Hold Me in Your Arms (album)


Hold Me in Your Arms is the second album by English pop singer Rick Astley, released in November 1988 on RCA Records. It is the follow-up to his successful debut album Whenever You Need Somebody.

Background

Half of the tracks on Hold Me in Your Arms were written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and the other half were Astley's own compositions, produced by PWL associates Phil Harding, Ian Curnow and Daize Washbourn. The release of the album was delayed a few months due to a fire at PWL Studios which destroyed some of Astley's recorded material. This would be Astley's last album with Stock Aitken Waterman, due to Astley wanting to leave behind the dance-pop sound of the producers and wanting to shed his boy next door image. Astley wanted to focus on his original compositions for future albums, reappearing in 1991 with the soul album Free.
A remastered version of Hold Me in Your Arms, containing some remixes, was released in 2010.

Single releases

The album spawned five singles. Unlike his previous album, where all the singles were Stock Aitken Waterman compositions and productions, Astley's compositions were also released as singles. The lead single, "She Wants to Dance with Me", was Astley's first single which he wrote himself, and became a worldwide top 10 hit. In Europe, "Take Me to Your Heart" and "Hold Me in Your Arms" were released as the next singles. "Giving Up on Love" was released as the second single from the album in the US and Canada, and was later released in some countries of continental Europe as the fourth and last single from the album, and a cover of The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" was released as the third and last single in the US and Japan.

Commercial performance

Hold Me in Your Arms continued Astley's success, with the three UK singles from the album becoming top 10 hits. While it did not achieve the same level of sales as his debut album, it sold well all around the world, achieving Platinum and Gold certifications worldwide.

Track listing

All tracks written by Rick Astley, unless otherwise noted.
  1. "She Wants to Dance with Me" – 3:14
  2. "Take Me to Your Heart" – 3:27
  3. "I Don't Want to Lose Her" – 3:31
  4. "Giving Up on Love" – 4:01
  5. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" – 4:19
  6. "Till Then " – 3:14
  7. "Dial My Number" – 4:09
  8. "I'll Never Let You Down" – 3:55
  9. "I Don't Want to Be Your Lover" – 3:58
  10. "Hold Me in Your Arms" – 4:32
2010 bonus tracks
  2. "My Arms Keep Missing You" – 3.14
  3. "I'll Be Fine" – 3:44
  4. "She Wants to Dance with Me" – 7:14
  5. "Take Me to Your Heart" – 6:38
  6. "My Arms Keep Missing You" – 6:46
  7. "Hold Me in Your Arms" – 7:37
  8. "Rick's Hit Mix" 5:49

    Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications