Background
Following Slade's performance at the Reading festival in 1980, the group had sold out shows and had a major record deal with RCA. However, since the single We'll Bring the House Down, it had not had any hits. Singles such as Wheels Ain't Comin' Down, Lock Up Your Daughters, Ruby Red and C'est La Vie did not perform well on the charts.
Jim Lea had always wanted to write a big, folksy ballad and when he presented his melody idea to Holder, the lyrics to My Oh My were created. Another song produced was Run Runaway, a Celtic-flavoured rock-jig featuring Lea's fiddle. RCA hired John Punter to work on the tracks.
Punter's methods were different to what Slade were used to; for example he made the band record their parts separately. My Oh My became a hit in late 1983, peaking at #2, behind The Flying Pickets cover of Yazoo's Only You.
The rock band Quiet Riot covered Slade's 1973 UK chart topper Cum On Feel The Noize. Although Slade's original had not been successful in the U.S., Quiet Riot's cover peaked at #5. The song helped Quiet Riot sell seven million copies of their album Metal Health. As a result of this success, Slade signed with CBS records.
Run Runaway was soon released in the US and UK. Its promotional video was shot at Eastnor Castle in Hertfordshire. The song became a top 10 hit in the UK and Slade's first top 20 hit in the States.
Shortly following the new success in America, the band set out to do a full American tour with Ozzy Osbourne where Slade ended up being managed by Sharon Osbourne for the entire tour. The band did a couple of warm up gigs; however, after a certain performance, Lea collapsed in the dressing room. He was eventually diagnosed with Hepatitis C and Slade ended up cancelling the tour and going back home to the UK. This was the final time the band would try to tour together mainly due to personal problems within the band and Holder's private life. The band decided to continue recording and releasing new material.
Read more about this topic: Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply
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