Lock Up Your Daughters (song)

"Lock Up Your Daughters" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1981 as the second single from the band's tenth studio album Till Deaf Do Us Part. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Slade. It reached No. 29 in the UK, remaining in the charts for eight weeks.[1]

"Lock Up Your Daughters"
UK/European cover of "Lock Up Your Daughters"
Single by Slade
from the album Till Deaf Do Us Part
B-side"Sign of the Times"
Released4 September 1981
GenreRock
Length3:26
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Noddy Holder, Jim Lea
Producer(s)Slade
Slade singles chronology
"Knuckle Sandwich Nancy"
(1981)
"Lock Up Your Daughters"
(1981)
"Ruby Red"
(1982)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Alternative Cover
German cover of "Lock Up Your Daughters".

Background

Following their revival after their performance at the 1980 Reading Festival, Slade regained success in the UK with their 1981 album We'll Bring the House Down and the Top 10 hit single of the same name. The band then began recording their next album Till Deaf Do Us Part. The first single, "Knuckle Sandwich Nancy", was released in May 1981 but failed to chart. In September, the band followed it up with "Lock Up Your Daughters" which was the band's first single to be released directly under their new label RCA. The single reached No. 29 in the UK, although the band felt sales suffered as their two appearances on Top of the Pops clashed with the showing of the blockbuster films Earthquake and Jaws on ITV.[2][3]

"Lock Up Your Daughters" saw the band continuing to produce a more heavy metal-influenced sound as their performance at the Reading Festival attracted followers of the New wave of British heavy metal. In addition to the song's chart success, it also became a popular addition to the band's live concerts.[4]

Release

"Lock Up Your Daughters" was released on 7" vinyl by RCA Records in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. It was the first Slade single to be released by RCA, although the label had handled distribution of the band's last few singles which had been released on the Cheapskate label. The B-Side, "Sign of the Times", originally appeared on the band's 1979 album Return to Base and was also released as a failed single from it.[5][6]

Promotion

A music video was filmed to promote the single, although it received little airing at the time. It was filmed on 7 September 1981 at Portland Studios in London.[7] In the UK, the band performed the song on the music show Top of the Pops, for broadcast on 24 September 1981. The band's performance was repeated on the 8 October edition of the show too. The band also performed the song on the Dutch AVRO TV show TopPop.[8] The music video was part screened on an episode of Tiswas, the video was overlaid with various messages from children in a gaudy greeny yellow colour. It did not see the light of day until 2005 when following the purchase of a video tape by Steve Knight from Mark Richards, David Graham from Slade In England created the documentary bootleg DVD 'One More Time' and included a cleaned up and re edited version that is still doing the rounds today.[9]

Critical reception

Upon release, the single was reviewed on BBC Radio 1's Round Table show. It received a thumbs up from BBC presenter and radio DJ Mike Read, BBC radio presenter Dave Lee Travis and musician Eddy Grant.[2][10] Mike Gardner of Record Mirror described the song as "raucous".[11] In a review of Till Deaf Do Us Part, Kerrang! described the song as "traditional Slade". Melody Maker said the song was a "stomper in the well-loved traditions of Slade".[12]

In a retrospective review of the album, Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic commented on the song's catchiness, adding: ""Daughters" is a perfect example of how far the band had come. It retains the almost bubblegum sound of the earlier singles, while the heavy production style gives it a bit more of a hard-rocking edge."[13] Joe Geesin of Get Ready to Rock! described the song as a "solid thumping rock song".[14]

Track listing

7" Single
  1. "Lock Up Your Daughters" - 3:31
  2. "Sign of the Times" - 3:58

Chart performance

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Dutch Singles Chart[15] 19
UK Singles Chart[1] 29

Cover versions

Personnel

References

  1. "SLADE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. "1981 - Slade Fan Club". Sladefanclub.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. Slade Supporters Club Newsletter November - December 1981
  4. Slade - Till Deaf Do Us Part - Salvo 2007 remaster booklet liner notes
  5. "ALL Discography @ www.collectadisc.co.uk". Collectadisc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  6. "Slade - Lock Up Your Daughters at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  7. "1956165_orig.jpg (576x800 pixels)". Archive.is. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. "TOPPOP: Slade - Lock Up Your Daughters". YouTube. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  9. David Graham ~ www.SladeInEngland.co.uk
  10. Slade Supporters Club Newsletter September - October 1981
  11. "Slade Scrapbook - 1981 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  12. "1981 Press Cuttings". Slade Scrapbook. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  13. AllMusic Review by Geoff Ginsberg. "Till Deaf Do Us Part - Slade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  14. "Get Ready to ROCK! Review of CD album resissues by rock band Slade called Whatever Happened To Slade?,We'll Bring The House Down,Till Deaf Do Us Part". Getreadytorock.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  15. Steffen Hung. "Slade - Lock Up Your Daughters". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  16. "Trouble in Angel City - Lion | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.