The band 38 Special carried the traditions of Southern rock into the ’80s and streamlined the formula into a series of radio-ready hits. “Hold on Loosely,” released in 1981, gave the band their first Top 40 hit, and set the template for the future success the band scored throughout the decade.

“Hold on Loosely” sagely suggests that insecurity leads to clinginess in relationships, and clinginess can lead to the severing of those relationships. The killer opening couplet sets the tone: You see it all around you / Good loving gone bad. And why does that happen? The narrator remembers the advice of an old girlfriend: If you cling too tightly to her / You’re gonna lose control.

The second verse explains how easily you can fall into this trap, all the while thinking you’re doing the right thing: To overprotect her / To love her too much. Instead, it’s all about knowing when to back off: Your baby needs someone to believe in / And a whole lot of space to breathe in.

“Hold on Loosely” proved there was indeed life for Southern rock in the ’80s after all, as long as musicians could delve into the format while also adhering to the clean production lines that were all the rage at the time. And 38 Special had it down pat, with this song just the tip of their Platinum-selling iceberg.

Check out Richard Goodall’s fantastic cover below.