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| "'''Slow Hand'''" is a ballad written by ] & James Bruce Clark recorded by ] for their 1981 album '']'' album and released in the spring of 1981 as that album's advance single. | "'''Slow Hand'''" is a ballad written by ] & James Bruce Clark recorded by ] for their 1981 album '']'' album and released in the spring of 1981 as that album's advance single. | ||
| ==Background/ Impact== | |||
| Although its sultry style recalls the Pointer Sisters' first Top Ten hit: the 1978 #2 hit "]", "Slow Hand" was not written for the group; in fact John Bettis would state "the Pointer Sisters were the furthest from minds."<ref>''Billboard'' vol 93 #33 (22 August 1981) p.</ref> Like "Fire" - which also featured Anita Pointer on lead - "Slow Hand" peaked at #2 on the ]; "Slow Hand" reached that position in August 1981 when it also reached #7 on the ]. The Pointer Sisters' best Hot 100 showing would remain #2 with a third hit: "]", matching that peak in 1985. | Although its sultry style recalls the Pointer Sisters' first Top Ten hit: the 1978 #2 hit "]", "Slow Hand" was not written for the group; in fact John Bettis would state "the Pointer Sisters were the furthest from minds."<ref>''Billboard'' vol 93 #33 (22 August 1981) p.</ref> Like "Fire" - which also featured Anita Pointer on lead - "Slow Hand" peaked at #2 on the ]; "Slow Hand" reached that position in August 1981 when it also reached #7 on the ]. The Pointer Sisters' best Hot 100 showing would remain #2 with a third hit: "]", matching that peak in 1985. | ||
Revision as of 23:06, 11 December 2010
This article is about the Pointer Sisters song. For the Interpol song, see Slow Hands. For the Eric Clapton album, see Slowhand. | This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Slow Hand" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
"Slow Hand" is a ballad written by John Bettis & James Bruce Clark recorded by the Pointer Sisters for their 1981 album Black & White album and released in the spring of 1981 as that album's advance single.
Background/ Impact
Although its sultry style recalls the Pointer Sisters' first Top Ten hit: the 1978 #2 hit "Fire", "Slow Hand" was not written for the group; in fact John Bettis would state "the Pointer Sisters were the furthest from minds." Like "Fire" - which also featured Anita Pointer on lead - "Slow Hand" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100; "Slow Hand" reached that position in August 1981 when it also reached #7 on the R&B chart. The Pointer Sisters' best Hot 100 showing would remain #2 with a third hit: "Jump (For My Love)", matching that peak in 1985.
"Slow Hand" also afforded the Pointer Sisters international success, including the first appearance by the group in the UK Top 30 with a #10 peak.
The track was ranked in the top 25 best singles of the year by the prestigious Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, demonstrating music critics' appreciation of the track.
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 2 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 33 |
| French Singles chart | 55 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles | 6 |
| UK Singles chart | 10 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| US Billboard R&B Singles | 7 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 6 |
Personnel
- Lead vocals by Anita Pointer
- Background vocals by Ruth Pointer and June Pointer
- Produced by Richard Perry
- Written by John Bettis & James Bruce Clark (ASCAP listing)
Del Reeves version
The song was covered in 1981 by country singer Del Reeves, whose version peaked at #53 on the Hot Country Singles chart.
Conway Twitty version
| "Slow Hand" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
The song was covered in 1982 by country singer Conway Twitty. His version, on Elektra Records, topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for two weeks that June, and was his last multi-week number-one song.
Chart performance
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |
| Preceded by"For All the Wrong Reasons" by The Bellamy Brothers |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single June 19-June 26, 1982 |
Succeeded by"Any Day Now" by Ronnie Milsap |
| The Pointer Sisters | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Singles |
|
| Related articles | |
- Billboard vol 93 #33 (22 August 1981) p.