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)
King Midas in Reverse
The Hollies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and know exactly where I am.
You wouldn't want to be me.
Oh, I can assure you of that.
I'm not the guy to run with
'cos I'll throw you off the line.
I'll break you and destroy you
He's King Midas with a curse
He's King Midas in reverse.
He's King Midas with a curse
He's King Midas in reverse.
It's plain to see it's hopeless
going on the way we are.
So even though I'd lose you,
you'd be better off by far.
He's not the man to hold your trust.
Everything he touches turns to dust.
in his hands.
Nothing he can do is right.
He'd even like to sleep at night,
but he can't.
All he touches turns to dust.
I wish someone would find me
and help me gain control,
before I lose my reason
and my soul.
The Hollies's song "King Midas In Reverse" tells the story of a man who is cursed to turn everything he touches into dust. The song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the consequences of trying to hold too much power.
The lyrics begin with the singer acknowledging that if others could see him and know his current state, they would not want to be in his place. He warns that he is not someone to align with because he will break and destroy anyone who gets in his way. He then compares himself to King Midas, who was cursed by the gods to turn everything he touched into gold. This reference symbolizes the singer's inability to control his power and how it has turned into a curse for him.
The chorus repeats the idea that the singer is King Midas in reverse, highlighting the destructive nature of his curse. The second verse further emphasizes this, with the singer acknowledging that everything he touches turns to dust. He warns the listener not to trust him as he is unable to do anything right, even wanting to sleep at night but unable to do so.
The song ends with the singer wishing for someone to help him gain control before he loses his reason and his soul. The song's overall message is that power can be dangerous if not used wisely.
Line by Line Meaning
If you could only see me,
Imagine if you could visualize the state I'm currently in,
and know exactly where I am.
if you had precise knowledge of my location,
You wouldn't want to be me.
you wouldn't desire to be in my shoes
Oh, I can assure you of that.
I'm very certain of this fact
I'm not the guy to run with
I'm not the person you should associate with
'cos I'll throw you off the line.
because I'll mislead and deviate you from your path
I'll break you and destroy you
I'll damage and ruin your being
given time.
with enough time
He's King Midas with a curse
In some ways, he is like King Midas except his touch has a destructive quality
He's King Midas in reverse.
Instead of turning everything he touches into gold like King Midas, his touch turns everything into dust
He's King Midas with a curse
Again, he's like King Midas but with a devastating effect
He's King Midas in reverse.
He's like the opposite of King Midas, who was associated with immense wealth and prosperity
It's plain to see it's hopeless
It's evident that we're in a hopeless situation
going on the way we are.
continuing on our current path
So even though I'd lose you,
Even though it would mean losing you,
you'd be better off by far.
it would still benefit you more to part ways with me
He's not the man to hold your trust.
He's not someone you can confide in and put your faith in
Everything he touches turns to dust.
He has a destructive effect on everything he comes in contact with
in his hands.
when he handles it
Nothing he can do is right.
He can't seem to do anything correctly
He'd even like to sleep at night,
He wishes he could get a good night's sleep
but he can't.
but he's unable to
All he touches turns to dust.
He has a consistent negative impact on everything he interacts with
I wish someone would find me
I desire someone to discover me
and help me gain control,
to help me take hold of my life
before I lose my reason
before I lose my sanity
and my soul.
and my integrity
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chrisbutterfield5241
One of The Hollies best and most underrated songs.
@daytripper9222
I cannot for the life of me understand why this song didn't do so much better on the charts. I think Nash had the right idea going down this path. The song is brilliant.
@paulw6057
I don't even see a difference in style between this and a song like 'On a Carousel', both are quality songs and bands should, and usually do, progress. I think the story around the song may have changed over the years and was probably more of a reaction after the fact due to it not charting as well as expected. I can imagine some of Nash's other efforts might not have gone down well.
@uweschramm
Whow ... finally I found this again. Just yesterday this song rushed into my thoughts, I had to find it again. Thanks YouTube!
I'm 68 and must have been 12 to 13 years old, when I had it on a Mono-Tape-Machine, listening it many, many times. And loved it, as well as many Hollies songs those days.
When I heard or read that Graham Nash had left the band, to go to America for developing ... musically, I was really sad and could`nt understand the world any more.
But with his appearence with CSN, as a founder, my musical interests changed too and opened my perspective to music that started to develop that time ... later called Prog-Rock :)
@richardbradshaw4567
This song changed my life! Especially the middle section, from 1: 28. I was in hospital, 1967, recovering from an appendicectomy that went wrong, and listening to the radio was as much as I was capable of. This came on. I knew a bit about music, but I was young and under the influence of my classically trained and somewhat stuffy dad who told me that all this new-fangled pop music was rubbish based on the three chord trick. This, emphatically, isn't. My dad was wrong. Discovering that to be possible for the first time is always a rite of passage for a young person, and King Midas remains a defining moment in my growing up.
@DragonBurnin
Richard Bradshaw well said
@anapauladelima59
Very nice
@billg3356
That's a cool story, man.
@PC24800
I'd been in Abbey Road during the recording of sections, then one evening Graham arrived at the flat with a pre released copy and we heard the finished thing for the first time, ready for its' very first airplay on Sunday.
@pwwatson8888
Tonight was the first time I heard the song from the theme music in the film The Limey. Great song.