Slipping Away

Album: Information (1983)
Charted: 60 39
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Edmunds returned to the American Top 40 for the first time since 1970 ("I Hear You Knocking") with this song about a man whose woman is losing interest in him. It was written and produced by Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra, who also produced the album's title track.

    Edmunds had produced his own material to this point, and decided to try something different by using an outside producer. His first choice was Phil Collins, but Collins didn't have the time. "Then I thought of Jeff Lynne, because he was Mr. Techno back then and he used to make great-sounding records," Edmunds said in his 2015 Songfacts interview. "Although now I listen to them and they sound a bit dated. I'm a bit puzzled why I was so enamored with Jeff, but he is very creative in the studio. He can go in with nothing and right on the spot make a record. I was taken with that."
  • This being 1983, synthesizers were coming into vogue, especially in Edmunds' native UK. For Jeff Lynne, this was a natural progression, but for Edmunds, it was out of step with his sound - he specialized in rock guitar and simplified productions (he had recently produced the Stray Cats first album). So when "Slipping Away" emerged, featuring a prominent synth played by Lynne, many of Edmunds' fans were nonplussed.

    Edmunds did more work with Lynne on his next album, Riff Raff, but soon returned to his rock roots.
  • The music video, featuring auto racing footage mixed with scenes of Edmunds performing the song, did well on MTV, giving Edmunds exposure to a young American audience. The video was directed by Peter Sinclair, who also did the Culture Club video for "Karma Chameleon."

    Edmunds left videos to the discretion of the record company and director. "I never had any interest in making videos to express the music, I was just going along with the trend," he told us.

Comments: 2

  • Ed Breyer from UsaJust saw the video again after many years. Very pretty girl. Curious who she is but can't find any information. Oh well
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 25th 1983, Dave Edmunds performed "Slipping Away" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    One month earlier on May 8th, 1983 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #93; and on July 24th, 1983 it peaked at #39 and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    On the day of his appearance on 'Bandstand' the song was at #50 on the Top 100...
    Between 1970 and 1985 he had seven records on the Top 100; one made the Top 10, "I Hear You Knocking", which reached #4 (for 2 weeks) on February 7th, 1971 (it was his debut record on the chart, and it entered on the last week of 1970)...
    Mr. Edmunds celebrated his 70th birthday two months ago on April 15th, 2014.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.