🔘 Lock Up Your Daughters – Single: Sep. 1981

Netherlands - RCA - 1981

Label: RCA Records

Catalogue Number: RCA 122

Format: 7" Vinyl Single

Released: September 4, 1981 (UK)

A heavy, riff‑driven Slade anthem — backed with the hard‑edged Sign of the Times.

Issued on RCA, the single pushed Slade deeper into their early‑’80s metal‑leaning resurgence.

🔘 Overview

Lock Up Your Daughters was released on September 4, 1981 as a UK 7" single on RCA Records. Following their Reading Festival revival and the success of We’ll Bring the House Down, Slade embraced a heavier, NWOBHM‑aligned sound to appeal to both long‑time fans and the new metal audience.

The B‑side, Sign of the Times, continued the band’s tougher, guitar‑driven direction. RCA 122 was issued in standard UK RCA packaging, with a Netherlands edition also appearing in 1981.

🔘 Track List (Common Configurations)

7" Vinyl — RCA 122

A. Lock Up Your Daughters (3:31)

B. Sign of the Times (3:58)

Written by: Noddy Holder, Jim Lea

Produced by: Slade

🔘 Release Details

Label: RCA Records

Formats: 7" Vinyl

Country: UK (primary), Netherlands (parallel 1981 issue)

Year: 1981

Notes:

- Early‑’80s heavy‑rock Slade

- Part of their RCA era

- Netherlands edition released the same year

- Supported by TV appearances and a promotional video

🔘 Variants (Documented)

Variant 1

UK – RCA – RCA 122 (1981)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Paper Label)

Variant 2

UK – RCA – RCA 122 (1981)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Injection‑moulded label)

Variant 3

Netherlands – RCA – PB 5224 (1981)

Format: 7" Vinyl

🔘 Chart Data (BBC / Official Charts Company)

Peak Position: UK — No. 29

Weeks on Chart: 8

Chart Run (Official Charts):

Entered Top 75 in early September 1981; remained for eight weeks.

International

Netherlands — No. 17

Minor chart activity in additional European markets.

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

A tight, aggressive production — Slade leaning into a heavier, metallic sound aligned with the NWOBHM climate of 1981.

Collector Notes

Netherlands PB 5224 pressings are notable for alternate label layouts. UK paper‑label RCA 122 copies remain the most collectible.

Legacy

A key single in Slade’s early‑’80s resurgence — bridging their glam‑rock roots with a harder, contemporary edge.

🔘 Background

Slade, formed in Wolverhampton in 1966, were major glam‑rock hitmakers in the early ’70s with anthems like Cum On Feel the Noize and Merry Xmas Everybody. By 1981, the classic lineup — Noddy Holder, Dave Hill, Jim Lea, Don Powell — had regained momentum after their explosive 1980 Reading Festival performance, which reintroduced them to a new generation of rock fans.

🔘 Promotion

A promotional video was filmed on September 7, 1981 at Portland Studios, London, though it received limited airplay. A partial clip appeared on Tiswas with children’s messages overlaid. Slade performed the track on Top of the Pops (broadcast September 24 and October 8, 1981) and on Dutch TV’s TopPop.

🔘 Significance & Reception

Cultural Impact

The single cemented Slade’s renewed popularity, appealing to both their original glam audience and the rising metal crowd. It became a live staple, celebrated for its high‑energy, party‑rock swagger.

Critical Reception

Sounds praised it as a “mighty rabble‑rousing stomp” with a “Bad Company‑style chorus.” Melody Maker compared it to their 1972 classic Mama Weer All Crazee Now. Some regional critics found it predictable, but overall reception leaned positive.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

We’ll Bring the House Down (1981)

Next Single

Ruby Red (1982)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Lock Up Your Daughters — 1981

Sign of the Times — 1981

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Sep. 4, 1981 — UK single released

Sep.–Oct. 1981 — UK Top 30 hit (No. 29)

1981 — Netherlands release (No. 17)

🔘 Glam Flashback

Slade roar into