"Never Let Her Slip Away" | ||||
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Single by Andrew Gold | ||||
from the album All This and Heaven Too | ||||
B-side | "Genevieve" | |||
Released | March 1978 (UK) [1] June 1978 (US) | |||
Length | 3:23 | |||
Label | Asylum Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andrew Gold | |||
Producer(s) | Andrew Gold Brock Walsh | |||
Andrew Gold singles chronology | ||||
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"Never Let Her Slip Away" is a song written by American musician Andrew Gold, who recorded it for his third album, All This and Heaven Too (1978). The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Queen frontman Freddie Mercury contributed harmony vocals to the song, as an uncredited background singer. [2] A 1992 cover version by British dance outfit Undercover was also an international hit.
As revealed in his liner notes for All This and Heaven Too , Gold wrote "Never Let Her Slip Away" about meeting actress and Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman who was his girlfriend when he composed the song. [3] Besides Freddie Mercury's, other background vocals were provided by J. D. Souther and Timothy B. Schmit, and the saxophone was played by Ernie Watts. [4] [5]
In 1995, British comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer performed a cover of the song on their show The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer . "Never Let Her Slip Away" was also featured on the soundtrack of the film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013), as a personal favourite of the principal character. [6]
In conversation on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron , Dave Grohl of the rock band Foo Fighters called "Never Let Her Slip Away" "the most beautiful piece of music ever written," and "maybe one of the most melodically sophisticated songs I've ever heard in my entire life," and noted his plans to record a cover version of the song. [7]
Weekly charts
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"Never Let Her Slip Away" | ||||
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Single by Undercover | ||||
from the album Check Out the Groove | ||||
Released | November 2, 1992 [17] | |||
Genre | Dance | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label | PWL | |||
Songwriter(s) | Andrew Gold | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Mac | |||
Undercover singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Never Let Her Slip Away" on YouTube |
British dance group Undercover covered the song on their debut album, Check Out the Groove (1992). This version also reached number five in the United Kingdom and number two in Ireland, as Gold's original did. In addition to this, it reached number three in Belgium, number four in Finland and number seven in the Netherlands. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the track peaked at number 11 in December 1992.
A reviewer from Lennox Herald picked the song as a "stand out" from the album. [18] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Once again Undercover has hit a goldmine with a cover of a '70s singer/songwriter's work. This time it's the Andrew Gold 1978 classic. The crucial difference is that this is more beaty." [19] Alan Jones from Music Week rated it four out of five, stating that "already achieving a surprisingly major degree of club crossover, it's very much in the KWS/East Side Beat mould, and could even reach the very summit." [20] Mark Frith from Smash Hits also gave it four out of five, adding that "Undercover bloke John Matthews was born to make this record." He described it as a "gorgeous, poignant ballad that suits him down to the ground." [21]
A music video was made to accompany the song. It was published on YouTube in April 2013. By November 2020, the video has been viewed over 1 million times. [22]
Weekly charts
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Andrew Maurice Gold was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who influenced much of the Los Angeles-dominated pop/soft rock sound in the 1970s. Gold performed on scores of records by other artists, especially Linda Ronstadt, and had his own success with the U.S. top 40 hits "Lonely Boy" (1977) and "Thank You for Being a Friend" (1978), as well as the UK top five hit "Never Let Her Slip Away" (1978). In the 1980s, he had further international chart success as one half of Wax, a collaboration with 10cc's Graham Gouldman.
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