Hold On, I'm Comin' (song)

"Hold On, I'm Comin'" (officially registered as "Hold On, I'm Coming",^[1] and shown on the original single release as "Hold On! I'm Comin'" and "Hold On! I'm a Comin'")^[2] is a 1966 single recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966.

"Hold On, I'm Comin'"
Single by Sam & Dave
from the album Hold On, I'm Comin'
B-side	"I Got Everything I Need"
Released	March 1966
Recorded	1966
Genre	Soul
Length	2:35
Label	Stax/Atlantic S-189
Songwriter(s)	Isaac Hayes David Porter
Producer(s)	Jim Stewart
Sam & Dave singles chronology
"You Don't Know Like I Know" (1965) "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (1966) "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" (1966)

The song was written by the songwriting team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, who came up with the title of the song spontaneously when Hayes was trying to get Porter to hurry out of the Stax Studios restroom and get back to songwriting.^[3] The original title was "Hold On, I'm Comin'", but some radio stations objected to its "suggestive nature", and labels on most copies of the single gave the title as "Hold On! I'm A Comin'".^[2] Released as Stax 189 in the spring of 1966, the single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B singles chart and at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.^[3]

Following the instrumental introduction, Sam sings the first verse and is joined by Dave for the chorus. Dave sings the second verse and is joined by Sam for the chorus. In the bridge section, Dave sings the first part and Sam sings the second part, which is followed by a brief instrumental passage. Sam sings the third verse and is joined by Dave for the chorus. The introduction is repeated in the chorus, with both Sam and Dave singing until the song fades out.

A revamped version of the song, "Hold On, Edwin's Coming", was recorded by Sam & Dave as a promotional single for Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards' third election campaign in 1982. Three years later, Dave Prater teamed with new singing partner Sam Daniels as "The New Sam and Dave Review" and recorded "Medley/Hold On, I'm Comin'" for Atlantic Records.

Personnel

• Vocals by Sam Moore and Dave Prater
• Instrumentation by Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Mar-Keys Horns^{[citation needed]}

Cover versions and samples

• Maxine Brown and Chuck Jackson recorded a cover in 1967, which reached number 20 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 91 on the Billboard pop chart.^{[citation needed]}
• Canadian singer Karen Silver released a disco version in 1979, which reached number 15 on the Billboard disco chart.^[4] In Canada it reached number 72 on the pop chart, number 7 on the dance chart, and number 19 on the AC chart.^[5][6][7]
• Aretha Franklin covered the song on her 1981 album Love All the Hurt Away; the Queen of Soul's rendition earned an eleventh career Grammy Award. It won for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.^{[citation needed]}
• B.B. King and Eric Clapton covered the song on their 2000 collaborative album Riding with the King.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1966) Peak position Canada RPM[8] 54 US Billboard Hot 100[9] 21 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[11] 16

Year-end charts Chart (1966) Rank US Cash Box [12] 90

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan	—	250,000[13]
United Kingdom (BPI)[14]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[15]	Gold	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1966 (U.S.)

References

1. "Hold On, I'm Comin'". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
2. "45cat – Sam And Dave – Hold On! I'm A Comin' / I Got Everything I Need – Stax – USA – S-189". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
3. Hogan, Ed (2006). "Review of "Hold On! I'm Comin'". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-3-30
4. "Hold on I'm Comin' - Karen Silver | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
5. "RPM Top 100 - December 1, 1979" (PDF).
6. "RPM Dance Music - November 17, 1979" (PDF).
7. "RPM AC Playlist - October 20, 1979" (PDF).
8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 4, 1966" (PDF).
9. "Sam Dave Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
10. "Sam Dave Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
11. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 11, 1966". Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
12. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966
13. "Cash Box - Japan" (PDF). Cash Box. January 4, 1969. p. 32. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
14. "British single certifications – Sam & Dave – Hold On I'm Comin". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
15. "American single certifications – Sam & Dave – Hold On, I'm Coming". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

External links

• "Hold On, I'm Comin'" at Discogs (list of releases)