music.wikisort.org - Composition

"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: "'On a Carousel' was one of the Hollies' best songs. It's a pop song with an infectious chorus, but flirts with gorgeous shifts in rhythmic texture [that keep] the melody from becoming predictable. And the lyric captures the essence of young love without the usual moon-and-June cliches. We knew it was a hit from the get-go."[2]

"On a Carousel"
US Picture Sleeve
Single by the Hollies
B-side	"All the World Is Love"
Released	10 February 1967
Recorded	11 & 13 January 1967
Studio	EMI, London[1]
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:07
Label	UK: Parlophone R5562 US: Imperial 66231
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."[2]

"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)[3]	14
Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[4]	25
West Germany (Official German Charts)[5]	8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6]	16
Norway (VG-lista)[7]	10
UK Singles (OCC)[8]	4
US Billboard Hot 100[9]	11

Other versions

This section does not cite any sources. (September 2021)

• Mike Vickers, formerly a member of Manfred Mann, recorded the song for his 1968 debut album, I Wish I Were a Group Again.
• Progressive rock band Glass Moon covered the song in 1982 on their second studio album Growing in the Dark.
• American rock duo Shaw Blades recorded a version in 2007 for their covers album Influence.

References

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