"The Bangin' Man" | |||||||||
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Single by Slade | |||||||||
B-side | She Did it to Me | ||||||||
Released | 28 June, 1974 | ||||||||
Format | 7" Single | ||||||||
Genre | Glam rock | ||||||||
Length | 4:10 | ||||||||
Label | Polydor Records | ||||||||
Writer(s) | Noddy Holder; Jim Lea | ||||||||
Producer | Chas Chandler | ||||||||
Slade singles chronology | |||||||||
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"The Bangin' Man" is a single from English rock band Slade.[1] It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea. The single was released in 1974 and peaked at #3 in the UK, spending 7 weeks on the chart.[2] The first week in the charts, the single peaked at #4 and stayed in the top ten for 4 weeks.[3]
Shortly after release, the single was given a Silver Disc for sales of over 250,000.[4][5]
The single peaked at #254 for 1974 on rateyourmusic.[6]
Contents |
The single returned to a more rock based sound unlike the previous single Everyday.[7]
The track was written while on tour in Australia and once again innuendo was rampant in the lyrics. The song was about being woken up by room maids after partying while on tour.[8]
At the time of release, track was performed on TV shows Supersonic and Disco.[9]
The Record Mirror polls of early 1975 voted "The Bangin' Man" in the top ten singles poll.[10][11]
The front cover of the Slade Fan Club Newsletter for June and July 1974, featured a reprint of Holder's original handwritten lyrics for the song.[12][13] The front cover of the following Slade Fan Club Newsletter for August and September 1974, featured a reprint of Holder's original handwritten lyrics for the b-side "She Did It To Me".[14][15]
The single's b-side "She Did It To Me" was voted #1 of the top three Slade b-sides in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.[16][17]
The song was voted #2 of the top three Slade songs that fans would most want to hear live in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.[16][18]
In a early 1990 Slade fan club interview, Jim Lea announced that he had recorded a new version of the b-side "She Did It to Me" with an ex-vocalist from Uriah Heap. Lea described the track as "an absolutely panoramic version, its great." The version has never been released.[19][20]
No promotional video was filmed for the single. Like the band's previous single "Everyday", the band were too busy with touring to film a video. At the time, Slade were now busy with their world tour and once again didn't have time to record a video. This was a disaster, as due to a strike at the BBC, Top of The Pops was off the air, thus the single received no coverage at all. This was thought to be a major cause of the single only reaching #3 in the UK charts, whilst Charles Aznavour with 'She' reached the top.[21][22][23]
Record Mirror magazine reviewed the single upon release. "Here the lads are counted in with a one-two-three, and Noddy sets the scene of a man in a hotel, unable to recall much of what happened the night before, and the lady beside him locks herself in the bathroom, and enter the banging man, hammering away on the door. Ah, the joys and perils of pop-scene touring! It's a dramatically direct commercial song, by Noddy and Jim, plenty of space for guitar work, and with Noddy working fir to raise the dead. Good flip, too - "She Did It To Me" is slower, more deliberate - chart certain."[24]
Sounds music magazine wrote "With "Merry Xmas Everybody", "Everyday" and now "The Bangin' Man", yer Slade have enriched our drab, miserable lives with pop singles as good as any made during the past decade. Messrs Holder and Lea have crafted some memorable tunes and welded them singable yet observant lyrics. Slade are getting very good at getting the details right these days. All the playing is excellent; strong direct drumming, forceful bass and some lead guitar that would knock spots off some of our guitar heros, and Noddy is singing better than he has ever before."[25][26]
Allmusic wrote "Bangin' Man" is definitely one of Slade's best, and worth seeking out on a greatest-hits CD."[27]
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
---|---|---|
Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 21 | |
Belgian Singles Chart | 22 | 2 |
Dutch Singles Chart[28] | 18 | 5 |
German Singles Chart[29][30] | 7 | 14 |
Irish Singles Chart[31] | 3 | 2 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 | |
Norwegian Singles Chart[32] | 4 | 10 |
UK Singles Chart[33] | 3 | 7 |