"Listen to Me" is a

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

single by

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

, written by

Tony Hazzard Anthony "Tony" Hazzard (born 31 October 1943, Liverpool, England) is an English singer and songwriter. He has written songs for The Hollies (" Listen to Me"), Manfred Mann (" Ha! Ha! Said the Clown" and " Fox on the Run"), "Me, The Peaceful Heart ...

. It was the last Hollies single of

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...

's original tenure in the group. The song reached number 11 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in October 1968 and received praise from critics.

Background and recording

"Listen to Me" has been characterised as gentler than previous Hollies releases, with the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' describing the song as "a change of style a la ''

Rubber Soul ''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work ...

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

." Tony Hazzard wrote the song after conceiving the lyric "your ears are deaf, your mouth is dumb, your eyes are blind". The songwriter was present at its recording session at

EMI Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music co ...

; there, he pitched a further composition to the Hollies which Graham Nash liked, but the rest of the band chose not to record after Nash's departure. Consequently, "Listen to Me" was Hazzard's only composition to be recorded by the Hollies. The recording session for "Listen to Me" was Nash's last with the Hollies until he rejoined the band in 1982, with Nash later commenting "in my head, I had already left the Hollies". The band promoted the single with an appearance on the 26 September edition of ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. According to drummer

Bobby Elliott Robert Hartley Elliott (born 8 December 1941) is an English rock drummer, best known for playing with The Hollies. He has been described as "one of the very finest drummers in all of pop/rock". Early life Elliott discovered jazz music when he w ...

, they were invited to appear on the programme again as the song climbed up the chart but had to decline as Nash was in the USA and could not return in time. Tony Hazzard recorded a studio version of the song for his 1969 album ''Tony Hazzard Sings Tony Hazzard''. Hazzard's 2022 album ''Demonstration'' features a remixed version of his original demo of the song with a newly recorded guitar part by the Hollies'

Tony Hicks Anthony Christopher Hicks (born 16 December 1945) is an English guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British rock/pop band the Hollies since 1963, and as such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His main rol ...

Reception

"Listen to Me" received a warm critical reception. John Wells of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' considered the song "a much more mature and sophisticated sound" for the band, adding "this won't please their "

Midas Midas (; grc-gre, Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ...

" fans as out goes that mind-shattering sound to be replaced by a gentle, more melodic treatment."

Penny Valentine Penelope Ann Valentine (13 February 1943 – 9 January 2003) was a British music journalist, rock critic, and occasional television personality. Biography Penny Valentine was born in London, of Jewish and Italian ancestry. In 1959 she became ...

of ''

Disc and Music Echo ''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into ''Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972). ...

'' praised the Hollies' "instant commerciality", deeming the song "very competent, very good and a very big hit", while Peter Jones of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' described it as "fast-tempoed and unusually phrased and clearly a tremendous hit."

Chris Welch Chris Welch (born 12 November 1941) is an English music journalist, critic, and author who is best known for his work from the late 1960s as a reporter for ''Melody Maker'', ''Musicians Only'', and ''Kerrang!''. He is the author of over 40 mu ...

of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' considered "Listen to Me" an example of "mysterious currents of influence oursingtheir way through the group scene" that shares "similar sounds and rhythms" to "

The Weight "The Weight" is a song by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album ''Music from Big Pink''. It was their first release under this name, after their previous releases as Canadian ...

", then recently-released as a single by both the Band and

Spooky Tooth Spooky Tooth were an English rock band originally formed in Carlisle in 1967. Principally active between 1967 and 1974, the band re-formed several times in later years. History Prior to Spooky Tooth, four of the band's five founding members h ...

, and "

Sour Milk Sea "Sour Milk Sea" is a song by English rock singer Jackie Lomax that was released as his debut single on the Beatles' Apple record label in August 1968. It was written by George Harrison during the Beatles' stay in Rishikesh, India, and given to ...

", a contemporaneous single recorded by

Jackie Lomax John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013) was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1 ...

. He summarised the sound as "the sort of nostalgic rock affecting many old-established groups... ...a heavy beat tinged with melancholy, which will appeal greatly to melancholy rockers around the 26 age group." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the single as a "strong outing" and an "infectious rhythm entry."

Charts

References

1968 songs The Hollies songs Parlophone singles Songs written by Tony Hazzard {{1960s-pop-song-stub