Song · The War On Drugs
“Holding On” by The War On Drugs
From the album A Deeper Understanding (2017)
“Holding On” by The War On Drugs appears on 18 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 2017 and 2026. It was first released in 2017 on the album A Deeper Understanding. Its best result is #3 on the WXPN Year in Review: Top 50 Songs of 2017. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #113 alternative song of 2017.
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Video from YouTube (The War On Drugs). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Holding On" comes from A Deeper Understanding, the War on Drugs' 2017 album, and it's Adam Granduciel's show from top to bottom: he produced it, wrote the words, co-wrote the music with Robbie Bennett, sings lead and plays acoustic and electric guitar and synthesizer.
The band fills in every corner around him. Bennett adds piano and celesta, Dave Hartley plays bass and glockenspiel, Patrick Berkery handles drums and percussion, Michael Bloch brings a second electric guitar, Max Hart layers on more synth, and two slide players, Anthony LaMarca and Duffy, weave through it all. Shawn Everett mixed the lot, and with that many parts stacked up the track feels made for the long highway drive rather than the quick hit.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 37 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2017 | 91 |
| 2017 | 3 | WXPN Philadelphia, PA | WXPN Year in Review: Top 50 Songs of 2017 | 50 |
| 2017 | 32 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2017 | 89 |
| 2017 | 15 | 90.9 The Bridge Kansas City, MO | 90.9 The Bridge Top 100 Songs of 2017 | 90 |
| 2017 | 74 | WFUV New York, NY | WFUV Top 90 Songs of 2017 | 90 |
| 2017 | 12 | Lightning 100 Nashville, TN | Lightning 100 Top 200 Songs of 2017 | 200 |
| 2017 | 78 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2017 | 103 |
| 2017 | 43 | WERS 88.9 Boston, MA | WERS Top 88 Songs of 2017 | 88 |
| 2017 | 23 | WRNR 103.1 Annapolis, MD | WRNR Top 103.1 Songs of 2017 | 104 |
| 2017 | 29 | 92.3 WTTS Indianapolis-Bloomington, IN | WTTS Top 50 Songs of 2017 | 50 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 242 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2019 | 242 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2024 | 156 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 879 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 693 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
| 2025 | 351 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 356 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
| 2026 | 761 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
| 2026 | 268 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
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