Mama Weer All Crazee Now Explained

Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Cover:Slade - Mama we're all crazee now single cover.jpg
Caption:Spanish & European single picture sleeve
Type:single
Artist:Slade
Album:Slayed?
B-Side:Man Who Speeks Evil
Released:25 August 1972
Recorded:1972
Genre:Hard rock, glam rock[1]
Length:3:45
Label:Polydor
Producer:Chas Chandler
Prev Title:Take Me Bak 'Ome
Prev Year:1972
Next Title:Gudbuy T'Jane
Next Year:1972

"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the lead single from their third studio album Slayed? It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their third number one single, and remained in the charts for ten weeks.[2] In the United States, the song reached No. 76.[3]

Background

During 1972, Slade recorded their third studio album Slayed?, with the lead single "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" being released in August that year. The single reached No. 1 in the UK and Ireland, and was a hit across Europe and beyond.[4] With the single, Slade and their manager Chas Chandler attempted to reach number one on the first week of release - a feat that had not been achieved since The Beatles' 1969 hit "Get Back". Initially, the band's label Polydor did not think it could be achieved, however when "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" reached No. 2 in its first week, the label changed their minds. A strategy was soon developed which saw "Cum On Feel the Noize", the band's next single, reach No. 1 in its first week of release in March 1973.[5]

"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" was the first tune Lea wrote entirely on his own. Holder got the idea for the lyrics at the band's concert at Wembley Arena in London. After the show, he looked at the remains of the auditorium's smashed seating and thought "Christ, everyone must have been crazy tonight."[6] [7] The song was originally titled "My My We're All Crazy Now". When Holder and Lea played the song acoustically to Chandler for the first time, he thought Holder was singing "Mama We're All Crazy Now".[6] The name was then changed accordingly as Holder and Lea felt Chandler's title was better.[8]

In a 1984 interview with Record Mirror, Lea spoke of "Mama Weer All Crazee" and "Cum On Feel the Noize": "I was at a Chuck Berry gig in '72 and everybody was singing his tunes. He kept stopping and letting the crowd sing and it wasn't just a few people, it was everyone. I thought it was amazing and thought – why not write the crowd into the songs, and so we got round to "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Cum On Feel the Noize" and all the chants were written into the tunes." In his 1999 biography Who's Crazee Now?, Holder recalled: "We had hit on our benchmark sound. It was perfect for Slade, very raucous, but catchy and pop. It was a real powerhouse record. Everyone loved it and everyone knew all the words."[6]

Release

"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" was released on 7" vinyl by Polydor Records in the UK, Ireland, across Europe, Scandinavia, Yugoslavia, America, Turkey, Israel, South Africa, Angola, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines and Japan.[9] [10] The B-side, "Man Who Speeks Evil", was exclusive to the single and would later appear on the band's 2007 compilation B-Sides.[11]

Promotion

No music video was filmed to promote the song.[12] [13] In the UK, the band performed the song on the music show Top of the Pops. In Germany, the song was performed on the TV shows Disco and Musikladen. The band also performed the song on the Dutch AVRO TV show TopPop.[14] Later in 1977, the band performed the song on the UK show Supersonic while promoting their new single "Gypsy Roadhog". In 1981, while promoting "We'll Bring the House Down", the band performed the song on the ITV show Moondogs.[15]

Critical reception

Upon release, Record Mirror noted the song's "hard-driving beat" as being "full of sheer bloody-minded slay them enthusiasm", while retaining a "commercial hook".[16] New Musical Express predicted the song would reach number one, adding: "I consider this their best by far from the fuzzed out guitar intro to the rocking; stomping, chorus through to the crowd singing along at the end".[17] [18] Disc stated: "With howls they tear straight into another huge boogie. By the time this one ends you could believe, so dense does the sound and the atmosphere become, that 50,000 people were roaring along with the band in some distant dark stadium."[17] [18]

In a retrospective song review by AllMusic, Dave Thompson described the song as a "full-on adrenalin monster, ear-splittingly loud with its lyrics a raw-throated bellow".[7] In a review of Sladest, Paul Tinelli of AllMusic included the song as one of the band's "finest moments" and described it as an "arena rocker that would get kids up off their seats".[19]

Track listing

7" single

  1. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" – 3:43
  2. "Man Who Speeks Evil" – 3:15

7" single (Argentinean release)

  1. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" – 3:43
  2. "Take Me Bak 'Ome" – 3:13

7" single (US promo)

  1. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" – 3:43
  2. "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" – 3:43

Personnel

Slade

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1972–73)!scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 14
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] 11
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[22] 60
US Record World The Singles Chart[23] 64

Cover versions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Top 10 '70s Glam Rock Songs. Rivadavia. Eduardo. 17 March 2013. Ultimate Classic Rock. 24 July 2019.
  2. Web site: SLADE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . Official Charts Company. 6 October 2016.
  3. Slade - Chart history . Billboard. 2017-07-25.
  4. Web site: slade | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . Official Charts Company. 2017-07-27.
  5. Book: Charlesworth, Chris . Slade, Feel the Noize!: an illustrated biography . Chris Charlesworth . 1984 . Omnibus Press . London . 0-7119-0538-X . 44 .
  6. Book: 1999. Noddy Holder. 0-09-187503-X. Noddy Holder – Who's Crazee Now?. Ebury Press.
  7. Web site: Song Review by Dave Thompson . Mama Weer All Crazee Now - Slade | Song Info . AllMusic. 2017-07-27.
  8. Web site: CD Album - Slade - Greatest Hits - Feel The Noize - Polydor - UK . 45worlds.com . 2015-02-09 . 2017-07-27.
  9. Web site: ALL Discography @ www.collectadisc.co.uk . Collectadisc.co.uk . 2017-07-27.
  10. Web site: Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now at Discogs . 1972 . Discogs. 2017-07-27.
  11. Web site: CD Album - Slade - B-Sides - Salvo - Europe . 45worlds.com . 2017-07-25.
  12. Web site: 1986 - Slade Fan Club www.sladefanclub.com . Sladefanclub.com . 2017-07-27.
  13. Slade International Fan Club newsletter June - July - August 1986
  14. Web site: Slade - Mama Weer All Crazee Now • TopPop . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/eEv6jy_7PQQ . 2021-12-19 . live. YouTube . 2017-07-27.
  15. Web site: SLADE @ www.slayed.co.uk . Crazeeworld.plus.com . 2011-08-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110715094607/http://www.crazeeworld.plus.com/slade/2011/pages/tv_video.htm . 2011-07-15 .
  16. Record Mirror magazine 26 August 1972
  17. http://www.sladefanclub.com/1972html
  18. Slade Fan Club Newsletter October - November 1972
  19. Web site: Paul Tinelli . Sladest - Slade. AllMusic. 2017-07-25.
  20. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . illustrated . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6 . 277.
  21. Book: Pennanen, Timo . Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 . Slade . 237 . 2021 . Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava . Helsinki . 978-952-7460-01-6.
  22. Book: Downey . Pat . Albert . George . Hoffman . Frank . Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993 . 1994 . Libraries Unlimited, Inc. . Englewood, Colorado . 1563083167 . 318 . registration . 16 September 2023.
  23. The Singles Chart . . 20 January 1973 . 28 . 1335 . 25 . 0034-1622.
  24. Web site: Steffen Hung . The Les Humphries Singers & Orchestra - Sound '73 . hitparade.ch . 2012-03-17 . 2017-07-27.
  25. Web site: Vinyl Album - James Last - Non Stop Dancing '73 - Polydor - Germany . 45worlds.com . 2017-07-27.
  26. Web site: Vinyl Album - The Runaways - And Now... The Runaways - Cherry Red - UK . 45worlds.com . 2016-10-10 . 2017-07-27.
  27. Web site: Stephen Thomas Erlewine . Condition Critical - Quiet Riot. AllMusic. 2017-07-27.
  28. Quiet Riot - Chart history . Billboard. 2017-07-27.
  29. Reviews. Cash Box. July 14, 1984. 2022-07-25. 7.
  30. Web site: RPM Top 100 Singles - September 8, 1984.
  31. Web site: Recording: Mama weer all crazee now - Mama's Boys . Second Hand Songs . 20 January 2009 . 2011-08-10.
  32. Web site: Mama's Boys - Mama Weer All Crazee Now / Face To Face - Jive - USA - JS 1-9213 . 45cat . 2017-07-27.
  33. Web site: Ángeles Del Infierno - Biography . Metal Storm . 2017-06-25 . 2017-07-27.
  34. Web site: CD singles - The Metal Gurus - Merry Xmas Everybody / Metal Guru - Mercury - UK - GURCD 1 . 45worlds.com . 2017-07-27.
  35. Web site: METAL GURUS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . Official Charts Company. 2016-10-07.
  36. Web site: Medium: Wham Bam Thank You Glam - (1996) . Second Hand Songs . 10 February 2008 . 2011-08-10.
  37. Web site: Big Six: Ready to Rock. 2013-04-01.
  38. Web site: Oppressed, The - The Noize E.P (Vinyl) at Discogs . 1997 . Discogs. 2011-08-10.
  39. Web site: Oppressed, The - More Noize for the Boys (Vinyl, Album) at Discogs . 1998 . Discogs. 2011-08-10.
  40. Web site: Reel Big Fish - Fame, Fortune And Fornication at Discogs . Discogs. 2011-08-10.

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