"Never Let Her Slip Away" is a song written by Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold

Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....

, who recorded it for his third album, All This and Heaven Too. The single reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 chart and #67 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 in 1978. Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...

, in an uncredited appearance, recorded sparse backing vocals with Gold, to support Gold's separately recorded lead vocal. Mercury's harmony vocals are low in the mix; he is most audible on the "on a school day afternoon" refrain.

In 1992, Undercover

Undercover (dance group)

Undercover were a dance music group from the UK, who had two Top 10 hits in 1992. The vocals on all the group's songs were sung by John Matthews, The band were formed in 1991, and are still active today.- Overview :...

also had a #5 UK hit with the song.