The Hollies vs. Donny Hathaway | Head 2 Head

On the 4^th edition of Head 2 Head (2022), The Hollies and Donny Hathaway contend for the best rendition of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” 

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elcome to Head 2 Head ! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more. “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, our song at hand, is a truly beautiful, thoughtful record through and through.  Penned by Bob Russell and Bob Scott, this inspired classic has been covered by many musicians.  The song title long predates the song. On the 4^th edition of head-to-head (2022), The Hollies and Donny Hathaway contend for the best rendition.  So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. The Hollies, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”

20 Golden Greats • Parlophone• 1978

“His welfare is my concern / No burden is he to bear /… He would not encumber me / He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” Those lyrics give me chills! To reiterate, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” is a truly beautiful, thoughtful song – one I wished I’d written. Among the earliest versions of this Bob Russell / Bob Scott penned cut comes from British pop/rock band The Hollies, which formed in the early 1960s.  Allan Clarke provides the commanding, spirited lead vocals.  Clarke does a magnificent job of illustrating the text, which has no shortage of emotion and ‘weight.’

“If I’m laden at all

I’m laden with sadness

That everyone’s heart

Isn’t filled with gladness

Of love for one another.”

 

A force on his own, Allan Clarke gets a lift from potent, stunning vocal harmonies that appear tastefully throughout. Besides those punch-packing harmonies, a then up-and-coming Elton John accompanies the band on piano.  In addition to those sweet pianistic skills, the band gets another lift – an orchestra! Those strings soar on this authentic ballad, clearly propelling it to top-ten hit status stateside, and eventually hitting no. 1 in the UK.  Had no other version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” been recorded (including the original prior to The Hollies), this version would be the definitive take. Of course, many, many iconic musicians have adopted this one in their songbooks.

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2. Donny Hathaway, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”

Donny Hathaway • Atlantic • 1971

British pop/rock band The Hollies own the most successful version of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”.  In The Hollies’ hands, this spectacular ballad peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.  Worldwide, it was a big hit.  Amazingly, Neil Diamond also earned success with the Bob Russell / Bob Scott penned record, peaking at no. 20.  While Neil ‘did the damn thing’ like The Hollies before him, a later rendition by Donny Hathaway provides a stark contrast.  Hathaway, a soul musician, naturally provides a soulful rendition, something far different from The Hollies or Neil Diamond.

In Hathaway’s hands, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” expands to nearly six minutes – nearly two minutes longer than The Hollies/Diamond.  Hathaway slackens the pace, milking this emotional number for all its worth.  That doesn’t mean that Donny over-sings – he doesn’t! Hathaway provides a balanced, classy, nuanced performance, providing more oomph and punch when it feels appropriate.  Besides his prodigious vocals, Mr. Hathaway ‘changes up’ the arrangement.  The lush strings accompanying The Hollies’ version don’t appear until the end. Instead, we get a more prominent piano part, taken directly from the church.  Furthermore, joining the rhythm section are bells, which perfectly capture the ‘good Samaritan’ vibes of carrying one’s brother.  In Hathaway’s hands, there’s no way you’re not enamored by the authenticity of his vocal performance – he really, really sells this fourth track from 1971’s Donny Hathaway.

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The Verdict

The Hollies or Donny Hathaway?  My, oh my, this is a difficult decision!  The good news is, it’s easy to appreciate and respect both versions of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”. Why? Because these are two starkly different versions of the same song. Being the child of two soul enthusiasts, and being born long after this song was released, I heard the Hathaway rendition first, so, it’ll always have a special place in my heart.  Furthermore, it’s hard NOT to crown Donny in most cases, right? Right! THAT SAID, the edge goes to The Hollies because they truly put this oft-covered classic on the map.  I can totally see why their quicker version performed so well on the charts worldwide.

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The Hollies vs. Donny Hathaway: Head 2 Head No. 4 (2022) [: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Layers, The Musical Hype, Parlophone, Pexels, Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Valentin Tikhonov]

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