Slow Hand

Slow Hand is a ballad written by John Bettis and Michael Clark and recorded by the Pointer Sisters. It was first released in the spring of 1981 as the advance single for Black & White.

Background/ Impact

Although its sultry style recalls the Pointer Sisters' first Top Ten hit: the 1978 #2 hit "Fire", "Slow Hand" was not written for the group; in fact John Bettis would state "the Pointer Sisters were the furthest [act] from [the composers'] minds."^[1] Like "Fire" - which also featured Anita Pointer on lead - "Slow Hand" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks, behind "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. "Slow Hand" reached that position in August 1981 when it also reached #7 on the R&B chart. The Pointer Sisters' best Hot 100 showing would remain #2 throughout their career.

"Slow Hand" also afforded the Pointer Sisters international success, including the first appearance by the group in the UK Top 30 with a #10 peak.

The track was ranked in the top 25 best singles of the year by the prestigious Village Voice jazz & pop poll, demonstrating music critics' appreciation of the track.

Chart performance

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Anita Pointer
• Background vocals by Ruth Pointer and June Pointer
• Produced by Richard Perry
• Written by John Bettis & James Bruce Clark (ASCAP listing)

Del Reeves version

The song was covered in 1981 by country singer Del Reeves, whose version peaked at #53 on the Hot Country Singles chart.

Conway Twitty version

The song was covered in 1982 by country singer Conway Twitty. His version, on Elektra Records, topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for two weeks that June, and was his last multi-week number-one song.

Chart performance