Summary
Hold Fast is a song written and recorded Christian rock band MercyMe. It was released as the second single from their 2006 album Coming Up to Breathe.
| "Hold Fast" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by MercyMe | ||||
| from the album Coming Up to Breathe | ||||
| Released | September 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | Christian rock Contemporary Christian | |||
| Length | 4:38 | |||
| Label | INO | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bart Millard, Barry Graul, Jim Bryson, Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer, Robby Shaffer | |||
| Producer(s) | Brown Bannister | |||
| MercyMe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition edit
"Hold Fast" is a Christian rock song with a length of four minutes and thirty-eight seconds.[1] The song was written and composed by Bart Millard, Barry Graul, Jim Bryson, Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer, and Robby Shaffer,[2] and was produced by Brown Bannister.[3]
The song is set in the key of B♭ and has a heavy rock tempo of 80 beats per minute, with a vocal range spanning from F4-G5.[2] The song has a build-up in the bridge[1][4] that has been described as 'powerhouse'.[4] The sound of the song has evoked comparisons to Coldplay.[4]
Reception edit
Critical reception edit
"Hold Fast" received generally positive critical reception. Steve Losey of Allmusic commented that the song "is rock with polish"[1] and that "Nathan Cochran's bass groove not only sounds heavy but its very tone exudes sweat".[1] He also opined that "The mid-song bridge shows the band at their pinnacle when the guitars build to Millard's intense vocals".[1] Russ Breimier of Christianity Today commented that the song "initially sounds much like [MercyMe's] usual balladry, but then relies on heavier guitars and a powerhouse build during the bridge (a la Coldplay), as well as some clever lyrics to address the intended audience".[4]
Chart performance edit
"Hold Fast" debuted at No. 23 on the Hot Christian Songs chart for the chart week of October 28, 2006.[5] In its sixth chart week the song advanced to No. 6,[6] but dropped to No. 10 the next week.[7] In its eighth chart week "Hold Fast" dropped out of the top ten entirely, falling to No. 12.[8] The song dropped to No. 16 in its tenth chart week,[9] and then to No. 24 in its eleventh,[10] but jumped to No. 3 in its twelfth chart week.[11] The song held the spot for a further three weeks[12][13][14] before dropping to No. 4 in its sixteenth chart week.[15] The song spent a total of twenty-five weeks on the chart before dropping out.[16]
On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Hold Fast" debuted at No. 28 for the chart week of April 4, 2007,[17] It achieved its peak position of No. 27 in its fifth chart week,[18] and spent a total of eight weeks on the chart.[16][19]
Uses edit
"Hold Fast" is also features of the compilation album WOW Hits 2008, and the 2009 compilation album 10.
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Chart (2007) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Songs (Billboard)[20] | 3 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] | 27 |
Year-end charts edit
| Chart (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Christian AC[22] | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs[23] | 21 |
Decade-end charts edit
| Chart (2000s) | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Christian AC[24] | 70 |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Losey, Steve; Allmusic. "Coming Up to Breathe - MercyMe". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
{{cite web}}:|author2=has generic name (help) - ^ a b "MercyMe - Hold Fast Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Coming up to Breathe - MercyMe (Credits)". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d Breimier, Russ. "Coming Up to Breathe, Christian Music Reviews". Christianity Today. The Fish. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (October 28, 2006)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (December 2, 2006)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (December 9, 2006)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (December 16, 2006)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (December 30, 2006)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (January 6, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (January 13, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (January 20, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (January 27, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (February 3, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Christian Songs Archive (February 10, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Billboard.biz Singles Chart Search". Billboard.biz. Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2011. Note: User must input the data manually to achieve the result.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Archive (April 4, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Archive (May 5, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Hold Fast - MercyMe". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "MercyMe Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ "MercyMe Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ "Hot Christian AC Year-end (2007)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2007)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Hot Christian AC Decade-end". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2011.