Holly Holy

"Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969,[1] it was a successful follow-on to "Sweet Caroline", reaching #6 on the U.S. pop singles chart by December.[2][3] The song also reached #5 on the Easy Listening chart.[4] It became a gold record and then eventually a platinum record.[1]

"Holly Holy"
Single by Neil Diamond
B-side"Hurtin' You Don't Come Easy"
ReleasedOctober 13, 1969
GenrePop, soft rock
Length4:27 (single version)
4:40 (album version)
LabelUni
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"Sweet Caroline"
(1969)		 "Holly Holy"
(1969)		 "Shilo"
(1970)

A work with a spiritual focus,[5] "Holly Holy" was influenced by gospel music[1] and was Diamond's favorite of the songs he had written to that point.[3]

"Holly Holy" was later included on Diamond's November 1969 album Touching You, Touching Me.[1] It has been included in live versions on Diamond's Hot August Night (from 1972) and Greatest Hits: 1966–1992 (from 1992) as well as various compilations.

Chart history

Other versions
  • Produced by Clancy Eccles in 1970, the song was an instant success for Jamaican reggae group the Fabulous Flames, almost crossing into the UK's popular music chart.[15]

References
  1. William Ruhlmann. "Neil Diamond: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (1983). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: 1955 to present. Billboard Publications. ISBN 0-8230-7511-7. p. 88.
  3. Jackson, Laura (2005). Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion. ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-707-6. pp. 65–66.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 72.
  5. Neil McCormick (2008-03-05). "Neil Diamond: the hurt, the dirt, the shirts". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-01-10. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1970-01-10. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  8. Flavour of New Zealand, 9 January 1970
  9. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 3, 1970
  12. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  13. Australian-charts.com
  14. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  15. AllMusic. "Fabulous Flames". AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 29 July 2018.


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