On This Day in 1988, The Hollies Were at No. 1 After a Beer Commercial Revived a 1969 Hit That Featured a Young Elton John

On this day (September 24) in 1988, The Hollies were at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” The band originally released the song in September 1969, and it was an international success. It reached the top 10 in multiple countries, including the UK. Then, nearly 20 years later, a Miller Lite commercial introduced it to a new audience.

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Written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” was a hit for multiple artists over the years. Kelly Gordon recorded the first version of the song in early 1969. Later that year, The Hollies released their interpretation to international acclaim. It peaked at No. 3 in the UK and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Neil Diamond’s version was a top 10 hit in 1970.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1990, a Levi’s Jeans Commercial Helped the Steve Miller Band Land a UK No. 1 With a 16-Year-Old Song]

Upon its 1988 rerelease, The Hollies’ version topped the UK chart for two weeks. It also peaked at No. 2 in Ireland and reached No. 6 on the European Hot 100.

How The Hollies Came to Record “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”

“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” was the second single The Hollies released after Graham Nash left the band to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. The band’s guitarist, Tony Hicks, recalled finding the song during a 2006 interview.

“In the 1960s, when we were short of songs, I used to root around publishers in Denmark Street. One afternoon, I’d been there ages and wanted to get going, but this bloke said, ‘Well, there’s one more song. It’s probably not for you,’” Hicks recalled. “He played me the demo by the writers. It sounded like a 45rpm record played at 33rpm, the singer was slurring like he was drunk. But it had something about it,” he added.

The other members of The Hollies didn’t immediately see the song’s charm. However, after speeding it up and adding the orchestra, they could see what Hicks saw in it. “The only things left recognizable were the lyrics,” he said of their version of the song.

“Elton John–who was still called Reg–played piano on it and her got paid 12 pounds. It was a worldwide hit twice,” Hicks added. At the time, Reginald Dwight was a session musician working at EMI Studios when The Hollies recorded the song in the summer of 1969. While he had been using the stage name Elton John for two years, he wouldn’t legally change his name until January 1972.

Featured Image by Ivan Keeman/Redferns