On a Carousel

"On a Carousel" is a song written by Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks. It was released by the Hollies as a single in February 1967, having been recorded the previous month, on the Parlophone label in the UK and Imperial in the US. Nash would opine: "We knew it was a hit from the get-go." "[3]

"On a Carousel"
US Picture Sleeve
Single by the Hollies
B-side"All the World Is Love"
Released10 February 1967
Recorded11 and 13 January 1967
StudioEMI, London[1]
GenrePsychedelic pop[2]
Length3:07
Label
Songwriter(s)Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks
Producer(s)Ron Richards
The Hollies singles chronology
"Stop Stop Stop"
(1966)		 "On a Carousel"
(1967)		 "Carrie Anne"
(1967)

Original recording

Nash would recall that prior to "On a Carousel", "our biggest hits were Graham Gouldman songs ... Tony, Allan and I wanted desperately to write a monster A-side ... We thought we were good enough writers, we knew the combination, how to come up with a universal theme, the right kind of hook. So we went through a shitload of ideas until inspiration struck. I'm not sure which of the three of us came up with funfairs ... We [realized] a love affair was pretty much like going round and round and round on a carousel. And before we knew it the song just took shape. It was all there, the words, the tune, there was no stopping it. And Tony and Bobby [Elliott] wrapped it up in an exceptional arrangement."[3]

"On a Carousel" was the Hollies first A-side on which Graham Nash sang lead vocals, although only for the first few lines. It was the Hollies' second-last single to be released in the US by Imperial before the band switched to the Epic label. The song was a hit in the UK, peaking at #4 on the single charts, and in Canada it made #7 in the RPM Magazine charts. It was also a hit in the United States, peaking at #11 on the Billboard chart.

Charts
Chart (1967) Peak
position
Australia (Go-Set)[4] 14
Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[5] 25
West Germany (Official German Charts)[6] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 16
Norway (VG-lista)[8] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 11

Other versions

References
  1. The 30th Anniversary Collection (CD). The Hollies. EMI Records. 1993. D 202205.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Before and After the Gold Rush: Laurel Canyon". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  3. Nash, Graham (2013). Wild Tales: a rock & roll life. NYC: Crown Archetype. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-385-34754-9.
  4. "Go-Set Australian Charts –26 April 1967". Pop Archives. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  5. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 132. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hollies, The – On a Carousel" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Hollies, The"
  7. "The Hollies – On a Carousel" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  8. "The Hollies – On a Carousel". VG-lista.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. "The Hollies Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
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