The Hollies are a well-respected British beat and pop band that formed in t… Read Full Bio ↴The Hollies are a well-respected British beat and pop band that formed in the early 60s. Initially they had a squeaky-clean image and were famous for their rich vocal harmonies, rivaling those of The Beach Boys. Between 1964 and 1969, only two Hollies songs failed to reach the UK Top 10. Their most famous member was Graham Nash, who left in 1968 to form the folk supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. Two of the core members, drummer Bobby Elliott and lead guitarist Tony Hicks, still perform with The Hollies into the new millennium.

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)

So Damn Beautiful
The Hollies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're so damn beautiful tonight
So how can I make you love me

Well it's six am, I'm awake again
And I can't get you out of my head
You wore your dress so tight
And you danced all night
You took my heart and left me for dead

But I don't even know your name
'Cos you didn't give that much away
Will I ever feel the same again
Now I'm caught up in the games you play

You're so damn beautiful tonight
How Can I make you love me
I'm so blinded by you're light
How can I make you see
That I would walk a thousand miles to
Find my way to you
You're so damn beautiful
And I want to make you mine

I thought I saw you're face
In a crowded place
But it was just a shadow of you
Now I'm all alone waiting by the phone
I'm hoping that my message got through
But I didn't even ask your name
Even though we danced the night away
Suddenly you left without a trace
Before I had the chance to say

You're so damn beautiful tonight
How can I make you love me
I'm so blinded by you're light
How can I make you see
That I would walk a thousand miles to
Find my way to you
You're so damn beautiful
And I want to make you mine

But I don't even know your name
'Cos you didn't give that much away
Will I ever feel the same again
Now I'm caught up in the games you play

You're so damn beautiful tonight
How can I make you love me
I'm so blinded by you're light
How can I make you see
That I would walk a thousand miles to
Find my way to you
You're so damn beautiful
And I want to make you mine

Make you see

I just want to make you love me

So damn beautiful

I don't know your name

So damn beautiful

You drive me crazy

So damn beautiful

Overall Meaning

The Hollies's song "So Damn Beautiful" tells the story of a man who meets a woman at a party and becomes infatuated with her. She leaves without giving him her name, but he can't stop thinking about her and wants to make her his. He describes her beauty and the tight dress she wore, which left him smitten. Despite not knowing her name, he's determined to find her and make her love him.

The lyrics convey the intensity of the man's desire for this woman. He's not just physically attracted to her, but he's also drawn to her light and is willing to walk a thousand miles to find her. However, he's also aware that she's playing games with him and that he may never feel the same again if he can't win her over.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "you're so damn beautiful" several times, emphasizing the singer's strong emotions towards the woman he met. The overall mood of the song is wistful and melancholic, with a touch of longing that's characteristic of many love songs.

Line by Line Meaning

You're so damn beautiful tonight
The singer is enchanted by the appearance of the person they are looking at and is attracted to them

So how can I make you love me
The singer is wondering what they can do to make the person they are looking at feel the same attraction they feel

Well it's six am, I'm awake again
The singer is awake very early in the morning, possibly due to thinking about the person they are attracted to

And I can't get you out of my head
The person the artist is attracted to is constantly on their mind and they can't stop thinking about them

You wore your dress so tight
The person the artist is attracted to was wearing a tight dress that caught the artist's attention

And you danced all night
The person the singer is attracted to was dancing throughout the night, which made the singer even more interested

You took my heart and left me for dead
The singer feels like the person they are attracted to took their heart away and left them feeling empty and hopeless

But I don't even know your name
Despite spending time with the person they are attracted to, the artist doesn't know their name and feels like they missed their chance to find out

'Cos you didn't give that much away
The person the artist is attracted to didn't reveal much about themselves, making it difficult for the artist to get to know them

Will I ever feel the same again
The artist wonders if they will ever feel the same level of attraction to someone else again, after being so strongly drawn to the person they just met

Now I'm caught up in the games you play
The singer feels that the person they are attracted to is playing games with them, possibly by not revealing information or making it difficult to connect with them

I'm so blinded by you're light
The artist is so consumed with their attraction to the person they are talking about that they are blinded by it and unable to think about anything else

How can I make you see
The singer wants the person they are attracted to to see how they feel about them and reciprocate those feelings

That I would walk a thousand miles to
The singer feels very strongly about the person they are attracted to and would go to great lengths to be with them

Find my way to you
The singer wants to find the person they are attracted to and be with them, possibly despite any obstacles or difficulties

I thought I saw you're face
The artist thinks they saw the person they are attracted to somewhere else, but realizes it was just a figment of their imagination and they are still alone

In a crowded place
The artist was in a busy area, which made it difficult to distinguish the person they were actually looking for

But it was just a shadow of you
The person the singer thought they saw was just a shadow or illusion, which makes them feel even more alone and hopeless

Now I'm all alone waiting by the phone
The singer is now by themselves and waiting for a call or message from the person they are attracted to, but they aren't sure if it will come

I'm hoping that my message got through
The artist has reached out to the person they are attracted to and is hoping that they received the message and will respond

Suddenly you left without a trace
The person the artist is attracted to disappeared suddenly, which makes the artist even more unsure of how to proceed or connect with them

Before I had the chance to say
The artist didn't have the opportunity to express their feelings to the person they are attracted to before they disappeared

You drive me crazy
The singer is intensely attracted to the person they are talking about and they are driving the singer wild with desire and longing

Contributed by Owen W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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