Wilson Phillips Hold On video

At the dawn of a new decade, a vibrant, hopeful song quickly emerged to set itself apart from the sea of “negative” grunge music that would soon follow. That song was, of course, Wilson Phillips’ most signature hit, “Hold On.” Released in February of 1990, the single, in retrospect, comes across like an urging to the masses to wait just a little bit longer for a sign of improvement after the dark pall cast by the conservative, stifling governments of the 1980s (especially in the U.S. and U.K.). Of course, in actuality, the inspiration behind the lyrics stemmed from lead singer Chynna Phillips’ struggle with addiction at the time, wielding what she was learning in AA and funneling it into a pop song.

As Phillips told Rolling Stone of writing it, “I thought to myself, ‘Well, AA tells me, just hold on, just one day at a time.’ I thought, ‘Okay, if I can just hold on for one more day, then I can do this.’ Not everyone was immediately taken with the uplifting message though. Phillips also recalled, “I remember one guy I played it for said, ‘That’s not going to go anywhere. That’s not a very good song. It’s really corny.’ I just remember thinking to myself, ‘God, I hope he’s wrong.’” And whoever he was, he couldn’t have been more off the mark, with “Hold On” going so far as to even dethrone Madonna’s “Vogue” from the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of June 9th, a major coup when taking into account how beloved “Vogue” was for most of 1990 (and well beyond, as a recent ice skating performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics reminded). Yet it was “Hold On” that proved to be the best-selling single of that year.

To complement the chirpy, uplifting nature of the track, an accompanying video, directed by Julien Temple (who, up until that point, had primarily directed for more “harder edge” musicians like Sex Pistols, Judas Priest, Depeche Mode, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie), the entirety of the video reads like a “picture-perfect” postcard of California. But then, considering that the members of Wilson Phillips are quite literally daughters to musicians who built careers on, for all intents and purposes, being “spokespeople” for the state, it makes a lot of sense. And perhaps being well-aware that Chynna is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips, key members of the Mamas & the Papas a.k.a. the band responsible for bringing the world “California Dreamin,” and that sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson are daughters to Brian Wilson, the true brainchild behind “California mascot” the Beach Boys, Temple figured a “California concept” was the only logical/homage-paying approach to such musical heritage.

So it is that the video begins with panoramic views of the snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains before the camera homes in on the trio giving the “tough love” advice, “No one can change your life except for you.” Indeed, the fact that those words seem “harsh” on paper but are softened by the harmonizing delivery only adds to the “California-ness” of it all. A state that has become known for its wellness retreats specializing in doling out such “severe” solutions delivered gently.

The suggestion to “open your heart and your mind” is also decidedly “L.A.” (think: the billboard in L.A. Story that tells Harris K. Telemacher [Steve Martin], “Let your mind go and your body will follow”). Ergo, the perfect time for Temple to, soon after, cut to the trio sitting all “kumbaya” (or The Craft, depending on your perspective) on the beach. Not just any beach, though: Venice Beach. And yes, there are moments when it looks like the idea Temple wants to convey is that they’re each having very contrasting drug trips and/or were shot separately and then kind of “spliced in” the same shot together.

Temple then proceeds to cut back and forth between this beach and mountain landscape—almost as if to tell viewers, “Look at how rich and varied California’s geography and topography is!” Even if Wendy Wilson was probably more keen to stay in the non-varied location of the beach, considering that she later admitted to catching hypothermia and needing to be removed from the mountaintop during the shoot. Because, needless to say, not all “California girls” are built for a cold environment. Yet Temple was the one who clearly wanted to offer up a “picture-perfect” postcard of the Golden State by choosing to reveal its diverse landscapes rather than focusing on the lone cliché of the beach (though, of course, everyone loves a good cliché, especially that one). This in addition to as Wendy Wilson put it, making it “feel very ‘California,’ but I guess that’s just who we are. I think that’s what helped to make it work.” (Until, sadly, it didn’t as the trio soon after disbanded.)

The hopefulness and general “it’ll all work out” mantra of the single also speaks not only to a kind of “California philosophy,” but, to be honest, a nepo baby one. This long before the term was ever coined and bandied so freely. However, it goes without saying that the nepo baby status of all three Wilson Phillips members might have had some influence on their assurance, “Don’t you know?/Things’ll change/Things’ll go your way/If you hold on/For one more day.” This said as the trio traipses down the Venice Beach boardwalk in, let’s call it, some very The Craft-inspired ensembles (which goes back to the previous apropos mention of The Craft).

Finally, as if to really drive the “positivity and good vibes” point home, Temple concludes the video with a shot of a stunning sunset. Ostensibly to visually reemphasize what Wilson Phillips was singing about—including the fact that it might only take until “one more day” for things to miraculously improve. In other words, a person’s fortune can change in the blink of an eye (though, in general, it’s not usually for the better). To be sure, that’s why so many have flocked to California over the course of history, seeking to alter their fates quickly and adventurously, taking a gamble on everything in the hope of a major payoff.

And though, initially, the payoff for Wilson Phillips forming a band together was very major indeed, it soon became apparent that taking their own advice to “hold on for one more day” was only doing them more harm than good, hence deciding to break up the band in 1993. Granted, they’ve reunited here and there a few times (even releasing an album of covers in 2004 called, what else, California). But they’ve never managed to recapture the “postcard magic” of what was frozen in time by the “Hold On” video. Because, alas, things don’t always go your way…even when you do hold on for one more day. And even in California.