Triumph had it’s first chart success in 1979 with this song, which is off their first album, Just a Game. (Cool Factiod: Because of the technical difficulty of the song as it was recorded in the studio, it has never been performed by the entire band live.)
Living within 15 miles of the Canadian border, I heard this, and other, Canadian progressive rock bands on the radio growing up. Triumph had a lot of uplifting songs about the power of music; I loved music and understood its’ healing abilities so their music stuck a chord within me (yup, pun intended).
This band is also oddly instrumental (stop me!) in my entrepreneurial journey. As a junior in high school we needed to raise funds for our senior trip. One of our projects was to sell magazine subscriptions – one of prizes for the top seller was being able to select albums from a catalog. Triumph was one of the three I wanted (and that choice made me seem a bit cooler in the cool kids eyes!)
Because I had working in the library over the summer as a CETA employee, I immediately ran over to the librarian and got her to renew ALL the library’s magazines through me! Of course my fellow students cried, “That’s not fair!”, and, “She cheated!”
Yes, I “cheated”
… if cheating means not adhering to imaginary rules or invisible boundaries
… if it means using established relationships to offer someone a sale on what she’s already buying
… if it means being brave enough to ask a person in authority for their help
… and if it means not hesitating when an opportunity is right in front of you.
Hold on to your dreams!
Hold On
Music holds the secret
To know it can make you whole
It’s not just a game of notes
It’s the sounds inside your soul
Magic of the melody
Runs through you like a stream
The notes that play flow through your head
Like a dream, like a dream
I sing this song for the common man
For the people in despair
I bring my song into the world
And I sing it everywhere
The simple truth lies waitin’ here
For everyone to share
So hold on, and I will take you there
Hold on and I will take you there
Daily routine takes your soul
Lost without a trace
It hold you down and turns you ’round
And puts you in your place
Another day, another dollar
Another pretty face
Another chance to lose yourself
In the endless race
Hold on, hold on to your dreams
Hold on, even though it seems
Everyone around you has their little schemes
Listen to your heart and hold on to your dreams
Can’t you feel the magic?
Feel it everywhere
Can’t you hear the music?
There’s something in the air
There’s a celebration
Deep within a song
Celebrate this feeling
You know it can’t be wrong
Hold on, hold on to your dreams
Hold on, even though it seems
Everyone around you has their little schemes
Listen to your heart and hold on to your dreams
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Caught up in routine, you got to break it
Time won’t wait for us, we got to make it
Fate gives you the chance, you’ve got to take it, take it
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
* There are a lot of songs with the name “Hold On” – another one of my favorites is Kansas – here’s a link to an acoustic version that’s stunning from 1982.