Holding Back the River

Holding Back the River is the second studio album released by Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 30 October 1989, the album, intentionally written as a lyrical follow-up to the band's debut album Popped In Souled Out, spawned the singles "Sweet Surrender", "Broke Away", "Hold Back the River" and "Stay With Me Heartache" and peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart.

Holding Back the River
Studio album by Wet Wet Wet
Released	30 October 1989
Recorded	1988—1989
Genre	Pop, pop rock
Length	48:58
Label	Mercury
Producer	Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet chronology
The Memphis Sessions (1988) Holding Back the River (1989) Wet Wet Wet: Live (1990)
Singles from Holding Back the River
"Sweet Surrender" Released: 18 September 1989 "Broke Away" Released: 27 November 1989 "Hold Back the River" Released: 26 February 1990 "Stay with Me Heartache" Released: 30 July 1990

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Aside from the nine tracks found on the standard album, "How the Hell Did They Get There" appears as a hidden track on the CD and digital download versions, having previously been released as a B-side to the album's lead single, "Sweet Surrender". Outside of the UK, the album saw particular success in Australia, where it was certified Gold and re-released in the form of a limited edition coloured vinyl.[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow, except "Maggie May", by Martin Quittenton & Rod Stewart. All tracks produced by Wet Wet Wet..

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sweet Surrender"	6:00
2.	"Stay with Me Heartache"	4:10
3.	"Blue for You"	4:51
4.	"Broke Away"	4:45
5.	"You've Had It"	5:12
6.	"I Wish"	5:04
7.	"Keys to Your Heart"	4:23
8.	"Maggie May"	6:02
9.	"Hold Back the River"	4:45
10.	"How the Hell Did That Get There" (hidden track)	3:38

Holding Back the River – B-Sides

No.	Title	Length
1.	"This Time" (live version)	4:59
2.	"Sweet Surrender" (extended version)	6:50
3.	"You've Had It" (Louis Silas club mix)	7:02
4.	"Sweet Surrender" (Ben Liebrand club mix)	6:51
5.	"And Now for Something Completely Different"	2:43
6.	"Keys to Your Heart" (original demo)	4:15
7.	"With a Little Help from My Friends" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)	5:11
8.	"I Can Give You Everything" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)	5:25
9.	"Party City"	5:05
10.	"I Feel Fine"	5:02
11.	"Hold Back the River" (acoustic)	4:15
12.	"Stay With Me Heartache" (Young T.C. & T mix)	5:58
13.	"Stay With Me Heartache" (Stay Where You Are mix)	4:35
14.	"Stoned Me" (Tonight Live with Steve Vizard)	4:07

Charts

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certification
		UK [2]	AUS [3]	AUT [4]	GER [5]	NL [6]	NZ [7]	NOR [8]	SWE [9]	SWI [10]	US [11]
1989	Holding Back the River Released: 30 October 1989 Label: Mercury Formats: CD, Cassette, LP	2	12	—	34	28	—	—	—	—	—	UK: 2× Platinum AUS: Gold

References

1. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
2. "UK Charts > Wet Wet Wet". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
3. Australian chart peaks:
   • "Sweet Little Mystery" and "Popped In Souled Out" (Kent Music Report) peaks: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 335. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.
   • Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 26 June 1988: "australian-charts.com > Discography Wet Wet Wet". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2016. N.B. "Sweet Little Mystery" peaked at #33 on the Kent Music Report chart two weeks before the ARIA-produced chart commenced.
   • Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
   • "Shed a Tear" (ARIA Chart) peak: "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 12 Feb 1995". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 13 December 2016.
4. "Austrian Charts > Wet Wet Wet". austriancharts.at Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
5. "Chartverfolgung / Wet Wet Wet / Longplay". musicline.de PhonoNet. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
6. "Dutch Charts > Wet Wet Wet". dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
7. "New Zealand Music Charts > Wet Wet Wet". charts.nz Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
8. "Norwegian Charts > Wet Wet Wet". norwegiancharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
9. "Swedish Charts > Wet Wet Wet". swedishcharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
10. "Swiss Charts > Wet Wet Wet". swisscharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
11. "Wet Wet Wet > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 18 August 2010.

• Holding Back the River at AllMusic. Retrieved , 28 April 2015 (UTC).