Hold an Old Friend's Hand
Hold an Old Friend's Hand is the second studio album by American pop singer Tiffany, released in November 1988. The album was commercially successful, achieving a platinum certification, peaking at #17 on the U.S. charts and yielding one top-ten single ("All This Time")[3] and another in the top 40 ("Radio Romance"); however, it did not equal the multi-platinum success of her debut album, which had two #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
| Hold an Old Friend's Hand | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 25, 1988 (United States) December 12, 1988 (Australia)[1] | |||
| Recorded | August - October 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:28 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | George Tobin | |||
| Tiffany chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hold an Old Friend's Hand | ||||
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In Tiffany's summer tour, where she was to once again have the New Kids on the Block as her opening act as she did the year before, the sudden popularity of the New Kids caused their roles to be reversed, with Tiffany opening for them, although they were officially billed as co-headliners.
The title track is a cover, though the original version, released by Tracy Nelson in 1974, was not famous enough to be widely known when the album was released. It was written by Donna Weiss, who also co-wrote "Bette Davis Eyes", a hit for Kim Carnes (another artist for whom Tiffany's manager/producer George Tobin has produced records). It was an unusual song to be sung by somebody so young (Tiffany was 17 at the time), as its lyrics seem to be sung from a perspective of many years' experience.
"Hearts Never Lie" is a duet with Chris Farren, who went on to some country music success.
The final track, "Overture", is an instrumental acoustic guitar performance by Grant Geissman. It includes the tunes to several of the songs from this album, and is an unusual track to have on a teen pop album, especially since Tiffany is not involved in the track.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Record Mirror | [5] |
| Robert Christgau | B–[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Upon its release, Hold an Old Friend's Hand received mixed reviews from critics. Jimmy Guterman of Rolling Stone gave this album a negative review, stating that the record is "full of the same brand of synthesizer-heavy teen pop, with all hands trying to fill in the massive holes left by the Tiff's weak warble."[2]
Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "B-", stating that "[Her] maturity doesn't become her--exchanging schlock-rock remakes for still more Hollywood readymades, she's hellbent for biz divahood and may well get there."[6]
In a retrospective review by Bryan Buss of AllMusic, he states that it is a "stronger, more complete package than the first, showcased a more mature image and sound without much alteration of the misunderstood-teen theme that brought her first success." Although he praised "We're Both Thinking of Her," "Walk Away While You Can," and "Drop That Bomb" for being perfect pop-jingles, he criticized "It's the Lover (Not the Love) for "[sounding] like she's shouting" and "I'll Be the Girl" for being "somewhat grating", though, he also praised them for being "undeniably catchy".[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All This Time" |
| 4:20 |
| 2. | "Oh Jackie" |
| 4:14 |
| 3. | "Hold an Old Friend's Hand" | Donna Weiss | 4:24 |
| 4. | "Radio Romance" |
| 4:04 |
| 5. | "We're Both Thinking of Her" |
| 3:40 |
| 6. | "Walk Away While You Can" | Mike Piccirillo | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Drop That Bomb" |
| 3:44 |
| 8. | "It's the Lover (Not the Love)" |
| 4:08 |
| 9. | "I'll Be the Girl" |
| 4:27 |
| 10. | "Hearts Never Lie" |
| 4:59 |
| 11. | "Overture" |
| 1:24 |
| Total length: | 43:28 | ||
B-sides
- "Can't Stop a Heartbeat" (Paul Mark, John Edward Duarte)
- "Gotta Be Love" (Paul Mark, John Edward Duarte)
- "Ruthless" (Donna Weiss, John Duarte)
Charts
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[12] | Gold | 10,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- "Platterlog : LP & Tape – New Releases > 12 December 1988". Imgur.com (original document published by Platterlog). Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- Rolling Stone review
- Boehm, Mike, "Heartaches of two songwriters are behind Tiffany's latest hit", Los Angeles Times, Fri., Feb. 10, 1989, Orange County Edition, Calendar Section(6), p. 23
- AllMusic review
- Wilkes, Jane (3 December 1988). "33". Record Mirror. p. 31. ISSN 0144-5804.
- Christgau, Robert (March 14, 1989). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- "Charts.nz – Tiffany – Hold an Old Friend's Hand". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- "Tiffany | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- "Tiffany Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- "Canadian album certifications – Tiffany – Hold an Old Friend's Hand". Music Canada.
- "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1989". IFPI Hong Kong.
- "British album certifications – Tiffany – Hold an Old Friend's Hand". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Hold an Old Friend's Hand in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "American album certifications – Tiffany – Hold an Old Friend's Hand". Recording Industry Association of America.
