The Air That I Breathe

"The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by British-Gibraltarian singer-songwriter Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Hammond on his debut album, It Never Rains in Southern California (1972).[2] It was a major hit for the Hollies in early 1974, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart. This was the band's last major hit.[3]

For other uses, see The Air That I Breathe (disambiguation).
"The Air That I Breathe"
Side A of UK single
Single by the Hollies
from the album Hollies
B-side"No More Riders"
ReleasedUK: January 1974
US: March 1974
Recorded15 & 22 November 1973[1]
StudioEMI Studios, London
GenreSoft rock
Length4:13 (album version) 3:45 (single version)
LabelUK: Polydor 2058435
US: Epic 5-11100
Songwriter(s)Albert Hammond, Michael Hazlewood
Producer(s)Ron Richards and the Hollies
The Hollies singles chronology
"The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam Mcgee"
(1973)		 "The Air That I Breathe"
(1974)		 "Son of a Rotten Gambler"
(1974)
Alternative release
Side A of US single (Epic)
Side A of US single (Epic)

History

"The Air That I Breathe" was a major hit for the Hollies in early 1974, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart. In mid-1974, it reached number six in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the Adult Contemporary chart.[4] In Canada, the song peaked at number five on the RPM magazine charts. The audio engineering for "The Air That I Breathe" was done by Alan Parsons. In an interview, Parsons mentioned that Eric Clapton said the first note of "The Air That I Breathe" had more soul than anything he had ever heard.[5]

This version of the song featured a string orchestra arrangement, which also featured a horn section.

Record World said that "the potent material gets a super interpretation."[6]

The 1992 Radiohead song "Creep" uses a similar chord progression and shares some melodic content with the 1972 version of "The Air That I Breathe".[7] As a result, the song's publisher sued Radiohead for copyright infringement and a settlement was reached in which Hammond and Hazlewood were given co-writing credits and a portion of the royalties.[8][9][10]


Personnel

Credits from Richard Buskin and engineer Alan Parsons.[11]

The Hollies

Additional musicians and production staff
  • The Hollies - producers
  • Ron Richards - producer
  • Alan Parsons - engineer
  • Chris Gunning - orchestral arrangements
  • unknown - 40-piece orchestra (including brass and strings)

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Simply Red version
"The Air That I Breathe"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Blue
Released10 August 1998 (1998-08-10)
Length4:24
LabelEastWest
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)AGM
Simply Red singles chronology
"Say You Love Me"
(1998)		 "The Air That I Breathe"
(1998)		 "Ain't That a Lot of Love"
(1999)
Music video
"The Air That I Breathe" on YouTube

British soul and pop band Simply Red released a cover of "The Air That I Breathe" on their sixth album, Blue (1998).[26] It peaked at number five in Scotland, number six in the UK and number 17 in Austria. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 35. A music video was also produced to promote the single.

Critical reception

Gene Armstrong from Arizona Daily Star declared the Simply Red version as "a sexy version".[27] J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt "his Marvin Gaye-like" take on the track "is wonderfully audacious".[28] Larry Flick from Billboard viewed it as "an inspired, groove-laden interpretation", remarking that "Hucknall brings his signature soul to the track, vamping with glee while the band pumps a mild, jeep-styled beat that is hard enough for R&B listeners but soft enough to tickle the fancy of AC and triple-A radio listeners." He added, "Popsters will soon be treated to a bevy of remixes by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Stevie J., which should make top 40 punters quickly sit up and take notice."[29] A reviewer from Daily Record commented, "You'll be looking for a breath of fresh air after hearing Mick Hucknall's middle-of-the-road reworking of this song which was originally a hit for The Hollies. The band desperately need a dose of originality."[30]

Track listings
  • CD single, Europe (1998)
  1. "The Air That I Breathe" – 4:24
  2. "The Air That I Breathe" (Reprise) – 4:35
  3. "So Many People" (Live) – 5:44
  4. "Never Never Love" (Live) – 4:34
  • CD single CD1, UK (1998)
  1. "The Air That I Breathe" – 4:24
  2. "Tu Sei Dentro Di Me (Someday In My Life)" – 4:02
  3. "Lives And Loves" (Live) – 3:32
  • CD single CD2, Europe and UK (1998)
  1. "The Air That I Breathe" (Reprise) – 4:35
  2. "The Air That I Breathe" – 4:24
  3. "Love Has Said Goodbye Again" (Rae & Christian Mix) – 5:14

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[31] 17
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[32] 15
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[33] 35
Germany (Official German Charts)[34] 66
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 82
Scotland (OCC)[36] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[37] 6

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States 28 April 1998 Rhythmic contemporary radio EastWest [38]
5 May 1998 Contemporary hit radio [39]
11 May 1998 Adult contemporary radio [40][41]
United Kingdom 10 August 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [42]

Other cover versions

References
  1. "Session Listing". Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  2. "The Air That I Breathe (original) - Albert Hammond 1972.wmv". YouTube. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  3. "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Hollies 'The Air That I Breathe'". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 117.
  5. "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Hollies 'The Air That I Breathe'". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  6. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 6, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  7. English, Tim (2007). Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-Off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll, p. 149. ISBN 9781583480236.
  8. Wardle, Ben. "Get off Coldplay's case – similar songs can co-exist peacefully". The Guardian (London). 12 May 2009. Retrieved on 22 September 2010.
  9. "Creep". Albert Hammond. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  10. "The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe | The story behind the song | Top 2000 a gogo". Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via YouTube.
  11. "CLASSIC TRACKS: The Hollies 'The Air That I Breathe'". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  12. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 20 July 1974. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Air That I Breathe". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  15. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  16. "SA Charts 1965 - 1989". Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  17. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 111.
  18. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. December 30, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
  19. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  20. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1974" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  21. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1972". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  22. "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  23. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1974". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  24. "British single certifications – Hollies – The Air That I Breathe". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  25. "American single certifications – The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  26. "Blue - Simply Red | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  27. Armstrong, Gene (13 June 1998). "Tracks". p. D. Arizona Daily Star.
  28. Considine, J.D. (12 June 1998). "New On Record". The Baltimore Sun. p. Scene 7. Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via Gainesville Sun.
  29. Flick, Larry (25 April 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 69. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  30. "Chart Slot". Daily Record. 21 August 1998.
  31. "Simply Red – The Air That I Breathe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  32. "Simply Red – The Air That I Breathe" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  33. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 29 August 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  34. "Simply Red – The Air That I Breathe" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  35. "Simply Red – The Air That I Breathe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  36. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  37. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  38. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1245. 24 April 1998. p. 94.
  39. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1246. 1 May 1998. p. 49.
  40. "Simply Red: The Air That I Breathe". Radio & Records. No. 1247. 8 May 1998. p. 76. Impacting mainstream AC on May 11.
  41. "Simply Red: The Air That I Breathe". Gavin Report. No. 2205. 8 May 1998. p. 21. Impacting mainstream AC on May 11.
  42. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 8 August 1998. p. 31.
  43. Phil Everly - Star Spangled Springer Album Reviews, Songs & More
  44. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
  45. "The Mavericks [2003] - The Mavericks | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
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