Single:
The Air That I Breathe entered the Australian singles chart* on 11 March 1974 and peaked at #2. It was #22 on the Top 100 of 1974.
Album:
The song is on Hollies which entered the Australian albums chart* on 24 June 1974 and peaked at #53.
Songwriters:
Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood
Producers:
Ron Richards, The Hollies
Record label of Australian release:
Parlophone
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Wikipedia:
The Air That I Breathe is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond, but a major hit for The Hollies in 1974. The audio engineering was done by Alan Parsons. In an interview, Parsons noted that Eric Clapton once said that Tony Hicks’ guitar opening of The Air That I Breathe had more soul than anything he’d ever heard.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Air_That_I_Breathe
Songfacts:
In the book Behind The Hits, Albert Hammond explained the inspiration for the song: “I just fell in love with a girl,” he said. “We had some kind of short affair. I just fell in love so bad, I guess I needed to be with my family. I was so lonely in Los Angeles.”
So he moved to LA for a girl, but the song isn’t really about her – it’s more inspired by the loneliness he felt living there and his longing to be back with loved ones in a familiar place – he learned that in Los Angeles, everyone has a car and there’s no mingling in the streets like there is in New York. And then there’s the smog…
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/the-hollies/the-air-that-i-breathe
Personnel:
Allan Clarke – lead, harmony, and backing vocals
Tony Hicks – harmony and backing vocals, electric lead guitar; acoustic rhythm guitar (uncertain)
Terry Sylvester – harmony and backing vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar
Bobby Elliott – drums, additional overdubbed tom-toms
Bernie Calvert – bass
Lyrics:
If I could make a wish
I think I′d pass
Can’t think of anythin′ I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound
Nothing to eat, no books to read
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
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