Happy 50th: The Hollies, “Look Through Any Window”

50 years ago today, the Hollies released the single in the UK which would, when it finally saw US release the following month, provide the band with their very first top-40 hit in America.

Written by Graham Gouldman and Charles Silverman, “Look Through Any Window” came on the heels of “I'm Alive,” a track which - ironically enough - failed to make a dent on the American charts despite having been written by an American: Clint Ballard, Jr., also known for having composed “Game of Love” (Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders) and “You're No Good,” which was recorded by Dee Dee Warwick, Betty Everett, and the Swinging Blue Jeans before Linda Ronstadt turned it into a #1 hit.

Thankfully, “Look Through Any Window” changed the Hollies' fortunes, hitting #32 in January 1966. Of course, it hit #3 in the UK, so the band most decidedly remained more popular in their homeland, but the chiming guitar and instantly hummable chorus - both of which tended to be trademarks of Gouldman's compositions - made enough of an impact on America listeners that the song was far from their last US chart success.

It's probably also notable that this was easily the most confusing era of the Hollies' career insofar as different releases on different shores. Their 1965 UK album, simply titled Hollies, saw release a few months later in the States with a tweaked track listing and a new title: Hear! Here! Weirdly, it was given yet another track tweaking and title change in Canada, where it was known as Love n' Flowers. For what it's worth, though, “Look Through Any Window” was actually a much bigger hit in the Great White North, making it all the way to #3 on the singles chart, proving that sometimes even multi-territory record label shenanigans can't keep a good pop song down.