"You Used to Hold Me" is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris. The song was released on 8 February 2010 as the fourth and final single from his second studio album, Ready for the Weekend.[1] The song marked the last time Harris regularly sang for his songs, as since 2011 he has almost always focused on music production while having guest singers provide the vocals for him.[2]
| "You Used to Hold Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Calvin Harris | ||||
| from the album Ready for the Weekend | ||||
| Released | 8 February 2010 | |||
| Recorded | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
| Producer(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
| Calvin Harris singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "You Used to Hold Me" on YouTube | ||||
Release and promotion
editTo promote "You Used to Hold Me", Harris sang the song on 4Music along with other songs from his new album Ready for the Weekend. He also performed the song at the Big Day Out in Australia and featured it on the setlist of his Ready for the Weekend tour.
Critical reception
editThe BBC commented on the song:–
"This is a song which will probably not be the sole reason people rush out to buy 'The Greatest Hits of Calvin Harris', whenever such a thing appears. It might not even figure in the Top 10 of reasons to rush out and buy 'The Greatest Hits of Calvin Harris', for all that it has earned the right to be on there in the first place. In fact, it possibly isn't even among the Top 5 of reasons to rush out and buy Calvin's current album 'Ready For The Weekend', from which it is taken. And that's assuming that people still rush out to buy albums, which apparently they do not.
What it is, however, is another of Calvin's hook-heavy dance concoctions which manage to sound light and frothy, and dark and heavy at one and the same time. It has a deceptively short list of ingredients: a mournful one-finger synth refrain; some sneezy drums; some booming drums; flatulent bass; a melody line for the verse and another for the chorus. Oh, and a bit in the chorus which sounds like Calvin singing "beep beep beep", even though he is not. He sounds utterly dedicated to the emotional truth of his words at that point, as if he really needs to get across just how sad he is, that the person who used to hold him no longer wishes to. "Beep," he wails "beep beep".
And which of us, hand on heart, can truly say that we've never been there, never felt what he has felt, never wanted to point that accusing finger, never died inside a thousand times because they just could get the words out? Exactly. He's not just beeping for himself, he's beeping for ALL OF US.
Chart performance
editOn 29 January 2010, "You Used to Hold Me" first entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 45. The following week, on 5 February 2010, the single climbed to a new peak of number 37. The single first entered the UK Singles Chart on 31 January 2010, at number 47. On 7 February 2010, it rose to number 38. That same week, the single also entered the UK Dance Chart, reaching a current peak of number four.
Music video
editThe music video was filmed in November 2009-2010. The video shows Harris driving around in a monster truck and girls dancing in front of a wall while Harris sings the song in the truck and performs it on some CDJs and mixer.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Used to Hold Me" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "You Used to Hold Me" (Laidback Luke Remix) | 7:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Used to Hold Me" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "You Used to Hold Me" (Extended Mix) | 6:17 |
| 3. | "You Used to Hold Me" (Laidback Luke Remix) | 7:00 |
| 4. | "You Used to Hold Me" (Nero Remix) | 6:03 |
Charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position[4] |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 57 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 30 |
| Scotland (OCC)[7] | 21 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 27 |
| UK Dance (OCC)[9] | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "live it". HMV. 15 December 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "Calvin Harris: 'I've quit singing'". Digital Spy. 26 November 2010.
- ^ Fraser McAlpine (29 January 2010). "Chart Blog: Calvin Harris - 'You Used To Hold Me'". BBC. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "Calvin Harris - You Used To Hold Me - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 1070" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 23 August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Calvin Harris". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 August 2022.