A Blistering, Defiant Anthem of Passion, Marking a Hard-Won and Glorious Return to the Summit of British Rock.
By the late 1970s, the once-unassailable kings of British glam rock, Slade, had entered the commercial wilderness. Their high-stakes gamble to conquer America had failed, their image had dimmed, and they were largely written off by the music press. The saga of their decline was a profound drama of fading glory. Then came the miracle of the 1980 Reading Festival, where they famously stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Ozzy Osbourne. That chaotic, triumphant performance single-handedly resurrected their career. Their 1981 album, Till Deaf Do Us Part, was the first full-throated roar of their second act, a defiant statement of survival. From this resurgence came the single “Ruby Red.” Its chart position—a glorious surge to No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart in 1982—was not just a statistic; it was an emotional vindication, a declaration that the biggest, loudest band in Britain was back to reclaim their crown.
The story behind “Ruby Red” is inextricably linked to the emotional high of their hard-won comeback. After years of struggling to adapt to the changing landscape, the success of the Reading performance instilled a furious, renewed confidence in the band, especially chief songwriters Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. The song’s creation was an act of survival and pure, unadulterated joy. The drama lies in the sheer relief pouring out of every riff—a feeling that their artistic essence had been validated once more. After years of releasing critically ignored material, “Ruby Red” was a spectacular return to form, fusing the band’s classic, anthemic glam-stomp with the heavier, more metallic sensibilities of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene that had embraced them during their lean years.
The meaning of “Ruby Red” is a straightforward, visceral declaration of all-consuming passion and a renewed lust for life, mirroring the band’s own rediscovered relevance. “Ruby Red” is the idealized subject of a devotion so intense it is almost painful, a celebration of the dramatic, unstoppable force of attraction. Musically, the track is a glorious, unpolished slab of hard rock, raw and relentless. Noddy Holder’s vocal performance is spectacular, his famous, gravelly shout returning with the full-force power of a man who knows he has earned his place back on the stage. The music is driven by a pounding rhythm section and Dave Hill’s sharp, cutting guitar riffs. The song’s structure is classic Slade—simple, powerful, and utterly anthemic—but delivered with the maturity and edge gained from years of struggle. The defiant, singalong chorus is not just a song about a girl; it is an anthem of survival.
For those who followed the dramatic arc of Slade through the tumultuous 1970s and early 80s, “Ruby Red” is a nostalgic jolt of triumph. It is a testament to the band’s resilience and their ability to stay true to their core sound while adapting to a new, heavier decade. The song stands as a timeless, deeply emotional, and profoundly dramatic piece of musical history, the perfect, joyous soundtrack to a legendary comeback that proved that sometimes, you simply cannot keep a great band down.