relationship. She was like, “Dude, I need someone I can believe in and plenty of space to breathe.” Makes sense, right?

But then the verses give us a picture of how tough it is to put this idea into action. As much as he wants to give his sweetheart space, he can’t help but “overprotect” and shower her with too much love.

And it’s only when he’s dumped (for the same reasons) that he finally gets it. In the bridge, he’s like, “Don’t be like old me. Don’t let your heart mess up your love life. Give your partner the space they need.” It’s a cautionary tale and some sound advice all rolled into one song. Pretty cool, huh?