Wheels Ain't Coming Down (1981)
Wheels Ain't Coming Down is Slade's second and final single from their ninth studio album We'll Bring the House Down. Released by Cheapskate Records on 27 March 1981, it reached No. 60 in the UK and remained in the charts for three weeks. The song had been first released in 1979 as an album track on their eighth studio album Return to Base. It was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, and produced by Slade.
Background
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" was released as the opening track on Return to Base, which was a commercial failure in 1979; a period when the band's popularity was low. The song also appeared on the 1980 extended play Six of the Best, which also failed to chart. Later in 1980, the band's fortunes were revived after a successful performance at the Reading Festival. To capitalise on the new interest in the band, Slade released the Top Ten hit "We'll Bring the House Down" in January 1981, with the album of the same name following in March. The album featured a number of tracks re-used from Return to Base, including "Wheels Ain't Coming Down". Following up success of the title track, the band decided to release "Wheels Ain't Coming Down" as the follow-up single in March. It reached No. 60, lasting three weeks on the chart.
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" tells the tale of a near-death flying experience suffered by Holder and Lea when travelling to Los Angeles. The song also references Lea by his nickname "Midlands Misery". In a 1981 interview with Daily Star, Holder recalled: "Jim and I were on the way to a radio station when the captain told us he could not get the wheels down to land. We were diverted to another airport for a crash landing. It's not a great feeling knowing you might have only 45 minutes left in life. We drank all the booze there was going. Happily the pilot brought the plane down safely."
Release
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" was released on 7" vinyl by the independent Cheapskate Records in the UK only. The first 20,000 copies of the single were issued with a picture sleeve. The B-side, "Not Tonight Josephine", was previously the B-side to the 1979 single "Sign of the Times".
Music video
A music video was filmed, however it was never shown at the time of single's release. It was directed by Eric Boliski. The video was filmed on the afternoon of 10 March 1981 at the Southampton Gaumont, prior to the band's concert there that evening.
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Retrospective reviews
Chart performance
UK Singles Chart: #60
Formats
7" single
Personnel
Slade
Background
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" was released as the opening track on Return to Base, which was a commercial failure in 1979; a period when the band's popularity was low. The song also appeared on the 1980 extended play Six of the Best, which also failed to chart. Later in 1980, the band's fortunes were revived after a successful performance at the Reading Festival. To capitalise on the new interest in the band, Slade released the Top Ten hit "We'll Bring the House Down" in January 1981, with the album of the same name following in March. The album featured a number of tracks re-used from Return to Base, including "Wheels Ain't Coming Down". Following up success of the title track, the band decided to release "Wheels Ain't Coming Down" as the follow-up single in March. It reached No. 60, lasting three weeks on the chart.
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" tells the tale of a near-death flying experience suffered by Holder and Lea when travelling to Los Angeles. The song also references Lea by his nickname "Midlands Misery". In a 1981 interview with Daily Star, Holder recalled: "Jim and I were on the way to a radio station when the captain told us he could not get the wheels down to land. We were diverted to another airport for a crash landing. It's not a great feeling knowing you might have only 45 minutes left in life. We drank all the booze there was going. Happily the pilot brought the plane down safely."
Release
"Wheels Ain't Coming Down" was released on 7" vinyl by the independent Cheapskate Records in the UK only. The first 20,000 copies of the single were issued with a picture sleeve. The B-side, "Not Tonight Josephine", was previously the B-side to the 1979 single "Sign of the Times".
Music video
A music video was filmed, however it was never shown at the time of single's release. It was directed by Eric Boliski. The video was filmed on the afternoon of 10 March 1981 at the Southampton Gaumont, prior to the band's concert there that evening.
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
- In a review of Return to Base, Wolverhampton Express and Star commented: "As usual they start off with force, singing a song which went down well everywhere on their last tour. It's called "Wheels Ain't Coming Down", a power-packed churning song with a catchy hook line."
- Upon release as a single in 1981, Simon Tebbutt of Record Mirror stated: "Slade might be able to bring the house down but they're a bit stuck when it comes to flying on a plane when the wheels won't come down. Funny sort of thing to sing a song about really. Actually you wouldn't know it was Slade if it wasn't for the chorus, there's an uncharacteristic musical sophistication. Anyway, keep your head low because if this one lands it might bring all the houses down."
- David Hepworth of Smash Hits commented: "Although I can't pretend to be entirely happy about Slade's transformation from rowdies to scrap metal merchants, this is a harmless enough blast of hard rock. The plot concerns an ancient airplane held together surely by chewing gum and faith, whose undercarriage proves a mite contrary. Not the most obvious subject matter but Holder's remains one of the most distinctive voices on record."
- Betty Page of Sounds wrote "Nowhere near the rebel-rousin' quality of 'House Down' and a blatant rip-off of 'Free Ride'. Glossy Americanised heaviness and a smooth Holder vocal distinctly lacking in raucous glambamming."
- Sounds commented: "Dull, heavy-handed melodrama, follow-up to the surprise success of "We'll Bore Your Pants Off". Lots of whizz-bang sound effects but precious little inspiration. Hard work."
- New Musical Express said: "After such a promising start, Slade return to the mire with this disappointing follow up. On initial hearings the song is so corny in verbal content it almost has a kitsch value about it, but after a few hearings you realise it's just plain bad. I don't think this will appeal to the punters."
- Allan Jones of Melody Maker wrote: ""We'll Bring the House Down" was wonderfully riotous: this is more tautly constructed, not so insanely vigorous. The chorus though is maddeningly infectious: No doubt it will be nagging us all silly for weeks."
- Jim Whiteford of The Kilmarnock Standard commented: "Still hanging around the top 50 with 'We'll Bring the House Down', Noddy and friends return with a fairly subdued rocker telling the story of a 'near thing' when the undercarriage of their jet jammed. Top thirty."
Retrospective reviews
- In a retrospective review of Return to Base, Geoff Ginsberg of AllMusic said: "Songs like the opener stand up with the band's best work, and that is saying a lot. [The song is] infectious to the degree that humming it could become a chronic problem".
Chart performance
UK Singles Chart: #60
Formats
7" single
- "Wheels Ain't Coming Down" - 3:37
- "Not Tonight Josephine" - 3:03
Personnel
Slade
- Noddy Holder - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, producer, arranger
- Dave Hill - lead guitar, backing vocals, producer, arranger
- Jim Lea - bass, backing vocals, producer, arranger
- Don Powell - drums, producer, arranger