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The Hollies — The Air That I Breathe
Album: Hollies
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1711









Released: 1974
Length: 4:02
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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If I could make a wish
I think I'd pass
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound
Nothing to eat, no books to read
Making love with you
Has left me peaceful warm and tired
What more could I ask
There's nothing left to be desired
Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak
So sleep, silent angel go to sleep
Sometimes all I need is the air that I breathe
And to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Yes to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak
So sleep, silent angel go to sleep
Sometimes all I need is the air that I breathe
And to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Yes to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Sometimes all I need is the air that I breathe
And to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Yes to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
And to love you
All I need is the air that I breathe
Yes to love you
Comments (99)add comment
 chinacat wrote:

I really like this song. I also really like K.D Lang's cover which I would have never heard if not for RP.



this is one of my all time favorite songs. KD's version puts me to sleep. something is lost in that one for me. but this one, and the maverick's version - sweet.
Posted 9 months ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
I really like this song. I also really like K.D Lang's cover which I would have never heard if not for RP.
Posted 1 year ago by chinacat    [ Reply ]
 mrtuba9 wrote:

Is the dude in the lower right high or what??


He's breathing the air, man!
Posted 1 year ago by curtlichter    [ Reply ]
Love everything about this song, just wonderful!
Posted 2 years ago by mgkiwi    [ Reply ]
Lyrics for the ultimate lovesong?
Posted 2 years ago by Dinges,_the_Dude    [ Reply ]
Love that George Harrison-like early 1970's guitar sound. Brings back great childhood memories cruising in my Mom's boyfriends 1966 cherry-red GTO on El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego with his 8-track blaring 
Posted 2 years ago by chugachskier    [ Reply ]
 topcat99 wrote:
Same chord progression, almost identical melody. Definitely an "inspiration" :) 

Yes,  the chord progression is essentially the same in the verses - not the choruses - (and the Hollies' song has a pre-chorus), but the melodies are not even close to being "identical".
Posted 2 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
 mrtuba9 wrote:

Is the dude in the lower right high or what??




Hahaha! I thought he was having a seizure!
Posted 2 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
 P2A wrote:

reminiscences of the beginning in Creep (of Radiohead), it seems to me...?


"Turns Out Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ Was Lifted from a 1972 Song by The Hollies"
Posted 2 years ago by pcicatar    [ Reply ]
 P2A wrote:

reminiscences of the beginning in Creep (of Radiohead), it seems to me...?



Same chord progression, almost identical melody. Definitely an "inspiration" :) 
Posted 2 years ago by topcat99    [ Reply ]
reminiscences of the beginning in Creep (of Radiohead), it seems to me...?
Posted 2 years ago by P2A    [ Reply ]
Timeless. Thank you RP!
Posted 2 years ago by Jolicoeur    [ Reply ]
The ever-so-slightly colorized eyes on the album art are kinda creepy.
Posted 2 years ago by jruhnke    [ Reply ]
Pure cheese.
Delicious, irresistible, sing-along cheese. 
Posted 2 years ago by scrubbrush    [ Reply ]
 jagdriver wrote:

The Hollies were done after Graham left. 

Not really, though I always felt that Nash's best work was when he with The Hollies.
Posted 2 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
 vanillagorilla wrote:

I have always loved this song...it is corny but such a good melody

I liked k.d.lang's version quite a lot

Posted 2 years ago by xcranky_yankee    [ Reply ]
 nitsirk90 wrote:

Sometimes, all I need  is "The Air that I Breathe"




ya...more than ever ...NOW please God...  ...2021
Posted 3 years ago by GoodKarm    [ Reply ]
wow... I'm 2 yrs old again!!!
Posted 3 years ago by GoodKarm    [ Reply ]
Is the dude in the lower right high or what??
Posted 3 years ago by mrtuba9    [ Reply ]
The epitome of MOR music.  Fits here perfectly.... .
Posted 4 years ago by alain.brault    [ Reply ]
 jagdriver wrote:
The Hollies were done after Graham left. 
 

Apparently not.
Posted 5 years ago by On_The_Beach    [ Reply ]
Remember 1974 ?
Posted 5 years ago by sfyi2001    [ Reply ]
Sometimes, all I need  is "The Air that I Breathe"
Posted 5 years ago by nitsirk90    [ Reply ]
What's not to love?
 
Beautiful music, and lyrics that unwrap a long ago, warmly remembered summer.
 
Close your eyes, inhale slowly, and just feel......
 
Used to think this was a 9; now realise it's a 10.
 
:-)
Posted 5 years ago by RazzCat    [ Reply ]
An all time classic.
Posted 5 years ago by Boxie    [ Reply ]
Bus Stop ?  Love that song
Posted 5 years ago by lindaurq    [ Reply ]
Such a signature guitar.... echo of a distant time and memories...
Posted 5 years ago by robertomiller    [ Reply ]
I have always loved this song...it is corny but such a good melody
Posted 5 years ago by vanillagorilla    [ Reply ]
So hard not to sing along, sounded like just what I needed, headphones on and trying to work... my office mates would think me even madder than usual. I was biting my lip. Thanks for the play!
Posted 5 years ago by struergrl    [ Reply ]
 scarletdancer wrote:
Still one of my favorite songs ever.  Thanks, Bill!  {#Music}
 
Ditto!
Posted 6 years ago by mrtuba9    [ Reply ]
Still one of my favorite songs ever.  Thanks, Bill!  {#Music}
Posted 6 years ago by scarletdancer    [ Reply ]


The HOLLIES in 1974
Tony Hicks - Terry Sylvester - Bobby Elliott - Bernie Calvert - Mikael Rickfors



{#Crown} 
Posted 6 years ago by sfyi2001    [ Reply ]
 ziggytrix wrote:

yeah, there were enough similarities that legal action was threatened and Radiohead was like "fuck, well, dang, I guess we have to give you the credit and royalties" and now they're doing the same thing to Lana Del Ray... https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-sue-lana-del-rey-for-allegedly-copying-creep/

 
Hm. I love Lana but her song really sounds a lot like Creep... to me more so than Creep sounds like The Air That I Breathe... I mean it's not like those "same 4 chords" that make up 50% of all pop songs, these are quite distinct harmonies happening in the exact same sequence. "Inspired" would be a nice way to describe the similarity.
Posted 6 years ago by user4176    [ Reply ]
Takes me back to Ocean City MD 1970's. This song played at the boardwalk amusement park.
Me a girl and the beach at night. 
Posted 6 years ago by bwild    [ Reply ]
Amazing.  The only Radiohead song worth a crap was a ripoff.  Weak.
Posted 6 years ago by jelgator    [ Reply ]
Ah, nostalgia.
Posted 6 years ago by Algis    [ Reply ]
 jmsmy wrote:
Doesn't the Music remind you of Radioheads "Creep" ?

 
yeah, there were enough similarities that legal action was threatened and Radiohead was like "fuck, well, dang, I guess we have to give you the credit and royalties" and now they're doing the same thing to Lana Del Ray... https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-sue-lana-del-rey-for-allegedly-copying-creep/
Posted 6 years ago by ziggytrix    [ Reply ]
Supergrass to Lennon to The Hollies - very nice
Posted 6 years ago by Propayne    [ Reply ]
Great pop song!!!!!! Love how the verses lead into the release of the chorus. Not to mention the guitar and strings.
Posted 6 years ago by 3Chords    [ Reply ]

    Gr8 song!!!
Posted 7 years ago by kosta_n190    [ Reply ]
I love this so much.
Posted 7 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
 Foot wrote:
 Agreed, I little too much sugary sap for RP here. 
 
So you believe that you're a better judge of what belongs on RP than Bill?

Perhaps you should've just stuck to "I don't like this".
Posted 7 years ago by dwhayslett    [ Reply ]
 Agreed, I little too much sugary sap for RP here.  Follow the 2 & raise you a 1...

Skydog wrote:
yesterday Brewer & Shipley and now this?{#Ask}
.
hey, just sayin' 
.
2 

 


Posted 7 years ago by Foot    [ Reply ]
 EdEastridge wrote:

I would think that would likely be the other way 'round… Doctor Who jokes aside, of course.

 
Wikipedia: "Creep" shares a chord progression and melody with "The Air That I Breathe", a 1972 song recorded by the Hollies. The song's writers Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood sued and received cowriting credits and a percentage of the song's royalties.According to Hammond, "Radiohead agreed that they had actually taken it ... Because they were honest they weren't sued to the point of saying 'we want the whole thing'. So we ended up just getting a little piece of it."
Posted 7 years ago by lathyris    [ Reply ]
 jmsmy wrote:
Doesn't the Music remind you of Radioheads "Creep" ?

 
I would think that would likely be the other way 'round… Doctor Who jokes aside, of course.
Posted 7 years ago by eeastridge    [ Reply ]
Wow....heard this one live in the shadow of Mt Egmont, at New Plymouth New Zealand....1976!!{#Daisy}
Posted 7 years ago by Jannne    [ Reply ]
omg...one of my alltime favorites ever.

the mavericks version is great, too.

just found out preston was in on writing this. nice.
Posted 7 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
 coloradojohn wrote:
Whoah...I recall hearing this the summer I was 12 years old, playing with my friends David and Roger, and all of us breaking into full-throated song with the chorus as it came on David's sister's radio that we could hear from her window...Heady times, indeed! (That clanging, mournful guitar, especially the intro, reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot's masterpiece 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' too...) 

 
Such a radio hit and that high guitar solo, so identifiable... triggers some memories for sure.
Posted 7 years ago by BigIslandBlues    [ Reply ]
 mrtuba9 wrote:

WLS 890. Falling asleep to this {#Sleep} and waking up to Animal Stories {#Music}

 
YES!! Same here. Larry Lujack and Lil' Snotnose Tommy.

Man, I miss grade school.
Posted 7 years ago by deepwoodskev    [ Reply ]
thanks RP!  Some stuff needs to be dusted off and replayed from time to time.  
Posted 7 years ago by greiffenstein    [ Reply ]
Doesn't the Music remind you of Radioheads "Creep" ?
Posted 7 years ago by jmsmy    [ Reply ]
 aspicer wrote:
Ingrained in my consciousness - classic (but not in the best of ways)  {#Ask}

 

Yup.  Love the Hollies but this one.....
Posted 7 years ago by westslope    [ Reply ]
{#Umbrella} love this version, pretty sure lee hazelwood wrote it
Posted 7 years ago by primm    [ Reply ]
Never noticed a bit of a Bowie-esqe vibe at the beginning....
Posted 7 years ago by aspicer    [ Reply ]
yesterday Brewer & Shipley and now this?{#Ask}
.
hey, just sayin' 
.
2 
Posted 8 years ago by Skydog    [ Reply ]
Terry sylvester was a family friend brilliant top track
Posted 8 years ago by garypovey586    [ Reply ]
 strangestairway wrote:
Just realized that this song must have inspired "Creep". Kind of an eye-opener!

 
After a lawsuit, the writers now share royalties. Links to more info below
Posted 8 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
 mrtuba9 wrote:

waking up to Animal Stories {#Music}

 
THAT'S RIGHT, little snot-nosed mrtuba9!
Posted 8 years ago by treatment_bound    [ Reply ]
 treatment_bound wrote:
Where's Graham?

 
The album pictured above (and this song) came out about five or six years after Nash left the band.  It would be cool to hear some of The Hollies tunes from his era here.
Posted 8 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
Just realized that this song must have inspired "Creep". Kind of an eye-opener!
Posted 8 years ago by strangestairway    [ Reply ]
 IndyDoug wrote:
Reminds me of the times as a child riding in the family car listening to AM radio and this song was playing.

 
WLS 890. Falling asleep to this {#Sleep} and waking up to Animal Stories {#Music}
Posted 8 years ago by mrtuba9    [ Reply ]
love the simply red version of this song too ...I was 12 when this song came out...wow!  iconic.
Posted 8 years ago by ploba    [ Reply ]
One of the few songs that gives me a frisson
Posted 8 years ago by MrsTom    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of the times as a child riding in the family car listening to AM radio and this song was playing.
Posted 8 years ago by IndyDoug    [ Reply ]
Where's Graham?
Posted 8 years ago by treatment_bound    [ Reply ]
yoinks!     '74  jeez   (I kind of like it  ; )
Posted 8 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
oldie but goodie
Posted 8 years ago by baylees    [ Reply ]
Wow, first time i hear this on RP. Normally on German radio stations 1 time a day!!{#Cheesygrin}
Posted 8 years ago by helgigermany    [ Reply ]
Wow, all the good tunes this morning.  Rocking at my desk.
Posted 8 years ago by grahamdillabough    [ Reply ]
Such a great song and so many good covers such as k.d. lang, The Mavericks, Simply Red and Phil Everly.

Few music lovers are aware that it was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood and originally recorded by Albert Hammond who also sang "It Never Rains In Southern California."
Posted 9 years ago by medoras    [ Reply ]
A perfect sampling of the mood of the time.
Posted 9 years ago by lkovathana    [ Reply ]
Yes, the Hollies did survive after Nash's departure.  Very differently, but still pretty good.

At least an 8 ... 
Posted 9 years ago by kurtster    [ Reply ]
 Interesting. My favorite Radiohead song. 

yofitofu wrote:
A fascinating look at how Radiohead's Creep directly plagiarized this song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XbogWA-riU 

 

Posted 9 years ago by drydiggins    [ Reply ]
A fascinating look at how Radiohead's Creep directly plagiarized this song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XbogWA-riU 
Posted 9 years ago by yofitofu    [ Reply ]
Absolutely stunning harmonies to this song.  I first heard this when I was 3.....yes 3, and I still remember where I was when I first heard it!!
The power of powerful music!! {#Clap} 
Posted 9 years ago by d48m02h1918    [ Reply ]
What a wonderful, surprising choice.
 
Posted 9 years ago by deniseperry    [ Reply ]
 coloradojohn wrote:
Whoah...I recall hearing this the summer I was 12 years old, playing with my friends David and Roger, and all of us breaking into full-throated song with the chorus as it came on David's sister's radio that we could hear from her window...Heady times, indeed! (That clanging, mournful guitar, especially the intro, reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot's masterpiece 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' too...) 

 
The intros to both tunes start with an Asus2 to some variant of a G chord - though I think Gordo used a capo up two frets.  This tune was written a couple of years earlier.
Posted 9 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
This was just what i needed right now! 

Thank you so much *walkinghomeinthwrainafterabigfightwithmylove* 
Posted 9 years ago by Fabienne    [ Reply ]
 lemmoth wrote:
Back to back lawsuit radio great job bill
 
Now if he plays Creep...
Posted 9 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
You guys are killing it tonight!
 
Posted 9 years ago by hempmandan    [ Reply ]
Back to back lawsuit radio great job bill
Posted 10 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
Whoah...I recall hearing this the summer I was 12 years old, playing with my friends David and Roger, and all of us breaking into full-throated song with the chorus as it came on David's sister's radio that we could hear from her window...Heady times, indeed! (That clanging, mournful guitar, especially the intro, reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot's masterpiece 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' too...) 
Posted 10 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
My favorite hippie song
Posted 10 years ago by MJMJ    [ Reply ]
The Hollies were done after Graham left. 
Posted 10 years ago by jagdriver    [ Reply ]

No Graham songs from The Hollies here at RP.

Ho 'bout some "Carry Anne' or "Bus Stop" to remedy that problem?


Posted 10 years ago by treatment_bound    [ Reply ]
 jmsmy wrote:
Follow this up with Radiohead's Creep.

 

 
Dude, you read my mined....FYI, KD Lang does a great cover of this.
Posted 10 years ago by Egrey    [ Reply ]
Follow this up with Radiohead's Creep.

 
Posted 10 years ago by jmsmy    [ Reply ]
Indelible 70s. Special memories. Good call, Bill. You must be playing what you like too… 
Posted 10 years ago by robertomiller    [ Reply ]
... hats off Bill - you are the best, Whoda thought we would hear this on RP?
Posted 10 years ago by drivingunit103    [ Reply ]
Ingrained in my consciousness - classic (but not in the best of ways)  {#Ask}
Posted 10 years ago by aspicer    [ Reply ]
 jmsmy wrote:
try playing Radiohead - Creep right after this.

Awesome Song 

 
Radiohead had to pay the composers for the little melody that they er.... borrowed
Posted 10 years ago by lemmoth    [ Reply ]
Wow, my favorite song from the Hollies!  Never thought I would hear this on RP.  Haven't heard it in years.  Thanks, Bill!  {#Daisy}
Posted 10 years ago by scarletdancer    [ Reply ]
I like this song but I don't remember it from the 70's.
Posted 10 years ago by paisleydancer66    [ Reply ]
One of the most perfect pop songs ever!
Posted 10 years ago by GeorgeMWoods    [ Reply ]
I kind of remember it, and then the chorus kicks in.  Yep, I remember it.
Posted 10 years ago by ronniegirl    [ Reply ]
One of my all-time favs..
Posted 10 years ago by skimsey    [ Reply ]
try playing Radiohead - Creep right after this.

Awesome Song 
Posted 10 years ago by jmsmy    [ Reply ]
Never thought I would hear this on RP.

Nice.
Posted 10 years ago by n4ku    [ Reply ]
Bill, I love you!!!
Posted 10 years ago by lmic    [ Reply ]