Meaning of “Hold On” by Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet, though sounding like a moniker a band might use, is the actual legal name of the singer at hand, who hails from Nashville, Tennessee. Besides sporting a discography dating back to 2016, Chord also has a filmography which commenced in 2009. He even won the 2013 Teen Choice award for Male Scene Stealer. This award was earned via his acting contributions to Glee, as a recurring character named “Sam Evans”.
But he was destined to be a musician in a manner of speaking, being the son of singer, country artist Paul Overstreet, who has had an enduring and notable music career.
As far as Overstreet’s own career goes, he’s only had one hit to date. And that’s the song we’re looking at today, “Hold On”. The song in question introduced to the marketplace on 2 February 2017 via Island Records.
This track was written exclusively by Chord Overstreet, with its producer being Ian Keaggy.
Success
“Hold On” has achieved double-platinum status stateside, in addition to going platinum across the pond. Those achievements were made a couple of years after the “Hold On” was released, after it proceeded to achieve TikTok virality in 2020.
The Lyrics of “Hold On”
The featured romance reads as if it is deeply troubled, perhaps even beyond the conflict between the two parties involved, and Chord fighting to keep it together. The lyrics are a bit open-ended, and they may even be taken as alluding to the addressee attempting to take her own life.
Or in any event, she does have a medical emergency as a result of all of the drama she’s involved in with Chord. But whereas it’s not clear what it is that landed her in the hospital, the thesis sentiment of this piece is straightforward. And that is Overstreet’s desire to keep the relationship intact, i.e. “hold on” to it, regardless of what troubles they may experience along the way.
As implied by the singer in his own words, this song was inspired by a real-life breakup, in the aftermath of “a pretty tumultuous relationship” that Chord experienced. And what he learned from being out in the field of romance is that though breakups do occur, “you can still love someone unconditionally even when it’s over”.
That particular idea is not expressed in the lyrics. In other words, it’s never specified, even if it is implied in the chorus, that the vocalist and addressee actually parted ways. But obviously, with attempted suicides and whatever’s going on with his sweetheart as a result of infighting, their union doesn’t seem to have much of a future.
“Hold on, I still want you
Come back, I still need you
Let me take your hand, I’ll make it right
I swear to love you all my life
Hold on, I still need you”
When Chord entreats the addressee to “hold on” and not to leave him may allude to her actually dying, but it’s obvious that he also doesn’t want their relationship to end. Or perhaps we can use our imaginations a bit and conclude that this medical emergency, i.e. nearly losing the one he loves for good, has made Overstreet realize how much he loves her and subsequently acknowledge his dependency on her, as well as vowing himself to stay committed.
