By the early 1970's, the Hollies had released multiple radio hits that made them a desirable rock band. In January 1974, they released a cover of a rock ballad that became the last major hit of their career.
"The Air That I Breathe" was originally written by singer-songwriter Albert Hammond and the English songwriter Mike Hazlewood. The ballad was recorded by Hammond for his 1972 debut album, It Never Rains in California, but didn't gain any mainstream traction. A year later, Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers released a cover of the track, also to little success.
Hammond was inspired to write the track shortly after moving to Los Angeles, with its lyrics focusing more on the concept of loneliness and needing the love of a then-girlfriend. In the book Behind the Hits, the singer-songwriter admits he had just fallen in love with a girl and had a "short affair". He admits that at the time, the song came from a place of loneliness more than romance.
"We had some kind of short affair. I just fell in love so bad, I guess I needed to be with my family. I was so lonely in Los Angeles," he explained.
His feelings on wanting to be back with loved ones and what he was familiar with led to the creation of "The Air That I Breathe" with Hazlewood. Interestingly, in a BBC Radio interview, Hammond admitted that the girl he was in love with wasn't a dazzling beauty.
"When you listen to the song, you'd think this is a show stopper, and lyrically, you'd think I wrote it probably for the most beautiful woman that ever existed in the world. And in fact, The air that I breathe was written for quite an ugly person actually, I mean ugly outside, physically outside. She wasn't a great looking girl, but she was a terrific person inside. She was warm and kind," he said.
While the rock ballad wasn't a success for Hammond, EMI producer Ron Richards heard Everly's version and thought it would work for the Hollies. With some tweaks, the rock band added new life to the song and landed it at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also landed as No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart.
The Hollies continued to release tracks after "The Air That I Breathe," but none charted as high as the 1974 single in the U.S. Some released tracks didn't even make it to the charts, or only charted overseas.
Decades later, Radiohead used the chord progressions and melody of Hammond's original track for their 1992 song "Creep." It became one of the most well-known songs of the grunge era, with Hammond and Hazlewood getting songwriting credits and royalties.
Related: 1972 Hit Track, Inspired by a Forbidden Crush, Became One of Soft Rock's Signature Ballads
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