"Hold Your Head Up"
One of side-A labels of UK 45-RPM single
Single by Argent
from the album All Together Now
B-side"Closer to Heaven"
"Keep On Rollin'"
Released1 October 1971 (UK)
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London
Genre
Length
  • 6:15 (album version)
  • 3:15 (single edit)
  • 2:52 (radio edit)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Rod Argent, Chris White
Producer(s)Rod Argent, Chris White
Argent singles chronology
"Sweet Mary"
(1971) 		"Hold Your Head Up"
(1971) 		"Tragedy"
(1972)
Audio
"Hold Your Head Up" on YouTube

"Hold Your Head Up" is a song by the English rock band Argent, first released as a single in 1971. The song was a Top 5 hit in the US, the UK, and the Canadian charts, peaking at No. 5 in all three countries. However, it was the band's only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 50 song for 1972. The song appeared on the third Argent album All Together Now (1972).

Background, composition, and recording

The song was written by Chris White[3] and credited to the songwriting partnership of White and Rod Argent.[4]

Release and reception

The song was warmly received by music critics. Record World called it an "infectious rocker" that should "have strong impact" in the U.S.[5] Georgiy Starostin thought that it was the best track on All Together Now, the band's quintessential album. He called it "a solid, riffy tune whose main attractions are the gruff, almost war-march-style bassline" and praised Rod Argent's keyboard work.[6] The Hammond B3 solo on the track has been described by keyboard-player Rick Wakeman as the "greatest organ solo ever."[7]

Release history

Region Date Ref.
United Kingdom 1 October 1971 (EP) [8]
Europe December 1971 [9]
United Kingdom February 1972 (re-release) [10]
United States 11 April 1972 [11]
United States 1 May 1972 (re-release) [12]

Chart history

References

  1. ^ a b Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Pomp Up The Jam". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 145. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
  2. ^ "Argent - Billboard Hot 100 History". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent at SongFacts.com
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "All Together Now review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  5. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. April 22, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. ^ Starostin, Georgiy. "Argent". Starling.rinet.ru. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  7. ^ "Ron Galloway: Interview With the Zombie - Rod Argent On Gershwin, Bill Evans, Miles Davis & The Penny Lane Piano". Huffingtonpost.com. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Argent singles".
  9. ^ "Argent singles".
  10. ^ "Argent singles".
  11. ^ "Argent singles".
  12. ^ "Argent singles".
  13. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". 16 September 1972. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hold Your Head Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Argent – Hold Your Head Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 1972" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "The Hot 100 (week ending 26 August 1972)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 2, 1972". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Musicoutfitters.com". Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  21. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
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