"7 Year Bitch" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from rock band Slade

Slade

Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...

 which appeared on the album Rogues Gallery. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder

Noddy Holder

Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....

 and bassist Jim Lea

Jim Lea

Jim Lea , is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade.-Career:...

. The single was released in 1985 and peaked at #60 in the UK, spending 3 weeks on the chart.

Background

The single itself was virtually banned by a UK broadcasting media which in 1985 was at the height of a wave of political correctness. Though the band felt unfairly judged by the media, the record was a miscalculation on the part of Slade and their record company. The band's observation that they would have got away with it if they'd called it 7 year itch and that no one complained about Elton John's

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

 The Bitch is Back

The Bitch Is Back

"The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song by Elton John, written with Bernie Taupin. It was the second single released from his 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada , number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom. The song has been identified as is one of Elton John's...

 which was a hit record. Holder recalled in 1998 of 7 Year Bitch's potential, "but we got a bit of a backlash".

The b-side "Leave Them Girls Alone" was originally exclusive to the single, eventually being released on CD via the 2007 compilation "B-Sides" and the remaster of "Rogues Gallery". For the 12" vinyl of the single, a live version of "We'll Bring the House Down" was added, from the band's 1982 live album "Slade on Stage".

The track was mimed on UK TV show Saturday Live and also on various Dutch and German TV shows.

The track was covered by SAPO.

In a mid-1989 Slade fan club magazine interview, Jim Lea stated that he had been working on a re-worked version of "7 Year Bitch" although this version has never been released.

Formats

7" Single

1. "7 Year Bitch" - 3:58
2. "Leave Them Girls Alone" - 3:13

12" Single

1. "7 Year Bitch (Extended version)" - 5:38
2. "Leave Them Girls Alone" - 3:13
3. "We'll Bring the House Down (Live version)
   We'll Bring the House Down (song)
   "We'll Bring The House Down" is a single from rock band Slade from their 1981 album We'll Bring the House Down. It was written by lead singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea...
   
   " - 4:33

Chart performance

Chart (1985)	Peak position	Total weeks
German Singles Chart	39	8
Polish Singles Chart	20	8
UK Singles Chart	60	3

Personnel

• Noddy Holder: Lead vocals and guitar
• Jim Lea: Bass guitar, synthesizer and backing vocals
• Dave Hill: Lead guitar and backing vocals
• Don Powell: Drums

Additional personnel

• Producer on "7 Year Bitch" - John Punter
• Arranger on "7 Year Bitch" - Jim Lea
• Writers of "7 Year Bitch" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
• Producer on "Leave Them Girls Alone" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
• Arranger on "Leave Them Girls Alone" - Jim Lea for Perseverance Ltd.
• Writers of "Leave Them Girls Alone" - Noddy Holder; Jim Lea
• Front Photography - Chris Thomson
• Back Photography - Simon Fowler
• Design - The Square Red Studio