| On a Carousel | |
| Cover: | Hollies - On a Carousel US.jpg |
| Caption: | US Picture Sleeve |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Hollies |
| B-Side: | All the World Is Love |
| Released: | 10 February 1967 |
| Recorded: | 11 and 13 January 1967 |
| Studio: | EMI, London[1] |
| Genre: | Psychedelic pop[2] |
| Length: | 3:07 |
| Label: |
|
| Producer: | Ron Richards |
| Prev Title: | Stop Stop Stop |
| Prev Year: | 1966 |
| Next Title: | Carrie Anne |
| Next Year: | 1967 |
"On a Carousel" is a song written by Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks. It was released by the Hollies as a single in February 1967, having been recorded the previous month, on the Parlophone label in the UK and Imperial in the US. Nash would opine: "We knew it was a hit from the get-go." "[3]
Nash would recall that prior to "On a Carousel", "our biggest hits were Graham Gouldman songs ... Tony, Allan and I wanted desperately to write a monster A-side ... We thought we were good enough writers, we knew the combination, how to come up with a universal theme, the right kind of hook. So we went through a shitload of ideas until inspiration struck. I'm not sure which of the three of us came up with funfairs ... We [realized] a love affair was pretty much like going round and round and round on a carousel. And before we knew it the song just took shape. It was all there, the words, the tune, there was no stopping it. And Tony and Bobby [Elliott] wrapped it up in an exceptional arrangement."[3]
"On a Carousel" was the Hollies first A-side on which Graham Nash sang lead vocals, although only for the first few lines. It was the Hollies' second-last single to be released in the US by Imperial before the band switched to the Epic label. The song was a hit in the UK, peaking at #4 on the single charts, and in Canada it made #7 in the RPM Magazine charts. It was also a hit in the United States, peaking at #11 on the Billboard chart.
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set)[4] | 14 |
| Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[5] | 25 |