Got a Hold on Me
1984 single by Christine McVie
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"Got a Hold on Me" is a song by Christine McVie, released as the lead single from her eponymous second solo album in 1984. Synthesizers on the track were played by Steve Winwood,[1] while the guitars were played by Todd Sharp (the song's co-writer) and McVie's Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham.[2] George Hawkins handled some of the song's background vocals.[3]
| "Got a Hold on Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Christine McVie | ||||
| from the album Christine McVie | ||||
| B-side | "Who's Dreaming This Dream" | |||
| Released | January 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriters | Christine McVie, Todd Sharp | |||
| Producer | Russ Titelman | |||
| Christine McVie singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "Got a Hold on Me" on YouTube | ||||
Sharp recalled that he wrote the song with McVie section by section over the course of thirty minutes and had identified the song's commercial viability upon hearing the first verse.[4] McVie stated that the song's subject matter was fictional, saying that "at the time I wrote it, no one did have a hold on me."[5]
Release
The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Rock Tracks charts for four and two weeks, respectively.[1] During the week of 20 January 1984, the song was added to 92 album oriented rock (AOR) radio stations in the United States, amounting to over 50% of all AOR stations that reported their airplay to Radio & Records.[6] In the 10 March 1984 edition of Billboard, Paul Grein noted that it was the first time any member of Fleetwood Mac had achieved a number one hit on the Adult Contemporary chart.[7]
In 1985, "Got a Hold on Me" received a most-performed-song citation at BMI's 33rd annual award dinner, which commemorated songs licensed by BMI that received heavy airplay in 1984.[8]
The video for the song was produced by Jon Roseman and directed by Mike Brady.[9] Shot in both black-and-white and color, it is a pseudo-performance video showing Christine McVie in a mansion-like room singing at her piano while a backup band appears in silhouette shadows on the walls around her.[10]
Critical reception
Billboard identified influences of Fleetwood Mac infused within "Got a Hold on Me".[11] Music Week was critical of the "rather ordinary" verses and said that they were "to some extent, merely a build for what follows" in the chorus, where they identified "texture changes" and the entrance of "hard-edged female vocals."[12] Rolling Stone called "Got a Hold on Me" a "pleasant enough" song with hit-potential.[13]
Personnel
- Christine McVie – lead and backing vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Steve Winwood – synthesizers
- Lindsey Buckingham – guitar
- Todd Sharp – guitar, backing vocals
- George Hawkins – bass, backing vocals
- Steve Ferrone – drums, percussion
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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