The Hollies were paid a “fortune” for the use of ‘The Air That I Breathe’ in the upcoming horror flick ‘Saw X’.
Guitarist-and-singer Tony Hicks, 77, has admitted the group were “very surprised” by the version of their 1974 classic featured in the trailer for the upcoming instalment in the blockbuster franchise, and nearly fell over when they received a rather large undisclosed sum for agreeing to the use of the hit.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, Tony said: “They paid a fortune to us to use ‘The Air That I Breathe’ in the new ‘Saw’ movie that’s coming out [‘Saw X’].
“They played around with the song. It’s quite remarkable … we were very surprised.”
The Hollies – also including 81-year-old drummer Bobby Elliott – are embarking on a UK tour, kicking off on September 16 in Blackburn and wrapping on November 9 at the iconic London Palladium.
Tony says the ‘Here I Go Again’ hitmakers will never quit touring and insists that choosing to play squash and go for runs instead of getting drunk with his bandmates after shows is the secret to him still being fit enough to tour in his late 70s.
He said: “I used to be a regular squash player and used to go jogging, I mean, I’ve jogged absolutely everywhere in in the world. That kept me going, you know, when you’re on the road with a band, and you’ve arrived somewhere, I don’t know, mid morning, and you’ve got until the night time before you do a performance. I mean, you either do that what I did, you know, got out and do exercises or you go in the bar and just get p*****d. You know, I prefer to do what I did. And that kept me sort of pretty much sane and things.”
Fans can expect all the hits, including ‘Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)’, ‘The Air That I Breathe’, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ and ‘Bus Stop’.
Meanwhile, they recently sold the rights to their back catalogue to BMG.
The deal includes recordings from their “golden period in the US,” including the 1972 classic ‘Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)’, which are now owned by the major label.
The group have spent a total of 263 weeks in the top 40 in the UK, and they have performed continuously since forming in 1962, with varying line-ups.
Their tracks have also been featured in many movies and adverts over the years.
In 1995, the Hollies were awarded an Ivor Novello for their outstanding contribution to British music.
In 2010, the group were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their “impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of Rock and Roll.”
Head to TheHolliesOfficial.com for the full tour dates and tickets.