Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me

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"Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me"
File:Slade Skweeze Me Pleeze Me.jpg
German/European cover of "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".
Single by Slade
B-side Kill 'Em At The Hot Club Tonite
Released 22 June 1973
Recorded 1973
Genre Hard rock, glam rock
Length 3:24
Writer(s) Noddy Holder/Jim Lea
Producer(s) Chas Chandler
Slade singles chronology
"Cum On Feel the Noize"
(1973)		 "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me"
(1973)		 "My Friend Stan"
(1973)
Audio sample
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"Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" is a popular song in the UK by Slade.[1]

Written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler, Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me was the band's fifth number one single in the United Kingdom, and their second to debut at the top spot immediately, spending three weeks at the top in July 1973.[2] Typical of Slade's releases at the time, it fared less well in the US where it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 but also peaked at #1 in Ireland.

For the Record Mirror poll results of 1974, the single peaked at #9 on the top ten list of best British singles.[3]

The single sold 300,000 copies in the first week of release.[4][5]

The single was certified UK Silver by BPI in July 1973.[6]

Background

Lea got the idea of the track at the Trumpet pub in Bilston where local pianist Reg Kierle was playing piano. At the time of the release, drummer Don Powell suffered serious injuries in a car crash and the producers of Top of the Pops would not allow Slade to perform as a 3 piece band. Dancers were shown instead. The b-side was briefly considered as a novelty single but the idea was scratched after Powell's accident.[7]

The single was recorded whilst the band were touring in America, originally being titled "You Know How To Squeeze Me".[8][9]

Reportedly, the band only recorded the song as a joke, not intending for it to be released at all. After promoting the song upon release, the band soon disowned the song, never performing it live again after 1973.

No official promotional video was created due to Powell's injuries.[10][11]

In reference to the single, Slade t-shirts with the song's title were made available, used on the Top of the Pops video and seen in the Sun newspaper of the time.[5][12]

The song was voted #1 of the top three Slade songs that fans would most want to hear live in the Slade Fan Club Poll of 1979.[13][14] In the September–December 1986 Slade fan club magazine, the poll results were announced for the 1986 opinion poll based on Slade’s material. For the songs most wanted to be heard live, Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me placed at #3.

Promotion

At the time of the release, drummer Don Powell suffered serious injuries in a car crash and the producers of Top of the Pops would not allow Slade to perform as a 3 piece band and so a video involving dancers was shown instead as well as some band footage. No official promotional video was created due to Powell's injuries.

The song, and the b-side, was performed together on the UK show Lift off with Ayesha although this performance has not been seen since the original broadcast. In 1973, the band performed the song at Earls Court in London, where the performance was filmed, (the show took place three days before Powell's car crash), available unofficially on YouTube.[15]

Track listing

7" Single
  1. "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" - 3:27
  2. "Kill 'Em At The Hot Club Tonite" - 3:20

Critical reception

Record Mirror magazine reviewed the single upon release, "One-third of the big three up for review this week - those delicately framed arbiters of immaculate taste, Slade. This Noddy-Jim song gives old leather-lungs a satisfactory showcase. They don't change much, but why should they? They go for smash and grab tactics - nipping one by the whatsits. That rolling rhythm pushes the whole thing along with alarming verve and gusto. You WILL get with it, the lads insist in their charmingly courteous way. You WILL, from the first crashing-smashing phrase kindly take notice, they demand. And you do. But don't ignore the flip side here - it's a drastic change of style, putting them back into hotchama-chotcha days, with violin swinging amiably. What a grate groop! - chart certain."[16]

NME magazine wrote "A place in the top three for Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me". The start is fussy, and those "whoa-whoa's" in the chorus are a drag. The beat's strong and the words in the verses are the best yet, but all around this doesn't beat "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" or "Gudbuy T' Jane", and it looks like time for Noddy to slow down and show the world what a good singer he is."[17]

In early 2010, Classic Rock magazine featured Slade as part of their ‘The Hard Stuff Buyers Guide’ where the magazine reviewed numerous Slade albums. As part of this article, an ‘Essential Playlist’ listed 14 Slade songs which included Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me.

Chart performance

Chart (1973) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[18] 25 6
Austrian Singles Chart[19] 12 8
Belgian Singles Chart[20] 11 9
Dutch Singles Chart[21] 6 5
French Singles Chart[22] 35 17
German Singles Chart[23] 3 15
Irish Singles Chart[24] 1 6
New Zealand Singles Chart[citation needed] 25 ?
Norwegian Singles Chart[25] 3 14
Swiss Singles Chart[26] 4 8
UK Singles Chart[27] 1 10

Personnel

  • Noddy Holder: Lead vocals and guitar
  • Jim Lea: Bass guitar and backing vocals
  • Dave Hill: Lead guitar and backing vocals
  • Don Powell: Drums

Cover versions

  • In 1973, Finnish singer Muska recorded a version of the song for her self-titled album. The song is titled 'Sä Oot Pliisu'.[28]
  • In 1973, German composer and big band leader James Last recorded an instrumental orchestrated version of the song for the album "Non Stop Dancing 1974".[29]
  • In 1998, tribute band Glam Rock All-Stars recorded a medley track along with other Slade songs Cum On Feel the Noize, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Gudbuy T' Jane for the album Glam Rock Party Supermix.
  • In 2001, Scottish rock vocalist Doogie White (an ex-member of Rainbow) recorded a version of the track for the tribute album Slade Remade.[30]

In popular culture

Episode 3 of the 2004 BBC miniseries Blackpool featured the recording, accompanied on screen by the singing and dancing of the characters, as part of the story, performed by David Tennant and Sarah Parish.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ [1][dead link]
  4. ↑ [2][dead link]
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Slade Fan Club Newsletter August - September 1973
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Slade's Greatest Hits compilation booklet
  8. ↑ [3][dead link]
  9. ↑ Slade Fan Club Newsletter June - July 1973
  10. ↑ [4][dead link]
  11. ↑ Slade International Fan Club newsletter June - July - August 1986
  12. ↑ [5][dead link]
  13. ↑ [6][dead link]
  14. ↑ Slade Fan Club Magazine January–February 1980
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Record Mirror magazine 30 June 1973
  17. ↑ NME magazine 16 June 1973
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Preceded by UK number-one single
30 June 1973		 Succeeded by
"Welcome Home" by Peters and Lee
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