"My Friend Stan" (stylised as "MY FRIEИD STAИ") is a song by the British rock band

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

, released in 1973 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album ''

Old New Borrowed and Blue ''Old New Borrowed and Blue'' is the fourth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 15 February 1974 and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified Gold by BPI. The album was produced by Chas Chandler. Fo ...

''. It was written by lead vocalist

Noddy Holder Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the English band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his unique and powerful voice, Holder co ...

and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by

Chas Chandler Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 – 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He ...

. It reached No. 2 in the UK, spending eight weeks on the chart. The single was certified UK Silver by BPI in October 1973.

Background

"My Friend Stan", alongside the compilation ''Sladest'', was Slade's first release following drummer

Don Powell Donald George Powell (born 10 September 1946) is an English musician who was the drummer for glam rock and later hard rock group Slade for over fifty years. Early life As a child, Powell joined the Boy Scouts where he became interested in the ...

's near fatal car crash in July 1973. The accident threw the band's future into doubt, however Powell survived and was soon able to join the band in recording material for their new album ''Old New Borrowed and Blue''. One of the earliest songs to be recorded, "My Friend Stan" saw Powell still walking with the aid of a stick. He had to be lifted onto his drum stool during recording. "My Friend Stan" was released in September 1973 and reached No. 2 in the UK. Prior to its release, Polydor had to import 100,000 copies of the single into the UK due to the high pre-order demand. After Lea had come up with the song's melody, the band's manager Chas Chandler persuaded him to complete it after he had heard Lea playing the melody on his home piano.

Release

"My Friend Stan" was released on 7" vinyl by Polydor Records in the UK, Ireland, across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. The B-side, "My Town", would later appear as an album track on ''Old New Borrowed and Blue''.

Promotion

A music video was filmed to promote the single, which was recorded at the Olympic Studios in Barnes. The video portrays the band recording the song, and features guitarist

Dave Hill David John Hill (born 4 April 1946) is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle. Early life B ...

using his trademark Superyob guitar. In the UK, the band performed the song on the music show ''Top of the Pops''. In France, they performed it on the TV show ''Dimanche Salvador''. In America, the band performed the song on the TV show ''Midnight Special'' in 1974.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' said the song was a "much slower Slade offering" and "really rather subdued". They concluded that the song was an "obvious number one" and "in some ways more memorable than some of the earlier rampagers".

Track listing

;7" Single # "My Friend Stan" - 2:38 # "My Town" - 3:02

Chart performance

Cover versions

*In 1973, Finnish singer Muska recorded a version of the song for her self-titled album. The song is titled "Ystävättäret". *In 1993, Belgian band The Romans recorded a version of the song for their album ''Major Panic''.

Personnel

;Slade *

- lead vocals, guitar *

- lead guitar, backing vocals * Jim Lea - piano, bass, backing vocals *

- drums ;Additional personnel *

- producer * Engineer & Mix Alan O'Duffy

References

{{authority control 1973 singles 1973 songs Slade songs Song recordings produced by Chas Chandler Songs written by Noddy Holder Songs written by Jim Lea Irish Singles Chart number-one singles