Greg Holden is no exception. Having only begun his solo journey in June 2007, he has had his fair share of luck to help him along the way. Having spent his late teens and early twenties squashed into vans with his band mates, playing gig after gig, in town after town, spending pound after pound with little hope of a career in the music industry, Greg was losing his ambition and decided to put down his electric guitar and pick up his acoustic, something he had wanted to do ever since he began playing at the age of 17.
With a huge influence from older artists such as Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to more recent writers such as Damien Rice and Ray Lamontagne, Greg Holden’s music has been described as “Soulful”, “Melodically Beautiful” and “Incredibly Genuine”. In today’s music world, being original is almost an impossibility, the market is over-crowded with every sort of music genre imaginable. That doesn’t mean that you can’t sing from your soul, it doesn’t mean you can’t believe in what you are writing about and it doesn’t mean you can’t play from your heart. This is something that Greg Holden does well and anyone who has seen one of his live performances will tell you the same.
In July 2007, Greg was invited to New York City by Music Producer Nunzio Signore. Nunzio spotted him playing at a small venue in Brighton where Greg was living at the time. This was the lucky break that Greg needed and it was this opportunity that resulted in Greg’s debut EP, ‘Run, Don’t Walk’ which is currently available from iTunes. It was in New York that Greg met his manager, David Margolis.
Upon his return from an inspiring trip to New York, Greg decided to leave Brighton in pursuit of bigger things and focus his attention on the only place he felt compared to New York, London. Ironically, Greg’s next installment of good luck came from the place he had just left, you guessed it...Brighton.
A successful writer and producer named Richard “Biff” Stannard came across Greg’s music and invited him into session. Unbeknown to Greg, Biff’s modest discography included names such as U2, David Gray, The Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue, Will Young and many more huge names in the industry. Not only this but mixing the session was another well-known name in the music industry, Studio Engineer Ash Howes who boasted his own catalogue of artists including Nelly Furtado and The Eagles. Greg believed this whole event was meant to happen. To him it was a sign that what he was doing was indeed the right thing, and that giving up on his music career was no longer an option.
In January 2008 Greg started a small video series on YouTube called ‘The Living Room Series’, which was a simple concept involving himself, his guitar, a bunch of his songs and a webcam. It started off as a funny idea to showcase some of this newer material but with the help of a good friend Alex Day aka YouTube Hero 'Nerimon' it ended up becoming a YouTube smash. In its first month live Greg’s YouTube subscribers rose from 4 to 1300, and by part 10 (the final episode of that series that ended in March) his subscribers had climbed to 2,300, one of his episodes had been featured on YouTube Global, YouTube UK and also separate Countries all around the world including Austrailia, Japan and Brazil and in total his videos have been viewed over 350,000 times. That particular featured video was viewed over 200,000 times in one week! This level of exposure has changed everything for Greg, he now has groups of followers all over the world and is currently working on his new series, ‘The Not, My Living Room Series’. All these videos can be found on YouTube.
That leads us to now, September 2008. Greg has since returned to New York to complete more tracks for his debut album 'A Word In Edgeways'. Whilst over there he played Numerous shows in Manhattan and played some private showcases for some Major labels. Watch this space.
In 2011 he wrote the lost boy for serious request, wich is a action by 3fm in the Netherlands to raise money for silent disasters. In that year it went to mothers in war or has just been in war. this made him very popular and was the 2nd highest requested number just after "ode to the bouncer" by "the studio killers". and he went to number 1 inn Itunes in holland.
His YouTube account has brought him many fans.
(See www.youtube.com/gdholden)
Save Yourself
Greg Holden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the sake of who knows
I've been trying to explain
How it's all gonna go
I don't take my life
For granted
I've been waking up tight
Day after day
To go my way
But I don't take my life for granted
I'm gonna hold on tight
To what I've been handed
Oh
I'll try not to complain
About the things I have lost
Cause when you have something great
That just means there's a greater loss
So when you look at yourself
Tell me who do you see
Is it the person you been
Or the person you're gonna be
Don't take your life for granted
Don't take your life for granted
Why don't you hold on tight
To what you've been handed
Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Don't take your life for granted
Don't take your life for granted
Don't take your life for granted
Why don't you hold on tight
To what you've been handed
Cause you just don't know how long you will have it
The song "Save Yourself" by Greg Holden is about the importance of appreciating one's life and not taking it for granted. The opening lines of the song speak about the singer's struggle to maintain their identity in a world that often values fame and popularity over authenticity. The singer then reflects on the preciousness of life and the need to cherish every moment and opportunity that is presented to them.
As the song progresses, the singer urges the listener to embrace the person they have become while striving towards the person they want to be. At the same time, the listener is reminded not to dwell in sorrow over the things they have lost but instead focus on the good things they currently possess. The song ends with a powerful message; don't take your life's blessings for granted and hold on tight to what you have been given because no one knows how long they will have the good things in life.
Overall, the song leaves a strong impact on the listener as the lyrics remind them to appreciate what is important in life and to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been selling my name
I've been sacrificing my reputation for the pursuit of unknown goals.
For the sake of who knows
For reasons unknown to myself or others.
I've been trying to explain
I've been attempting to make sense of my actions and their consequences.
How it's all gonna go
How the future will unfold, despite the uncharted territory.
I don't take my life
I value my existence and those around me.
For granted
I appreciate what I have and accept the unpredictable nature of life.
I've been waking up tight
I've been excessively worried and restless while facing adversity.
Day after day
Persistently, despite the challenges.
Hope is taking it's time
Optimism and positivity are slow to manifest.
To go my way
To align with my interests and desires.
But I don't take my life for granted
Despite hardship, I still cherish my existence.
I'm gonna hold on tight
I will persist and endure, in order to retain what I possess.
To what I've been handed
To what life has given me, regardless of circumstance.
Oh
A word used to convey emotion, usually sadness or longing.
I'll try not to complain
I will make an effort to avoid expressing dissatisfaction or negativity.
About the things I have lost
I won't lament what I've surrendered or forfeited.
Cause when you have something great
Because when in possession of something of high value .
That just means there's a greater loss
There is also the possibility of experiencing major disappointments or setbacks.
So when you look at yourself
When evaluating your own existence.
Tell me who do you see
What kind of person do you perceive yourself to be?
Is it the person you been
Is it aligned with your past experiences and actions.
Or the person you're gonna be
Or is it the person you foresee yourself becoming?
Don't take your life for granted
A reminder to appreciate life, especially in hardship.
Why don't you hold on tight
Why not preserve and fight for what you value.
To what you've been handed
Take advantage of what life has given you, despite its imperfections.
Oh Oh Oh
Repeated in a pattern to convey intense emotion.
Don't take your life for granted
Another reminder to cherish one's life.
Why don't you hold on tight
Persist and remain determined in retaining what one possesses.
Cause you just don't know how long you will have it
Because life and its gifts are unpredictable and fleeting.
Writer(s): GREG HOLDEN, RICHARD HARRIS
Contributed by Reagan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marlene Estevez
"You gotta save yourself so you can find a way to save someone else" 😍
AJ Polek
Just saw you at The Blackcat in DC last night. You guys were amazing. Loved everyone of your songs. And your Phillip Phillips cover was great!
Tamara
Dude you’re songs saving my life!!! I wanna know the chords to this song 😍😍💗
Pickled Tuna
This song is beautifully written :)
Yeanpierre Caipo
Amazing music, what a mix, perfect!
greetings from Brazil
Eryck Crypton
Wow what a stellar team ... The 2 Gtegs... Greg and Greg Wells, and Eric Valentine on the mix.
Omar Ahmed
I heard you yesterday at Revolverheld's concert in Dresden, your music is really cool , keep playing and writing :)
Zeinab K
Love this song!:)
Angel Vicario
I love this song! 😍😍
Jorge Rodriguez
es tan hermosa 😍