The Hollies - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (1969)
In 1969, when British pop and rock dominated the world, the Manchester band The Hollies had a Top 10 hit in Britain, America and other countries with this global megahit.
The year after - 1970 - American musician Neil Diamond had a hit with his cover of the song.
In his 1884 book The Parables of Jesus, James Wells, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, tells the story of a little girl carrying a big baby boy. Seeing her struggling, someone asked if she was tired. With surprise she replied: "No, he's not heavy; he's my brother."
It's thought that the boy had polio and had leg braces. In the decades that followed, the true story of a young girl displaying immense love to her brother became legendary in the United Kingdom.
Last edited: