My Wilson Phillips Top 10 Countdown
Wilson Phillips time at the top, much like Paula Abdul’s, was short but in that brief window they were one of the biggest pop acts in the world. Between 1990 & 1992 they had 2 multi-platinum top 5 albums, which spun off 7 top 40 hits combined, 3 of which hit #1 on the U.S. Hot 100. After that the girls split into 2 with Chynna Phillips pursuing a solo career and Carnie and Wendy releasing material together including a Christmas album, which contains the holiday hit “Hey Santa.” In all honesty Hey Santa might be the girl’s most well known hit outside Hold On.
Eventually Wilson Phillips reunited at the start of the new millennium and have released a series of cover albums, 2 of which were covers of the ‘60s & ‘70s plus a 3rd album of all Christmas music. They continue to tour all across the country and are probably coming to a town near you very soon. I’ve yet to see them live somehow even though they headlined the D.C. Capital Pride Concert back in 2015. At some point I’ll need to make a point to go see them.
As for this countdown I’ve decided to stick to their first 2 studio albums of all original material. The later day cover albums definitely have their place and the girls do perform songs from those cover albums all the time live, but it’s the first 2 albums that define their career and legacy. As always this is just my opinion and not a definitive ranking but for the most part this list contains most of their essential recordings.
10. Ooh You’re Gold
The songs that Wendy Wilson sings solo on are usually much more upbeat and pop and I like that. Not the best of her solo songs hence why it was never a single unlike her 2 others, which are gonna be ranked higher on this list. Still a good deep cut that’s pretty a cute pop song.
09. The Dream Is Still Alive
As I mentioned in my previous article Wilson Phillips has deep ties to the 60s thanks to being the daughters of Brian Wilson and John & Michelle Phillips and they are also deeply influenced by the music of the 60s & 70s as well. The Dream Is Still Alive, which was the fifth and final single off their smash debut, sees them pay homage to the musicians who came before them including those who sadly didn’t make it out of the 60s & 70s alive such as Jimi Hendrix. Yet even if many of the key figures of the 60s met a tragic end their influence still lives on. The Dream is Still Alive is little cheesy sure but Wilson Phillips’ hearts are in the right place.
08. You Won’t See Me Cry
The first single off the girls 1992 sophomore album Shadows & Light feels like a sequel to Release Me. Both songs feature a striking black & white music video and both songs feature the girls singing in 3 part harmonies for the entirety of the song. If you loved the first album, especially for ballads like Release Me and Over & Over, but overlooked the follow up then this will be the song that should grab you quickest. Also you know me I gotta give props to that sax solo!
07. It’s Only Life
The opening track off Shadows & Lights is a pretty catchy and upbeat pop song with memorable production. I also really like the horns on this track as well which should come as no surprise. This feels like it should have been a single and had it been released just 1 year earlier before the onslaught of Grunge I could have easily seen this song going into the pop top 10.
06. Release Me
The song the girls like singing the most together and that’s because like You Won’t See Me Cry, Release Me features all 3 of the girls singing in 3 part harmonies for the entire duration of the song. Release Me was Wilson Phillips second # 1 hit and it helped them from not being trapped as a one hit wonder. It’s also the second song I discovered by them as well and made me interested in hearing more eventually. I don’t hear Release Me as much as Hold On these days but most people still remember and recognize this one. Release Me is a strong early 90s pop ballad that features the girls’ harmonies at their best.
05. Over & Over
My favorite deep cut by Wilson Phillips. If I was in charge back then (and clearly I wasn’t because I was only 4 years old during the duration of their debut album’s life cycle) I would have made this the 5th single. Over & Over features moody but hypnotic production that is quit striking and ear grabbing. I also really like the guitar on this one. People complain about Wilson Phillips’ music being very middle of the road but on their first album there’s actually a lot of solid guitar work going on in the background. I will go more into depth on that later on this list but needless to say I like the guitar work, atmospheric production and the girls harmonies on this one quit a bit. I’ve been returning to this song more and more in the past few years ever since updating to Spotify as it was not included on my 10 track Best of CD I bought back in college.
04. Give It Up
The second single off 1992’s Shadows & Light and the final top 40 hit for Wilson Phillips I think is an underrated pop gem. This song is one of the upbeat bops sung by Wendy and I loved it from the moment I first heard it when I purchased their 10 Track Best of CD for $3.99 back in College. Obviously, I think the horns are a nice touch throughout the song and I love that key change during the bridge. I think Give It Up was a great pop song that was victim to the huge sea change in popular music that occurred after Nirvana’s Nevermind went # 1. Of course, I love Grunge and I am actually happy that Nevermind ended up doing what it did, but there were a few pop diva causalities in the early the 90s that I do mourn such as Paula Abdul, Taylor Dayne and Wilson Phillips. Nonetheless even if I love songs like Evenflow or In Bloom I still love songs like Give It Up too and if you love early 90s pop you will love it as well.
03. You’re In Love
The girl’s 3rd # 1 single and their second biggest hit worldwide after Hold On is pretty much classic Wilson Phillips. When I started digging more into them this was a song I recognized immediately. I didn’t know it was Wilson Phillips during the early 90s but I remember hearing this one a lot on the light rock station my mom used to play in the car when I was younger. Like Release Me I don’t hear it as much now but it’s definitely a classic early 90s pop ballad. This was the sound of mainstream pop before Grunge came along.
02. Impulsive
My favorite Wendy sung bop was the girl’s 3rd single and a top 5 hit at the end of 1990, which Wilson Phillips performed on MTV’s New Year’s Eve celebration. I have to say I really like the guitar work on this track A LOT. I like the shimmery opening guitar chords, the slightly grittier guitar riffs happening in the background throughout, that slide guitar that pops up here & there and I really like that guitar solo at the end too, which is cut off a bit in the music video version compared to the album version. You may think I’m crazy for talking about how good the guitar work is on a Wilson Phillips song but hear me out because guess who plays guitar on this song: Joe Walsh! Yes THAT Joe Walsh from the James Gang and The Eagles who is also known for solo hits like Life’s Been Good and Rocky Mountain Way. Joe is a guitar hero and legend and while this is certainly not his flashiest work to date, it adds a bit of grit to this song that makes me like it a whole lot! I also used to sing the main chorus around my girl friends all the time in college “I wanna be Impulsive. RECKLESS!” I would sing this especially when I wanted to go out drinking and try to meet cute boys.
01. Hold On
While I love Wilson Phillips and enjoy all the songs on this list, I’m no fool. I know that at the end of the day this song is basically their legacy. This is the song everyone still knows and loves by Wilson Phillips and like Britney Spears’ Toxic it’s a pop diva song even straight guys will admit to liking as well. There’s a reason this not only launched their career but became the biggest # 1 hit of 1990 according to Billboard. It’s got a sky-high chorus that makes everybody want to sing along at the top of their lungs, which is just what happened at my wedding when it was played as the final song of the night. It also features more solid guitar work from Joe Walsh who helps the song soar even higher. It’s also a song whose message I have taken to heart the older I get, which is that life can be cruel but you are the keeper of your own destiny and if you learn to live life at its fullest and take charge of your future things can get better. Sometimes when my concussion was at its worst, I thought about the main chorus to this song a lot. Before Katy Perry’s Firework there was Wilson Phillips Hold On, which was THE empowerment pop anthem of the 90s and it still feels empowering in 2019. So let’s have ourselves a Wilson Phillips pride proud right now on the beach shall we!
