Frequent releases during the mid-60s included many cover versions of popular songs, as well as a few group-penned hits and many songs written especially for them by professional songwriters.
The Hollies were formed in 1962 in Lancashire, England. By 1965,the group had been established as one of Britain's pre-eminent singles bands. As part of the British Invasion, they enjoyed huge chart success in many countries in the mid-Sixties, releasing a string of classic harmony-pop hits including Bus Stop I'm Alive, a UK No. 1, I Can't Let Go, Stop Stop Stop, Carrie Anne, On A Carousel, Look Through Any Window, and Jennifer Eccles.
In 1972, the hit Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress reached #2 in the US. Their last mega hit was He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, hitting #1 in the UK in 1988 (albeit 19 years after its first release).
The band are noted for their longevity, with their 2006 tour chalking up 45 years. Despite numerous changes in line-up, Tony Hicks & Bobby Elliott have been with the band almost from its inception.
Lead singer Allan Clarke left The Hollies in 1971, though he rejoined the band at later times. He was eventually replaced by Carl Wayne, ex lead singer of The Move, who passed away in 2004. Wayne was replaced by Peter Howarth. The 2007 line up is, Ian Parker on keyboards, Ray Stiles (Ex Mud, remember 'Tiger Feet') on bass guitar and Alan Coates on guitar and vocals by Steve Lauri.
Original bass player Eric Haydock died in January 2018.
The Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2010.
Allan Clarke (vocals, 1962-71, 1973-99), Graham Nash (guitar, vocals, 1962-68, 1983), Eric Haydock (bass, 1962-66), Vick Farrell (guitar, 1962), Don Rathbone (drums, 1962-63), Tony Hicks (guitar, banjo, mandolin, electric sitar, vocals, 1963-present), Bobby Elliott (drums, percussion, 1963-present), Bernie Calvert (bass, 1966-81), Terry Sylvester (guitar, vocals, 1969-81), Mikael Rickfors (vocals, 1971-73), Denis Haines (bass, 1981-86), Alan Coates (guitar, 1981-2004), Ray Stiles (bass, vocals, 1986-present), Ian Parker (keyboards, vocals, 1991-present), Carl Wayne (vocals, 2000-04), Peter Howarth (vocals, acoustic guitar, 2004-present), Steve Lauri (guitar, vocals, 2004-present)
Casualty
The Hollies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I thought that I saw your face
Late at night, a lightning flash
Put reality in it's place
I never saw the warning signs
'Til it was too late
I'm a casualty
A casualty a hopeless case
I never stood a chance at all
I never knew what hit me
Like somebody put out the light
I was going crazy
Couldn't tell if it was day or night
I must have lost direction
A simple hit and run
I'm a casualty
A victim of my own circumstance
A casualty a hopeless case
I never stood a chance at all
Out of control on a one way street
Feeling myself beginning to slide
Out of my head too blind to see
That you were there just for the ride
Living a life, it's a tragedy
Why did this happen to me
I'm a casualty
A victim of my own circumstance
A casualty a hopeless case
That never stood a chance at all
I never stood a chance I'm a casualty
I never stood a chance I'm a casualty
I never stood a chance I'm a casualty
The Hollies’s song Casualty is a poignant reflection on the consequences of poor decision making and how it can leave a person feeling isolated and desperate for redemption. The opening lines, “Driving home I was miles away, when I thought that I saw your face,” suggest a person lost in their own thoughts with no concept of time or place. Later, a sudden lightning flash brings them back to reality and they realize that they missed important warning signs. The singer admits that they are a “casualty,” a “victim” of their own circumstances, acknowledging they never had a chance to avoid their fate.
The lyrics highlight the frustration and despair of being in a hopeless situation where one feels powerless to change the course of their life. The line “I never knew what hit me, like somebody put out the light,” implies that the singer was caught off guard and unable to react to the situation. As a result, they lost their direction and control, leading to an accidental hit and run. The singer uses the metaphor of being “out of control on a one-way street” to describe the feeling of being unable to escape their fate.
Ultimately, the song is about living with the consequences of one’s actions, even if they are unintended. The final lines, “I never stood a chance, I’m a casualty,” show a deep sense of resignation and acceptance of their fate. The song is a reminder that every action has a consequence, and that sometimes those consequences may be beyond our control.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving home I was miles away
I was lost in thought while driving home
When I thought that I saw your face
I imagined seeing your face
Late at night, a lightning flash
Suddenly, lightning illuminated the night
Put reality in it's place
It made me see things as they truly are
I never saw the warning signs
I was oblivious to the signs of danger
'Til it was too late
I only realized it when it was too late
I'm a casualty
I am a victim of the situation
A victim of my own circumstance
The situation is a result of my own actions or decisions
A hopeless case
There is no hope for me
I never stood a chance at all
I had no opportunity to avoid the situation
I never knew what hit me
I was caught off guard
Like somebody put out the light
It felt like everything went dark suddenly
I was going crazy
I was overwhelmed with confusion and chaos
Couldn't tell if it was day or night
I lost my sense of time and reality
I must have lost direction
I became disoriented
A simple hit and run
Someone caused an accident and left the scene
Out of control on a one way street
I was unable to steer my life in the right direction
Feeling myself beginning to slide
I felt like I was losing control
Out of my head too blind to see
I was not in the right state of mind to see the situation clearly
That you were there just for the ride
You were not truly invested in my life or situation
Living a life, it's a tragedy
Life can be full of misfortunes and sorrow
Why did this happen to me
I am questioning why I have to go through this situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: PAUL BLISS, ROD DEMICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diana Taylor
Great song, great group that I can't stop listening to.
Aleš Yoku Tog
Excellent group, excellent song, excellent and typical 80´s sound.
Fernando Sanabria Gomez
nice music the hollies its amazing
Jason Gordon
Love it thanks!!
Brenda Naschinski
That voice can't get enough of Allan Clarke
Lloyd Holzheimer
Listen to them every chance i get to by my self
sauquoit13456
On this date in 1983 {June 4th} the Hollies performed "Casualty" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV network Saturday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'...
"Casualty" was track one on side one from their 1983 album, 'What Goes Around'...
And on the same 'Bandstand' episode they also performed "Stop! In The Name of Love", at the time the song was in it's first week on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #79, eight weeks later it would peak at #29 {for 1 week} and it spent twelve weeks on the Top 100...
Between 1964 and 1983 the Salford, England quintet had twenty four records on the Hot Top 100 chart, six made the Top 10, with their biggest hit being "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress", it peaked at #2* {for two weeks} in 1972...
Original bassist Eric Haydock, born Eric John Haddock, passed away at the age of 75 earlier this year on January 5th, 2019...
May he R.I.P.
* The two weeks that "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O’Sullivan...
Brenda Naschinski
Saw this song on American Bandstand
electricrussell
Love 60s groups, love 80s music...hate the two together. 60s musicians really lost something with an 80s 'electronic sound. Sounds totally manufactured.