After several albums featuring few original compositions from the quartet came and went (1969's Beginnings, 1970's Play It Loud), the group began to write their own tunes, grew their hair long, and assumed the look of the then-burgeoning glam movement, joining the same cause championed by such fellow Brits as David Bowie and T. Rex. This new direction paid off in 1971 with the number 16 U.K. single "Get Down and Get With It," which soon touched off a string of classic singles and led to Slade becoming one of the most beloved party bands back home. They released Slayed? in 1972. Slade also utilized another gimmick, humorously misspelled song titles, as evidenced by such singles as "Coz I Luv You," "Look Wot You Dun," "Take Me Bak 'Ome," "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," "Gudbuy t'Jane," "Cum on Feel the Noize," "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me," and "Merry Xmas Everybody" (the latter of which re-entered the charts every holiday season for years afterward). Several attempts at cracking the U.S. market came up empty (with track listings between their U.K. and U.S. full-lengths differing), although such albums as Slade Alive! and Slayed? are considered to be some of the finest albums of the glam era.
Slade continued to score further hit singles back home, including such correctly spelled tracks as "My Friend Stan," "Everyday," "Bangin' Man," "Far Far Away," "How Does it Feel," and "In for a Penny," but with glam rock's dissolution and punk's emergence by the mid-'70s, the hits eventually dried up for the quartet. Despite the change in musical climate, Slade stuck to their guns and kept touring and releasing albums, as the title to their 1977 album, Whatever Happened to Slade, proved that the group's humor remained intact despite their fall from the top of the charts. A large, dedicated following still supported the group as they offered a performance at the 1980 Reading Festival that was considered one of the day's best, resulting in sudden renewed interest in the group back home and Slade scored their first true hit singles in six years with 1981's "We'll Bring the House Down" and "Lock up Your Daughters."
Slade received a boost stateside around this time as well, courtesy of the U.S. pop-metal outfit Quiet Riot, who made a smash hit out of "Cum on Feel the Noize" in 1983 that resulted in a strong chart showing for Slade's 1984 release Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply (issued as The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome in the U.K. a year earlier). Slade then enjoyed a pair of U.S. MTV/radio hits, "Run Runaway" and "My Oh My." Holder and Lea also tried their hand at producing another artist around this time as well, as they manned the boards for Girlschool's 1983 release Play Dirty. Despite another all-new studio release, Rogues Gallery, and Quiet Riot covering another classic Slade tune ("Mama Weer All Crazee Now"), Slade was unable to retain their newfound American audience or rekindled British following and they eventually faded from sight once more, this time without a comeback waiting around the corner. During the '90s, a truncated version of the group dubbed Slade II was formed (without Holder or Lea in attendance), while Holder became a popular U.K. television personality as well as the host of his own '70s rock radio show. A 21-track singles compilation, Feel the Noize: The Very Best of Slade, was issued in 1997 (re-released under the simple title of Greatest Hits a couple of years later), which proved to be a popular release in England.
Discography
Beginnings (as Ambrose Slade, 1969)
Play It Loud (1970)
Slayed? (1972)
Slade Alive! (1972)
Old New Borrowed and Blue (1974)
Slade in Flame (1974)
Nobody's Fools (1976)
Whatever Happened to Slade (1977)
Return to Base (1979)
We'll Bring the House Down (1981)
Till Deaf Do Us Part (1981)
The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome (1983), re-released in 1984 as:
- Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply (1984)
Rogues Gallery (1985)
Crackers - The Christmas Party Album (1985)
You Boyz Make Big Noize (1987)
Keep on Rockin' (1994) (as Slade II), is the only studio album by Slade II. The album was released in 1994 and has seen various re-issues and guises under alternative names such as Wild Nites (1999), Cum on Let's Party! (2002) and Superyob (2003).
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Slade less commonly refers to Grady Slade, Jr, a Rap artist
3. Slade also refers to a rapper who made music from 2013-2016 under the label, Chapter 9. He currently makes music under a new alias, Dante Oasis.
Scratch My Back
Slade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh can you go a dozen times?
How long can you smile or can you smile a dozen smiles?
'Cos every way holds something that's nice
Try it once and then you'll try it twice
Oh mercy mercy, oh lawdy lawdy
I'll scratch your back if you'll just scratch mine
Oh mercy mercy, do it over and over again, oh lawdy lawdy
How long will it last? it's getting harder off the cuff
How long does it take? there must be someone with enough
'Cos every time holds something that's better –
Go on, get on up and forget the letter
Mercy mercy, oh lawdy lawdy -
'Ll scratch your back if you'll just scratch mine
'Cos when I'm outta sight then I'm out of mind
Oh mercy mercy, do it over and over again, oh lawdy lawdy
Oh mercy mercy mercy - scratch my back
Just a little bit higher
How much do you need? what does it take to get you off?
No-one's ever made it? are you tryin' to make me laugh?
'Cos until now you have tried all the rest -
So now's the time you got to try out the best
Oh mercy mercy, oh lawdy lawdy lawdy
I'll scratch your back if you'll just scratch mine
'Cos when I'm outta sight then I'm out of Mind
Oh mercy mercy, do it over and over and over and over again,
Oh lawdy lawdy
Slade's song "Scratch My Back" is a playful and flirtatious track that speaks about the give and take of relationships. The lyrics suggest a trade-off between two lovers, where each person scratches the other's back in a figurative sense. The back scratching represents doing something for the other person that will make them happy, and in return, the favor is returned. The song hints at the idea that relationships are not always straightforward, and there is always a need to compromise and put in effort to make it work.
The lyrics are structured in a call and response manner with lead vocalist Noddy Holder beckoning for "mercy mercy" and "lawdy lawdy" in between verses. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I'll scratch your back if you'll just scratch mine," emphasizing the importance of reciprocity in a relationship. The song's bridge asks the question, "How much do you need? What does it take to get you off?" implying that each person has a specific desire or expectation from the other that needs to be met.
Overall, "Scratch My Back" is a song about the importance of mutual effort in relationships. It stresses the idea that both partners have to put in work to make it work. The song also touches on the idea that sometimes relationships are not perfect, and it takes compromise and understanding to navigate through the ups and downs.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa-a-oh oh oh - how long can you go?
How long can you keep going without giving up or getting tired?
Oh can you go a dozen times?
Can you keep going for a long time, even up to a dozen tries?
How long can you smile or can you smile a dozen smiles?
Can you keep being happy or pretend to be happy for a long time, even up to a dozen attempts?
'Cos every way holds something that's nice
There is something good in every situation or approach.
Try it once and then you'll try it twice
If you try something once and like it, you'll try it again.
Oh mercy mercy, oh lawdy lawdy
An exclamation of surprise or shock.
I'll scratch your back if you'll just scratch mine
I'll help you out if you return the favor.
'Cos when I'm outta sight then I'm out of mind
If I'm not around, people might forget about me.
How long will it last? it's getting harder off the cuff
How long will this last? It's becoming more difficult without preparation.
How long does it take? there must be someone with enough
How much time does it require? There must be someone who can handle it.
'Cos every time holds something that's better –
Each attempt brings the possibility of something better or improved.
Go on, get on up and forget the letter
Take action and don't worry about following the rules exactly.
How much do you need? what does it take to get you off?
What amount or type of something do you require to be satisfied?
No-one's ever made it? are you tryin' to make me laugh?
No one has been successful? Are you joking or trying to be funny?
'Cos until now you have tried all the rest -
Because you have tried other things and they haven't worked.
So now's the time you got to try out the best
This is the time to try the best option or solution.
Oh mercy mercy mercy - scratch my back
An exclamation of surprise or shock, followed by a request for help.
Just a little bit higher
A direction to move slightly higher.
Do it over and over and over and over again
Repeat the action multiple times.
Oh lawdy lawdy lawdy
An exclamation of surprise or shock.
Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SJHUE
Oh Slade, you are so missed.
@robharding5345
These guys new how to keep us entertained. what a band.
@davesimon3861
Come on Noddy bring it back befor its to late 1 or 2 gigs pleeze slayed
@user-ib9zm5kf3m
отличное исполнение. Slade отличная группа.
@jurgenwagner2050
COME ON SLADE
@JoseRodriguez-qo8vo
❤️❤️❤️❤️