Don't Let Him Go

{{Infobox song

| name = Don't Let Him Go

| cover = Don't_Let_Him_Go_cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = REO Speedwagon

| album = Hi Infidelity

| B-side = I Wish You Were There

| released = June 1981{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr00stro/page/684/mode/2up?q=REO+speedwagon|title=Great Rock Discography|page=685}}

| recorded = August 19, 1980

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Hard rock, power pop

| length = 3:47

| label = Epic

| writer = Kevin Cronin

| producer = Kevin Beamish
Kevin Cronin
Alan Gratzer
Gary Richrath

| prev_title = Take It on the Run

| prev_year = 1980

| next_title = In Your Letter

| next_year = 1981

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|B5lBzKGSxNA|"Don't Let Him Go"}}}}

}}

"Don't Let Him Go" is a song written by Kevin Cronin. It was originally released as the opening song for REO Speedwagon's #1 album Hi Infidelity. It was also released as a single, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.{{cite book |title= Top Pop Singles 1955-2012|last= Whitburn|first= Joel|author-link= Joel Whitburn|year= 2013|publisher= Record Research, Inc.|location= Menomonee Falls, WI|isbn= 978-0-89820-205-2|page= 703}} "Don't Let Him Go" has appeared on several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums.{{cite web | url = http://www.allmusic.com/song/dont-let-him-go-mt0000334466| title = REO Speedwagon, Don't Let Him Go (Appears On)| access-date = 2015-02-18 | work = Allmusic | publisher = Rovi Corporation}}

Cronin recalls "Don't Let Him Go" being the first song he wrote for Hi Infidelity.{{cite web|title=The History of REO Speedwagon's 'Hi Infidelity': Interview|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/reo-speedwagon-hi-infidelity/|author=Wardlaw, Matt|date=November 21, 2017|access-date=2017-11-25|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock}} Like the #1 single from the album, "Keep on Loving You," the lyrics of "Don't Let Him Go" are about breaking up with a longtime girlfriend.{{cite news|title=REO Speedwagon: Barometer for Performers|author=Takiff, J.|page=26|newspaper=Boca Raton News|date=November 14, 1982}} According to Joseph Timmons of Seattle Post Intelligencer, the song is a "warning to not take the man you love for granted."{{cite web|title=Music Review: REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity [30th Anniversary Edition]|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-REO-Speedwagon-Hi-Infidelity-1456845.php#ixzz1xhBNJ2UZ|author=Timmons, J.|date=July 7, 2011|publisher=Hearst Communications|access-date=2012-06-13}} Casandra Armour of vintagerock.com described the lyrics as having the singer pleading on behalf of a friend who has "a lot of swag but not much substance" but "just needs a chance to grow."{{cite web|title=Hi Infidelity (30th Anniversary Edition)|author=Armour, Casandra|url=http://www.vintagerock.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1148:reo-speedwagon-hi-infidelity&catid=80:reissues-compilations-and-live-releases&Itemid=58|publisher=vintagerock.com|access-date=2016-09-24}} Cronin has said that the song is based on the experiences of all the band members and is basically a plea to all their girlfriends to have patience with them.

Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine remarked on the song's "insistent beat."{{cite web|title=Hi Infidelity|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/hi-infidelity-mw0000191545|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=2012-06-13}} He and other critics have also pointed out that the song was influenced by Bo Diddley.{{cite book|title=The Year in rock, 1981-82|author=Swenson, J.|page=254|year=1981|publisher=Delilah Books}} Cronin himself has stated that it is based on a slightly modified Bo Diddley beat. Author Chuck Eddy described it as a "Bo Diddleyed do-si-do."{{cite book|title=The Accidental Evolution of Rock'N'Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music|author=Eddy, C.|page=[https://archive.org/details/accidentalevolut00eddy/page/23 23]|year=1997|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=9780306807411|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/accidentalevolut00eddy/page/23}} Armour describes the music as "a jaunty kind of hand-jive peppered with power chords." Pete Bishop of The Pittsburgh Press described "Don't Let Him Go" as a "straight-ahead melodic rocker."{{cite news|title=Speedwagon Back on Fast Track|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19850212&id=6EkcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FmIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6980,5570032|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=February 12, 1985|page=B8|access-date=2016-09-24}} Allmusic critic Barry Weber described the song as an "underrated rocker."{{cite web|title=The Hits|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hits-mw0000195082|author=Weber, Barry|access-date=2016-09-26|publisher=Allmusic}} Record World said that "pounding drums, ringing guitars and synthesizer swooshes surround Kevin Cronin's lead vocal cry."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=June 13, 1981|page=1|accessdate=2023-02-27|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-06-13-Full.pdf}}

"Don't Let Him Go" was also included on the compilation albums The Hits and The Essential REO Speedwagon. A live version was included on The Second Decade of Rock and Roll, 1981-1991, Arch Allies: Live at Riverport, and Setlist: The Very Best of REO Speedwagon Live. In 1981, the band performed the song on the television show America's Top 10.{{cite book|title=TV Guide|year=1981|publisher=Triangle Publications|page=222}}

The band routinely opens its concerts with this song.