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"On a Carousel"
US Picture Sleeve
Single by the Hollies
B-side	"All the World Is Love"
Released	10 February 1967
Recorded	11 and 13 January 1967
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Psychedelic pop
Length	3:07
Label	Parlophone (UK) Imperial (US)
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)

"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: "We knew it was a hit from the get-go." "

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 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 wrapped it up in an exceptional arrangement."

"On a Carousel" was the Hollies first A-side on which Nash sang lead vocals; he sang the first verse alone, and shared lead vocals with Clarke for the remainder of the song. 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

Other versions

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• 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

1. The 30th Anniversary Collection (CD). The Hollies. EMI Records. 1993. D 202205.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Before and After the Gold Rush: Laurel Canyon". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
3. ^ Nash, Graham (2013). Wild Tales: a rock & roll life. NYC: Crown Archetype. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-385-34754-9.
4. "Go-Set Australian Charts –26 April 1967". Pop Archives. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
5. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 132. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hollies, The – On a Carousel" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Hollies, The"
7. "The Hollies – On a Carousel" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
8. "The Hollies – On a Carousel". VG-lista.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
10. "The Hollies Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 7, 2023.

• 1967 songs
• The Hollies songs
• Parlophone singles
• Songs written by Graham Nash
• Songs written by Allan Clarke (singer)
• Songs written by Tony Hicks