Hi Ho Silver Lining

"Hi Ho Silver Lining" was Jeff Beck's first single. A quasi-novelty song, it's not at all indicative of his work, although the guitar riff does demonstrate his talents on the instrument. The song is about a girl who's a bit of a pollyanna, always seeing the bright side even when she's under cloud cover. It was a hit in Beck's native UK, going to #14 and becoming a popular party song.

The song had some hit-making machinery behind it. It was written by two American songwriters: Scott English and Larry Weiss, who also wrote "Bend Me, Shape Me" by The American Breed. It was produced by Mickie Most, who also worked with Hot Chocolate, Lulu, and Suzi Quatro.

Jeff Beck was at a crossroads when he recorded this song. He had left The Yardbirds and was in the process of forming his own band, the Jeff Beck Group. According to the song's producer, Mickie Most, Beck had visions of becoming a pop star and needed a pop song to do it. Most had been pitched "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and decided it was a good song to gallop Beck to pop stardom. Most also had him sing the lead vocal, something he hadn't done in the past. The song did indeed set Beck on the pop star path, but it was clearly not his destiny, especially since he was a top-shelf guitarist but a speed rack singer. His next single, "Tallyman," he also sang, and that was a hit as well, going to #30 in the UK. But when he released Truth, his first Jeff Beck Group album, in 1968, neither song was on the setlist and he ceded the lead vocals to a more competent singer and dynamic frontman: Rod Stewart.