"Handbags and Gladrags" is a song written in 1967 by

Mike d'Abo Michael David d'Abo (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of Manfred Mann from 1966 to their dissolution in 1969, and as the composer of the songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and " Build Me Up But ...

, who was then the lead singer of

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

. D'Abo describes the song as "saying to a teenage girl that the way to happiness is not through being trendy. There are deeper values." The first released version of the song was by

Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English rock, blues and soul singer. He is best known for his hit single " Out of Time" written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 19 ...

in 1967, and later interpretations by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

(1969) and

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...

(2000) were also commercially successful. An arrangement by

Big George George Webley (29 May 1957 – 7 May 2011), better known by the stage name Big George, was a British musician, composer, bandleader and broadcaster who has been described as one of Britain's most successful theme music writers. Early life Webl ...

was the theme for ''The Office'' starting in 2001. The

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

of the original version of the song was discovered in 2004 in a closet belonging to bassist

Mo Foster Mo Foster (born Michael Ralph Foster, 22 December 1944) is an English multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, solo artist, author, and public speaker. Through a career spanning over half a century, Foster has toured, recorded, and perf ...

. It was amongst a collection of studio recordings d'Abo had recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The collection was eventually released in 2004, on the

Angel Air Angel Airlines, trading as Angel Air, was an airline based in Bangkok, Thailand, which was operational between 1998 and 2003. Destinations Over the years, Angel Airlines flew to the following destinations: Thailand * Bangkok — Don Mueang In ...

label, under the title ''Hidden Gems & Treasured Friends''.

Chris Farlowe version

In November 1967, singer

was the first to release a version of the song, produced by

. It became a #33 hit in the United Kingdom for

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signed ...

. This arrangement of the song included

Dave Greenslade David John Greenslade (born 18 January 1943) is an English composer and keyboard player. He has played with Colosseum from the beginning in 1968 until the farewell concert in 2015 and also from 1973 in his own band, Greenslade, and others inclu ...

's piano blues-scale riff. The song was included as track 13 (of 14) on Farlowe's 1969 compilation album ''The Last Goodbye''.

Rod Stewart version

In 1969,

recorded a version for the album '' An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down''. This version of the song was arranged by Mike d'Abo, who also played piano on the recording. The song failed to garner significant sales or airplay in the United States, but when it was re-released as a single in 1972, it charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at 42 in March. In 1993, Stewart recorded a live version of the song during his session for ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

''. This version was included on the album '' Unplugged...and Seated''. Although it was never a hit single for Stewart in the UK, in recognition of its renewed popularity following its use for television series ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

'' and Stereophonics returning it to the charts, he performed "Handbags and Gladrags" (backed by

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

on drums) as his only song at the

Party at the Palace The Party at the Palace was a British pop/rock music concert held at Buckingham Palace Garden in London on 3 June 2002. The event was in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II held over the Golden Jubilee Weekend. It was the ...

in 2002. The original record arrangement includes a "plaintive oboe phrasing". In 1989, Rod Stewart's version of the song was used in the Season One episode of the TV series '' Midnight Caller'' entitled "No Exit".

Chase version

In 1971,

Bill Chase Bill Chase (October 20, 1934 – August 9, 1974) was an American trumpeter and leader of the jazz-rock band Chase (band), Chase. Biography Bill Chase was born William Edward Chiaiese on October 20, 1934, to an Italian-American family in Squ ...

and his jazz/rock fusion group Chase recorded a version as a single. It was included on their 1971 debut album ''

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...

''. It was sung by Ted Piercefield.

Jon English version

In 1973, English-born Australian musician

Jon English Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for S ...

released his version as his debut single, from his debut studio album '' Wine Dark Sea''.

Stereophonics version

In 2001, Welsh rock band

released a version of the song on single. It was subsequently added to their previous album's re-release ''

Just Enough Education to Perform ''Just Enough Education to Perform'' is the third studio album by Welsh Rock music, rock band Stereophonics. Released on 11 April 2001, the album topped the UK Albums Chart with 140,000 copies sold. and spawned three top-ten singles in the form o ...

'' as track seven and on their first compilation album as the final track. The band originally recorded their version as a demo "for a laugh", but after the record company heard it they saw the potential of it being a single and subsequently had it commissioned as one. Despite receiving criticism, it became one of their most successful singles; in Ireland it peaked at number three and was certified gold in the UK.

Release and reception

The song was released as a single on 3 December 2001. Four different releases were made available to the public, this included: two

CDs The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

7-inch vinyl In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

, and

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

. The first CD released included two more covers,

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

's "

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife. At the time, the couple were lovers, although MacColl was still married to his ...

" and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's " How?". The second CD contained a live version of "Caravan Holiday" and "Nice to be Out", both from ''Just Enough Education to Perform''. The 7-inch vinyl only had "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for a B-side, as did the cassette format. A maxi-CD, released in Europe and Australia, includes all five songs but not the live version of "Handbags and Gladrags". Following on from the "

Mr. Writer "Mr. Writer" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, taken from their third album, ''Just Enough Education to Perform'' (2001). It was released on 19 March 2001, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, number seven in Ireland, and nu ...

" critical backlash, the song received a negative review from ''

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

'' reviewer Anita Bhagwandas. Bhagwandas described it as the "final drop in the Stereophonics' inevitable descent into pop mediocrity" and criticised the group for "selling out."

Track listings

Personnel

Stereophonics *

Kelly Jones Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics. Early life and debut Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Richard Jones –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Additional * Scott James – guitar *

Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra (also known as Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra) is a rhythm and blues band led by boogie-woogie pianist Jools Holland. History Holland formed the band in 1994. In May 2022 the 17-piece ...

Technical *

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– Laurie Latham, Stereophonics *

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

– Latham

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

''The Office'' theme song

In 2000, a version of "Handbags and Gladrags" was specifically arranged by

as the theme song on the BBC series ''The Office''. Three versions were recorded: *a short, instrumental piece as the opening titles theme *a short, vocal piece as the closing titles theme *an alternative full studio version Both vocal versions were sung by

Waysted Waysted were a British heavy metal band, formed by former UFO bassist Pete Way and the Scottish rocker Fin Muir (Ian Muir) in 1982. Recruiting Frank Noon (formerly with Def Leppard), Ronnie Kayfield and Paul Raymond, Waysted signed to Chrysal ...

vocalist Fin Muir. In Episode Four of Series One, a version performed by

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...

(in character as

David Brent David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary ''The Office'', portrayed by the show's co-creator, co-writer and co-director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of th ...

) was played over the end credits.

Version release history

References

External links

Trilogy Rock: Mike D'Abo Interview (2009)
{{Authority control 1967 singles 1970 singles 1972 singles 1973 debut singles 2001 singles 2002 singles Songs written by Mike d'Abo Songs based on children's songs Manfred Mann songs Rod Stewart songs Stereophonics songs Jon English songs Comedy television theme songs 1967 songs Immediate Records singles Mercury Records singles V2 Records singles UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles Chris Farlowe songs