Meaning of “Hold on My Heart” by Genesis
The song Hold On My Heart was performed by Genesis. The song has lyrics which see the protagonist feeling very hesitant to enter into a new romantic relationship with someone new after the sad demise of his previous relationship. The lyrics never make it clear exactly what caused the protagonist’s former love to leave him. Did she die? Did she abandon him? Many fans believe it is the former because of the line in which the protagonist says she’ll be with him no matter where he goes. But whether she abandoned him or died, the bottom line is that the protagonist is devastated because the relationship came to an end. And as a result of the devastation, he feels very reluctant to fall in love again with his new love interest despite his heart wanting so much to be with her.
Facts about “Hold on My Heart” by Genesis
- The song was written by Phil Collins and the other member of Genesis Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks.
- The song was produced by Genesis in conjunction with music producers R. Colby and N. Davis.
- It was recorded at the band’s famous Surrey recording studio known as The Farm.
- Hold on My Heart was officially released to the public on April 6th, 1992 as the third single from the album We Can’t Dance.
- The song was commercially successful in Genesis’ home country the United Kingdom and in the United States, peaking at the 12th and 16th position on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart respectively. On the Canadian Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 1.
- The music video of the song, which is very similar to the music video of Collin’s 1985 hit single One More Night, sees the band playing in an empty club.
- Genesis lead singer Collins, often sits down on a chair when performing this song live.
After this explanation, now I understand why I always had a feeling of endless vista, as if I was travelling to a distant planet, as if I was on an alien world, a sort of Counter Earth. It is both the familiarity and newness, of revived feelings, yet uncertainty, that the synthesizer expresses so beautifully, along with Collin’s golden voice.
My wife of 28 years and I, both emerging from Annie Lennox’s “Broken Glass” marriages, fell in love with this song early on. It touched both of our hearts as we explored the possibility of a new love. Still growing stronger every day!