In 1981, 38 Special had their first top 40 hit with “Hold on Loosely.”
The Southern rock band, formed in Jacksonville, Florida, by Donnie Van Zant and Don Barnes, was often associated with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the connection went beyond their shared Jacksonville roots. Founding member Donnie Van Zant was the brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd frontmen Ronnie Van Zant and Johnny Van Zant.
38 Special reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1981 with “Hold on Loosely” from their album Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. Forty-five years later, it’s known as one of the band’s signature songs.
Written by Barnes, Jeff Carlisi, and Jim Peterik, “Hold On Loosely” features electric guitar riffs and soaring vocals about love, trust, and loosening the reins on a relationship.
During an August 2026 appearance on the Professor of Rock podcast, Barnes, 73, shared the backstory on the hit song, revealing that he came up with the title after watching a popular TV talk show.
“So I had this title, and I’d written it down from Dinah Shore,” he shared. “She, somebody had come out and, it was a guy, said, ‘Yeah, my wife takes care of me. She lets me have a little bit of room and freedom.’ And she said, ‘Yeah, she kind of holds on loosely, right?’ You know, she said that and I thought, ‘Hey, write it down.’ Among a hundred other titles, you know. So, I said to [Peterik]. ‘What do you think about this title? Hold On Loosely.’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah, but don’t let go.’”
“And that was the first thing that came out of his mouth,” Barnes continued. “So, it was like this couplet that bookended perfectly. And it was a good piece of advice. And we were off to the races.”
The song, which was also inspired by Barnes’ failing marriage, has gotten plenty of feedback from fans.
“I’ve had a lot of people come up and say that meant so much to our relationship,” Barnes shared in the new interview. “You know, don’t want to be so bold as to say it saved anybody’s marriage, but these people were saying it really meant a lot to them.”
“Hold On Loosely” remains one of 38 Special’s most enduring hits more than four decades later, a crowd favorite at concerts.
“It’s an anthemic song,” Barnes told Decades TV. “It’s been, we save it to the very end, like the cherry on top and everybody goes wild.”
Related: 1974 Classic Rock Anthem Suddenly Climbed the Charts to No. 1 This Week
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