#22: Run Runaway by Slade

City: Winnipeg, MB
Radio Station: CKY
Peak Month: July 1984
Peak Position in Winnipeg ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #6
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #20
YouTube: “Run Runaway”
Lyrics: “Run Runaway”

Slade is a band formed in 1963 in Wolverhampton, UK. There were a few lineup changes between 1963 and 1966. However, the classic lineup consisted of Dave Hill, Don Powell, Jim Lea, and Noddy Holder. David Hill was born in 1946 near Plymouth, Devon, England. Hill bought his first guitar from a mail-order catalogue and received some guitar lessons from a science teacher at his school. He then formed a band called The Young Ones with some school friends. Subsequently, Dave Hill played with Don Powell in a band called The Vendors, whose name was then changed to The N’ Betweens. Don Powell was born in a suburb of Wolverhampton in 1946. He started to play drums while he was in the Boy Scouts in 1958. Hill and Powell met Jim Lea and Noddy Holder, and the N’Betweens morphed into Slade.

Jim Lea was born in 1949 in Wolverhampton. He joined the Staffordshire Youth Orchestra in 1961 and gained first class honours in a London music-school practical exam, before moving on to piano, guitar and finally bass guitar. Jim Lea first played guitar, then bass, in the schoolboy group ‘Nick and The Axemen’.

Noddy Holder was born in 1946 in a small market town nine miles northwest of Birmingham, England. He formed a group called the Rockin’ Phantoms with schoolfriends at the age of 13, and with money earned from a part-time job, he bought a guitar and amplifier. Holder started his own band called the Memphis Cutouts and then, with Steve Brett & The Mavericks^[7] in the early 1960s, recorded four singles for EMI. Holder joined the N’Betweens in 1966.

Slade had their first charting single in 1971 titled “Get Down and Get with It”. The song reached #4 in the Netherlands, and #16 in the UK. Late that year “Coz I Luv You” reached #1 in both Ireland and the UK. It climbed to #2 in the Netherlands, #5 in Belgium, #7 in Australia, and #9 in West Germany. Another non-album single, “Look Wot You Dun”, was a Top Ten hit in 1972 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK. Slade had their second number-one hit in the UK with “Take Me Bak ‘Ome”. It also cracked the Top Ten in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and West Germany. A third number-one hit in the UK for Slade was “Mama Weer All Crazee Now”. This 1972 hit single was also a chart topper in Ireland, and made the Top Ten in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and West Germany.

In late 1972, “Gudbuy T’Jane” became a Top Ten single in Austria Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and West Germany. While in 1973, “Cum On Feel the Noize” reached number-one in Ireland and the UK, and the Top Ten in Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and West Germany. Later in 1973, “Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me” became the fifth number-one single in the UK, and fourth number-one hit in Ireland. It was a Top Ten hit in Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and West Germany. This was followed by “My Friend Stan”, the fifth number-one hit for Slade in Ireland. This ninth consecutive Top Ten hit for Slade was a huge hit in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and West Germany. Slade wound up this most successful year with another number-one hit in both Ireland and the UK titled “Merry Christmas Everyone”. It also was a Top Ten hit in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and West Germany.

In 1974, Slade had a Top Ten hit in eight nations with “Everyday”. A second Top Ten hit that year was “The Bangin’ Man”. While a third Top Ten hit, “Far Far Away”, was a number-one hit in Norway. In 1975, “How Does It Feel” was a Top Ten hit in the Netherlands. The followup, “Thanks for the Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam)”, was a Top Ten hit in Ireland, Norway, and the UK.

The next five years saw a slide in popularity for Slade. In 1981, Slade released their ninth studio album We’ll Bring Down the House. The title track, “We’ll Bring the House Down”, was a Top Ten hit in the UK.

In 1983, Slade released their eleventh studio album titled The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome. The debut single from the album was “Run Runaway”

“Run Runaway” was cowritten by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. The song has the narrator speaking to another person who is the “runaway.” The narrator criticizes the runaway for running away from risks in life. The narrator can understand why the runaway might want things to be in black and white. the runaway described as a “chameleon” who runs away while “dreaming of black and white.” When the runaway has a crush, “they beat about the bush” and avoid the risk of intimacy. When faced with a potential relationship they move into flight. “Can’t you wait” asked the narrator of the song. When the wolf is at the door, the runaway thinks “money ain’t everything.” Lacking responsibility, they delay attending to their financial circumstances. The runaway falls over and over to their default position in life which is to runaway.

“Run Runaway” reached #1 in Winnipeg (MB), #3 in Saskatoon (SK), #4 in Racine (WI), Calgary, and Toronto, #6 in Kansas City (MO), and Vancouver (BC), #7 in St, Louis, #8 in Cleveland, #9 in Grand Rapids (MI), Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Hamilton (ON), and #10 in Regina (SK).

Internationally, “Run Runaway” reached number-one in Iceland. It was also a Top Ten hit in Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. In the USA the single stalled at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Another track from the album, “My Oh My”, was released as a single. It topped the pop charts in Norway and Sweden. It also topped the pop charts in eight other countries, including South Africa. A final Top Ten hit for Slade was “All Hands Join”, also in 1984 in Ireland.

Slade dissolved in 1992. Dave Hill carried on by forming Slade II. He also formed a group called Blessings in Disguise. In 2010, Hill had a stroke. Hill published his autobiography, entitled So Here It Is: The Autobiography, in 2017.

After 26 years with Slade, Noddy Holder left in 1992, to pursue a career away from music, with regular stints as radio presenter, television personality, actor – most notably in the comedy-drama ITV series The Grimleys – and voice-over artist. He also presented 31 episodes of Noddy’s Electric Ladyland, a surreal television quiz show.

Concurrent to Slade, Jim Lea formed The Dummies in 1979 and released three singles. In 1993, Lea got involved in the real estate business. In 2007, Lea released his first solo album, Therapy.

Don Powell joined Slade II and remained with Dave Hill’s reformed Slade (and an ever-changing lineup of other musicians) until 2020. That year, after 57 years with Slade, Dave Hill fired Don Powell by email.

July 13,2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
Dave Simpson, “Noddy Holder: ‘People think I live in a cave all year and come out in December, shouting It’s Chriiisstmaaasss!’,” Guardian, November 26, 2015.
Mark Diggins, “INTERVIEW: Jim Lea – Slade (The ‘Cum On Feel The Hitz’ Interview),” The Rockpit, October 16, 2020.
Mayer Nissim, “Slade break-up: Did Dave Hill sack Don Powell by email? Noddy Holder sets the record straight,” Gold Radio, July 11, 2023.
Judi Spiers, “Slade Star’s Devon Roots,” BBC, October 28, 2014.
Ben Beaumont-Thomas, “Slade drummer Don Powell ‘fired by email’ after 57-year partnership,” Guardian, February 5, 2020.

CKY 580-AM Winnipeg (MB) Top Ten | July 14, 1984