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.
See Us Here
Slade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a look, we're everywhere, so what makes you stop and stare?
Look at them there, their eyes bent to the ground,
Trying to see their way around.
Don't try to confuse me.
Take our time, take our care, don't break our hole from anywhere
Ain't got time to shed a tear
Look at them there, their eyes bent to the ground,
Find it hard to move around.
You dare not accuse me
We'll never get a chance to be left alone - this way, hey hey
Never get a chance to be left alone.
Can't I get it through that I'm on my own?
See us here, see us there, pick us out anywhere.
You can see us everywhere, so what makes you stop and stare?
Look at them there, their eyes bent to the ground,
Trying to see my way around.
Don't try to accuse me.
In "See Us Here", Slade conveys a message about society's tendency to judge and stereotype people based on their appearance. The lyrics suggest that the band members can be found everywhere, and although they stand out, they don't see why people would stare at them. They insist on taking their time and being careful, and they won't let anyone break their stride. The reference to "their eyes bent to the ground" implies that people are too focused on their problems to pay attention to others. The band members feel like they are constantly being accused of something, but they assert that they are just trying to navigate through life like everyone else.
The chorus emphasizes the theme of isolation and lack of autonomy. The repetition of "never get a chance to be left alone" implies that the band members can't escape scrutiny or judgment. Even when they try to assert their independence and individuality, they feel like they are not understood. The final repetition of "see us here, see us there" suggests that the band members are everywhere, and people should get used to seeing them.
Line by Line Meaning
See us here, see us there, pick us out anywhere.
We are present everywhere, visible to you all the time.
Take a look, we're everywhere, so what makes you stop and stare?
Our presence is not new to you, so why do you find it so unusual?
Look at them there, their eyes bent to the ground,
Trying to see their way around.
There are people who are finding it difficult to navigate their way through life.
Don't try to confuse me.
Don't try to mislead or perplex me.
Take our time, take our care, don't break our hole from anywhere
Ain't got time to shed a tear
What we want we'll take from here
We prioritize our own interests and will go to great lengths to protect them.
Find it hard to move around.
You dare not accuse me
Some people are experiencing challenges and don't blame me for their struggles.
We'll never get a chance to be left alone - this way, hey hey
Never get a chance to be left alone.
Can't I get it through that I'm on my own?
We feel like we don't have any privacy, and it's getting frustrating.
See us here, see us there, pick us out anywhere.
You can see us everywhere, so what makes you stop and stare?
Look at them there, their eyes bent to the ground,
Trying to see my way around.
Don't try to accuse me.
We are still here, and there's no reason to be surprised about it. People are still struggling, and it's not because of me.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ButcherMose
Lea kills it in this song!
Morris Colautti
This early Slade is brilliant! Really good heavy rock. Noddy Holder sounds fantastic.
Rob Harding
Still my all time greatest band.I have never seen the unison of any band which commanded respect, from all listeners, Maybe the Beatles had it, But so did these guys.
Shawn Faddoul
Skinhead Rock N Roll over that Hippie bullshit any day.
Tim Chapple
Great bass work
Jaynie Tee
@André Verhage jim is a genius, he and Don are my favourite rhythm section ❤️😀
André Verhage
Jim is a hell of a bass player!
paul witveendaal
Tim Chapple ofcourse it's Jim Lea!
robert harding
This album is a must for any true Slade fan .assuming he, or she came late, like many did,, Cos I luv you caught many off guard, but not me, i caught the bug from the very start.
Shawn Faddoul
The Skinhead era of Slade is the best.