People Hold On

In a retrospective review, Matthew Hocter from Albumism described "People Hold On" as "an innovative dance track".{{cite web|first= Matthew |last= Hocter |title= Lisa Stansfield's Debut Album 'Affection' Turns 30: Anniversary Retrospective |publisher= Albumism |date= 17 November 2019 |access-date= 3 May 2020 |url= https://www.albumism.com/features/lisa-stansfield-debut-album-affection-turns-30-anniversary-retrospective}} Bill Coleman from Billboard felt it "deserves to be a multiformat smash. Positive lyrics, killer R&B/dance rhythm, and a stellar performance from Blue Zone U.K. vocalist Stansfield merits immediate attention if you're not already hip." He concluded, "From the forthcoming album What's That Noise?, expect this retro-sounding track to be a fave all summer long. Wonderful."{{cite magazine|first=Bill|last=Coleman|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1989/1989-06-17-Billboard-Page-0029.pdf|title=Hot New Picks Kick Off Long Hot Summer|magazine=Billboard|date=17 June 1989|page=31|access-date=15 June 2024}} Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune remarked Stansfield's "elastic" voice.{{cite magazine|first=Greg|last=Kot|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-05-23-9002120037-story.html|title=Lisa Stansfield Puts An Appealing Spin On The Soul Revival|magazine=Chicago Tribune|date=23 May 1990|access-date=4 April 2020|author-link=Greg Kot}} Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger complimented her "as a house vocalist". He added, "Lisa Stansfield was a terrific find: she could play the belter with the best of them, but also provide a calm centre for Coldcut's gleeful cut-and-mix pyrotechnics and pianos. Best of all, she sounded like she was having a tremendous time."{{cite web|first=Tom|last=Ewing|url=http://freakytrigger.co.uk/popular/2010/10/lisa-stansfield-all-around-the-world/#more-19811|title=Lisa Stansfield – "All Around The World"|publisher=Freaky Trigger|date=8 October 2010|access-date=6 March 2020}} A reviewer from Music & Media said, "An effective mixture of Stansfield's soul voice and a rare groove/house backing. Great dance track with a strong melody."{{cite magazine|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-04-01.pdf|title=Previews: Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=6|issue=13|date=1 April 1989|page=25|access-date=26 March 2018}} Jerry Smith from Music Week named it "unforgettable".{{cite magazine|first=Jerry|last=Smith|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1989/MW-1989-05-27.pdf|title=Singles|work=Music Week|date=27 May 1989|page=21|access-date=13 March 2023}} David Quantick from NME wrote, "Their 'People Hold On' is one of the best things done by either Coldcut or Stansfield, a chargingly daft love 'n' peace nonsense anthem that was really a call for drug-addled copulation. Most importantly for Stansfield, it emphasised a '70s soul stance that suited her voice."{{cite magazine|first=David|last=Quantick|work=NME|title=Long Play|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/51825808286/|date=18 November 1989|access-date=24 February 2023|author-link=David Quantick}} Edward Hill from The Plain Dealer praised the song as "fabulous".Hill, Edward (23 February 1990). "Debut disc has few good cuts". The Plain Dealer. Marisa Fox from Spin complimented it as a "catchy hit".{{cite magazine|first=Marisa|last=Fox|title=Spins|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v28LuIZchkEC|magazine=Spin|date=May 1990|page=80|access-date=2 November 2020}} Joe Brown from The Washington Post described it as "propulsive".Brown, Joe (23 March 1990). "New Chanteuses Get Down Tonight". The Washington Post.

"People Hold On" peaked within the top 20 in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 11 on 9 April 1989, during its fourth week on the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, the song was a top-30 hit in West Germany, a top-40 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands, and a top-50 hit in France. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "People Hold On" reached number 26 in April 1989. Outside Europe, it peaked at number six on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart while reaching numbers 37 and 78 in New Zealand and Australia, respectively.

The accompanying music video for "People Hold On" was directed by Big TV!. In the video, Stansfield, Coldcut and some dancers performs in front of a purple backdrop. Other times Stansfiels performs towards a black background or in front of a fountain. She wears a black/red outfit, red lipstick and her characteristically kiss curls. In between there are technically aquipments, as keyboards, paraboles, radios and speakers, floating in the air.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IoWjow6xDs|title=Coldcut - People Hold On (Official Video) ft. Lisa Stansfield|publisher=YouTube|date=14 March 2012|access-date=15 June 2024}}

British music publication Fact ranked "People Hold On" number 11 in their list of "21 Diva-House Belters That Still Sound Incredible" in 2014, writing:

{{cquote|Yeah it's cheesy and loved up and utopian – and what? It really hit the spot back then, find yourself in the right situation now and it still does. Also the a cappella has found its way over so many different beats in bootlegs and DJ sets over the years, this track is woven into the very fabric of things.{{cite web|last=Muggs|first=Joe|title=Let's Fackin' Ave It! 21 diva-house belters that still sound incredible|url=http://www.factmag.com/2014/01/23/lets-fackin-ave-it-21-diva-house-belters-that-still-sound-incredible/12/|website=Fact|date=23 January 2014|access-date=15 December 2019}}}}

Electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked it as one of the 20 best songs in their "The 20 Best Diva House Tracks" list in 2019, adding:

{{cquote|The tune put the pair on the map and influential producers like Juan Atkins, Dimitri from Paris and Masters at Work, took notice of the UK duo's talent and each took shots at remixing the track. It's a clean and powerful dance track with a strong melody that marked the beginning of Coldcut's iconic career.{{cite web|title=The 20 best diva house tracks|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/20-essential-diva-house-tracks|website=Mixmag|access-date=16 September 2019}}}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• Australian and European 7-inch single

1. "People Hold On" – 3:58
2. "Yes, Yes, Yes" – 3:33

• Australian and European CD single

1. "People Hold On" – 3:58
2. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:24
3. "Yes, Yes, Yes" – 5:40

• Australian and European 12-inch single

1. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:24
2. "Yes, Yes, Yes" (Hedmaster Mix) – 5:40

• European 12-inch single (The Blaze Mix)

1. "People Hold On" (New Jersey Jazz Mix) – 8:49
2. "People Hold On" (Speng Mix) – 6:34
3. "People Hold On" (A Capella) – 2:08
4. "Yes, Yes, Yes" – 5:40

{{col-2}}

• US 12-inch single

1. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:24
2. "People Hold On" (Speng Mix) – 6:34
3. "People Hold On" (Radio Mix) – 3:58
4. "People Hold On" (New Jersey Jazz Mix) – 8:49
5. "People Hold On" (A Capella) – 2:08

• US 12-inch single (Limited Edition)

1. "People Hold On" (NYC Club Mix) – 7:58
2. "People Hold On" (Dirty Piano Mix) – 5:33
3. "People Hold On" (Perk-Appella Mix) – 6:21
4. "People Hold On" (Radio Mix) – 3:58
5. "People Hold On" (NYC Club Edit) – 4:33
6. "People Hold On" (R.E.T.T. Dub) – 8:07

• US 12-inch single (Masters at Work Mixes)

1. "People Hold On" (MAW Mix 1)
2. "People Hold On" (MAW Mix 2)
3. "People Hold On" (MAW Mix 3)
4. "People Hold On" (MAW Mix 4)

{{col-end}}

{{Infobox song

| name = People Hold On (The Bootleg Mixes)

| cover = People Hold On Remix by Lisa Stansfield.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Lisa Stansfield vs the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

| album = Lisa Stansfield

| released = {{Start date|df=y|1997|1|6}}{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=19|date=28 December 1996}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Dance

| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=42}}

| label = Arista

| writer =

• Matt Black
• Jonathan More
• Lisa Stansfield

| producer = The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

| chronology = Lisa Stansfield

| prev_title = Dream Away

| prev_year = 1994

| next_title = The Real Thing

| next_year = 1997

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|BV179CmOkGg|"People Hold On" (The Bootleg Mixes)}}}}

}}

In 1996, "People Hold On" was remixed by British producers Dan Bewick and Matt Frost as the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The CD single with these Bootleg Mixes was released on 6 January 1997 and charted higher than the original version of the song in 1989, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK Dance Singles Chart as well as the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels took their cue from Armand Van Helden's radical reworking of Tori Amos' "Professional Widow", which topped the UK chart the week that the bootleg mixes debuted.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19970112/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=12 January 1997|access-date=6 January 2021}}

Because of this success, "People Hold On" (Bootleg Mix) was included on Stansfield's eponymous album (1997) as a bonus track. The music video, directed by Max Abbiss-Biro, does not include any new footage of Stansfield but uses small fragments taken from "Change" and "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" videos. Later, "People Hold On" (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Mix) was also featured on The Remix Album (1998) and a limited edition of Biography: The Greatest Hits (2003). On 24 October 2006, Dance Vault Mixes of "People Hold On" were released digitally. In 2014, Jon Is the Don Mix of "People Hold On" was included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Lisa Stansfield (also on The Collection 1989–2003).

Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal wrote, "This bootleg is only going to be available for one week at the start of the New Year and can be expected to do big things. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Armand Van Helden’s remix of Tori Amos’ excellent 'Professional Widow', except featuring vocals from Lisa's classic". The newspaper added that "the rush to get a copy will probably see it in the Top Ten. Not bad at all, even if a tad unoriginal."Aberdeen Press and Journal. 26 December 1996. p.8.

• European CD single

1. "People Hold On" (Dirty Radio Mix) – 3:42
2. "People Hold On" (Jon Is the Don Mix) – 8:09

• Australian and European CD maxi-single

1. "People Hold On" (Dirty Radio Mix) – 3:42
2. "People Hold On" (Original 7" Version) – 3:58
3. "People Hold On" (Jon Is the Don Mix) – 8:09
4. "People Hold On" (Monjack Dub) – 7:59
5. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:21

• European 12-inch single

1. "People Hold On" (Jon Is the Don Mix) – 8:09
2. "People Hold On" (Original 7" Version) – 3:58
3. "People Hold On" (Monjack Dub) – 7:59
4. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:21

• 2006 US digital Dance Vault mixes

1. "People Hold On" (Dirty Radio Mix) – 3:42
2. "People Hold On" (Original 7" Version) – 3:58
3. "People Hold On" (Jon Is the Don Mix) – 8:09
4. "People Hold On" (Monjack Dub) – 7:59
5. "People Hold On" (Full Length Disco Mix) – 9:21

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

• List of number-one dance singles of 1997 (U.S.)

{{Reflist}}

{{Lisa Stansfield}}

{{Coldcut}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1989 songs

Category:1989 singles

Category:1997 singles

Category:Coldcut songs

Category:Lisa Stansfield songs

Category:Arista Records singles

Category:Acid house songs

Category:Music videos directed by Big T.V.

Category:Songs written by Lisa Stansfield