“Hold On” (Ian Gomm)

Your classic forgotten late ’70s pop song of the day is Ian Gomms “Hold On.” This one was released in September of 1979 and rose all the way to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that fall.

“Hold On” sounds a little Yacht Rockish, especially with that signature ’70s saxophone break, but Gomm’s background is more British pub rock. Gomm got his big break as the rhythm guitarist in the seminal pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz, which also included the infamous Nick Lowe on bass. Not surprisingly, if you listen closely and scrape off all the studio sweetening, the song has a definite pub rock feel underneath, sort of.

The song itself is an unusual pop hit in that it’s written in a decidedly minor key—D minor, if you’re keeping score. The chords are mainly minor, as well, the verse going i – v – i -v – iv – i, with a VII – v turnaround. (That’s Dm – Am – Dm – Am- Em – Dm, with a C- Am turnaround.) It’s still perks along poppily, but with that hint of melancholy that only a minor key can bring.

“Hold On” was Gomm’s only solo hit, although he went on to co-write “Cruel to Be Kind” with his pal Mr. Lowe, and it became a big hit for the Basher. Gomm released a few more albums over the years, but nothing really stuck, although he was always bigger in the UK and in Holland than he was here in the states.

By the way, that Yacht Rockish sax solo was played by Raphael Ravenscroft, who supplied the eerily similar sax solo on Gerry Rafferty’s hit “Baker Street,” a former classic song of the day. Ian Gomm is still playing live and recording, aged 76. Ravenscroft, who went on to play and record with a slew of top artists throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, passed away in 2014, aged 60.