In for a Penny

For other uses, see In for a Penny (disambiguation).

"In for a Penny" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1975 as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Nobody's Fools. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Chas Chandler. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for eight weeks.^[2]

"In for a Penny"
Single by Slade
from the album Nobody's Fools
B-side	"Can You Just Imagine"
Released	14 November 1975^[1]
Genre	Rock
Length	3:34
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Noddy Holder Jim Lea
Producer(s)	Chas Chandler
Slade singles chronology
"Thanks for the Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)" (1975) "In for a Penny" (1975) "Let's Call It Quits" (1976)
Audio sample
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Background

By 1975, Slade began to feel stale, believing they had achieved as much success in the UK and Europe as they could. The band and their manager Chas Chandler decided that their next career move should be to try and crack America. The band agreed to move to there and build a reputation for their live performances from scratch, just as they had in the UK. In between touring, the band recorded their next album, Nobody's Fools, which saw the band move towards a more "American" soul/pop sound in attempt to gain a commercial break on the American charts.^[3] "In for a Penny" was released as the lead single in November 1975,^[4] and reached No. 11 in the UK.^[5]

In a 1986 fan club interview, Hill spoke of the song in relation to it being released as the album's lead single: "When we came back from touring in the States and released that, I think a lot of fans were disappointed, though I personally liked the track. They thought we'd come back with something heavy, so it may have seemed lightweight to them."^[6][7] "In for a Penny" is notable for guitarist Dave Hill's guitar solo being his longest heard on a Slade single. Just before the second guitar solo in the track, Holder shouts the line "Ee, they got a band", which was a reference to a British TV advert in which a female character mistakes the entrance of threatening gangsters carrying violin cases for the arrival of a music combo.^[3]

Release

"In for a Penny" was released on 7" vinyl by Polydor Records in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, Yugoslavia, Australia and Japan.^[8][9] The B-side, "Can You Just Imagine", was exclusive to the single and would later appear on the band's 2007 compilation B-Sides.

Promotion

In the UK, the band performed the song on the TV shows Top of the Pops and Supersonic. The song's performance on Top of the Pops has not surfaced since its original broadcast.^[10] In 1986, Lea recalled returning to Britain to perform the song on the show and the following day when the band watched their performance at Freddie Mercury's flat. On the same show, Queen appeared with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Lea remembered being "totally knocked out" watching their video, while Mercury did not realise what an achievement his group had made.^[10][11]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Ray Fox-Cumming of Record Mirror & Disc called "In for a Penny" a "good Beatles-ish kind of tune, with a "good lyric" and a "modest arrangement" which features "some nice melodic guitar breaks" and "harmonies [which] are perhaps the best thing Slade have ever done". He concluded, "This shows the group breaking new territory and doing it very well."^[12] The Lurgan Mail noted the "slick guitar work from Dave Hill" and remarked that the "emphasis seems to be on the instrumental rather than the lyrical content".^[13] John Hutson of the Thanet Times felt he "can't make up my mind about it", believing the single to be "probably too slow, but catchy enough to get played". He also noted how Hill's guitar work "weaves in and out of the song most effectively".^[14]

Deborah Thomas of the Daily Mirror felt Slade's "happy-go-luckiness gives way to a heavier, rougher sound" on "In for a Penny" and considered the B-side, "Can You Just Imagine", to be "more catchy".^[15] The Lincoln, Rutland & Stamford Mercury wrote, "They have been out of the charts for some time. This may not be the one to get them back in."^[16] The Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post described it as having a "relaxed feel with an attractive tune" and believed it would "probably reach the lower steps of the top twenty", but the reviewer also added that "it's not really the Slade that fans came to know and love three years ago". The reviewer continued, "One may well wonder why Slade have recently been putting out slowish, melodic records instead of the heavy metal base that took them to the top of the charts."^[17]

Track listing

7-inch single

1. "In for a Penny" – 3:34
2. "Can You Just Imagine" – 3:31

Personnel

Slade

• Noddy Holder – lead vocals, guitar
• Dave Hill – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Jim Lea – bass, accordion, backing vocals
• Don Powell – drums

Production

• Chas Chandler – producer

Charts

Chart performance for "In for a Penny"

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[18]	39
Ireland (IRMA)^[19]	12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[20]	14
UK Singles (OCC)^[21]	11

References

1. Rosalind Russell, ed. (8 November 1975). "News: Take me back 'ome?". Record Mirror & Disc. p. 3. ISSN 0144-5804.
2. "SLADE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
3. Nobody's Fools - Salvo 2007 remaster booklet liner notes
4. "CD Album - Slade - Greatest Hits - Feel The Noize - Polydor - UK". 45worlds.com. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
5. "slade | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
6. . Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
7. Slade International Fan Club newsletter March - April - May 1986
8. "ALL Discography @ www.collectadisc.co.uk". Collectadisc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
9. "Slade - In For A Penny at Discogs". Discogs.com. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
10. "1986 - Slade Fan Club www.sladefanclub.com". Sladefanclub.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
11. Slade International Fan Club newsletter June - July - August 1986
12. Fox-Cumming, Ray (8 November 1975). "Singles". Record Mirror & Disc. p. 23. ISSN 0144-5804.
13. "Record Review: New singles of note". The Lurgan Mail. 27 November 1975. p. 13. Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. Hutson, John (25 November 1975). "Pop Chat and Charts: Dog lover turns to girls on new album". Thanet Times. p. 12. Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. Thomas, Deborah (4 November 1975). "Britain's Liveliest Pop Page: Short Plays". Daily Mirror. p. 7. Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
16. M.G. (14 November 1975). "Singles Scene". Lincoln, Rutland & Stamford Mercury. p. 12. Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
17. Lewis, Dave; Clerk, Carol (13 November 1975). "Disc Scene: Singles". Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post. p. 6. Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "Slade – In for a Penny" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – In for a Penny". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
20. "Slade – In for a Penny". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
21. "Slade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2024.