A melancholic reflection on life’s journey and fleeting moments.
There are songs that simply exist, and then there are songs that linger. They seep into the quiet corners of your memory, emerging years later with a potency that can transport you back to a specific time, a particular feeling, a forgotten scent. For many who came of age amidst the vibrant, sometimes raucous, soundscape of the 1970s, Slade’s “So Far So Good” is undeniably one of the latter. It’s not a track that immediately springs to mind when you think of the Wolverhampton quartet’s chart-topping, glitter-clad anthems; it’s a deeper cut, a more introspective offering from their 1974 album, ‘Slade in Flame’. And perhaps it’s precisely this understated nature that has allowed it to age with such grace, a quiet testament to a band capable of more than just stomp-and-holler singalongs.
Released as part of the soundtrack to the film ‘Slade in Flame’, a raw and unflinching look at the music industry’s darker side, “So Far So Good” never truly scaled the heights of the singles chart. While Slade were then in the throes of their imperial phase, regularly hitting the top five with tracks like “Merry Xmas Everybody” and “Cum On Feel the Noize,” this particular gem remained an album track, a B-side to their 1975 single “How Does It Feel?”. Its chart performance, or rather lack thereof, in the grand scheme of things, is almost irrelevant. For those who truly connected with the song, its impact was measured not in numbers on a page, but in the resonant chords it struck within their own hearts. It became, for many, a personal soundtrack to moments of quiet contemplation, a gentle, reflective counterpoint to the exuberance that often defined their youth.
The genesis of “So Far So Good” lies within the narrative fabric of the ‘Slade in Flame’ film. It’s a moment of vulnerability, a pause in the relentless pursuit of fame and fortune, where the characters, much like the band themselves, are forced to confront the toll their journey has taken. Written by the formidable songwriting duo of Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, the track is imbued with a weariness, a sense of looking back at a life lived at full throttle, and wondering what has been gained and what has been lost. It’s a poignant departure from the usual Slade fare, showcasing a remarkable depth and maturity in their lyrical prowess. There’s an undeniable melancholy woven into its very DNA, a gentle sigh of recognition for the passage of time and the bittersweet nature of memory.
For those of us who have accumulated a few more years, a few more experiences, the song resonates with an even greater intensity. “So Far So Good” isn’t just about the journey of a band; it’s about the universal human experience of growing older, of tallying up the triumphs and the tribulations, the laughter and the tears. It’s the gentle hand on your shoulder that reminds you of roads taken and roads not, of loves found and loves lost, of dreams pursued and dreams perhaps deferred. The lyrics, simple yet profound, speak to the universal longing for stability amidst chaos, for meaning in a world that often feels arbitrary. It evokes that feeling of sitting by a window on a rainy afternoon, cup of tea in hand, as the mind drifts back through the decades, touching upon moments that shaped who we are. It’s a feeling that’s both comforting and a little bit sad, a testament to the enduring power of a song that chose to whisper rather than shout, and in doing so, found its way into the very soul of a generation.