For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has instructed us to respond to this challenge by either using the prompt word, hold, or or going with the above picture, or by means of the song “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” from The Bee Gees, or by going with another song that we think fits.
I’m going with the song by 38 Special titled “Hold On Loosely.” Written by Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi, and Jim Peterik, it was released on the band’s 1981 studio album, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was written about adult relationships. Lead singer, Don Barnes, was going through a difficult time in his marriage. He lamented that his wife was not being more supportive of his career aspirations. He presented a seed idea for a song to co-writer Jim Peterik, asking what he thought of the title “Hold On Loosely,” to which Peterik came back with, “…but don’t let go.”
Even though the song was about an adult relationship gone bad, when I saw the photo of the mother and the newborn, I realized that some of the lyrics present sound advice to a young mother.
Your baby needs someone to believe in
And a whole lot of space to breathe in
It's so damn easy, when your feelings are such
To overprotect her, to love her too much
Just hold on loosely
But don't let go
If you cling too tight babe
You're gonna loose control
Your baby needs someone to believe in
And a whole lot of space to breathe in
Don't let her slip away
This, That, and the Other 
Well observed!
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Thanks.
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I love it. This is the only 38 Special song that I ever wrote a post on. I read that Don Barnes came up with the title after hearing Dinah Shore say on her talk show when she had a guest on that was talking about giving her husband space in their relationship.
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I haven’t listened even once to all Yes albums,
but I have listened a lot to the one this is on:
Holding On
See the searching…
See the people…
Out in the darkness I’m soul searching;
Did you find what we had lost?
All this time I’ve got to thinking about the promises;
How long this energy of Winter?
How many times could we never love?
How many times is time enough?
All the foolish notions: When we’ll die that’s all that is.
We can never really understand the broken promises.
All along we run together (Remember?)
All along we run as one (Remember?)
When you find a perfect union, you’ve got to follow it.
Stop that reason! Get the answer!
You’ve got to stop that thinking out loud! (Get the answer!)
Go where your heart tells you to (Get the answer!)
You’re not that innocent! You’ve been around!
Got to be right; got it coming to you.
How many times is time enough? (Who we love?)
Your time is just beginning out of all where we came from.
Holding on: This point receiving; there it is!
Holding on: Can you remember?
Holding on: Was it ever like this?
Holding on: It’s the most important thing.
It was the first time that I saw you
It was the first time that I knew
Out of all my disbelieving,
Holding on, I was holding you.
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