Quiet Riot "Cum On Feel The Noize (Single & Video)"

In 1983, American heavy metal band Quiet Riot covered the song. Their version went on to reach No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1983 and helped their album Metal Health become a number-one hit. The song's success drew huge nationwide attention to the 1980s Los Angeles metal scene and also helped to break Slade belatedly in the US in 1984, after signing a deal with CBS. The song was certified gold by the RIAA. In 2002, Quiet Riot's version of "Cum On Feel the Noize" was ranked No. 80 on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders. In 2009, VH1 also ranked it No. 41 of the "best hard rock song of all time".

Originally, lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow was dead set on not covering the song, because he wanted the band to write every song on the album. In addition, he was not a big fan of Slade. Instead, the band decided to try to cover the song as badly as they could so the label would refuse to release it.

In a 1983 interview with Kerrang!, Holder spoke of the Quiet Riot version:

The first Slade knew about Quiet Riot was when they approached our publisher for permission to do "Cum On Feel the Noize". We agreed, never believing something like this would happen. The really nice thing about the whole affair is that it proves how strong our songs are. After all; "Cum On Feel the Noize" is now ten years old, so it's obviously stood the test of time rather well! We've actually been approached in the recent past by people wanting us to update one of our classics. But, not even seeing what a band like Quiet Riot have done so successfully with modern studio technology on an old Slade tune has persuaded us it's worth doing. There was a spontaneity and electricity about the numbers when we first did 'em that could never be recaptured now. There just wouldn't be the same feel so, no matter how much money is offered. We're not into prostituting our own heritage.

Speaking to Record Mirror in 1983, Lea stated: "Quiet Riot phoned us up and asked if they could use the song. They were a bit cheeky really because they had already recorded it. I think they've done a very good version. Because of the success of the song in the States, we've also got five major record companies trying to outbid each other and sign us to a major deal. We've had ridiculous offers coming over the phone. We'll give you five Rolls Royces if you go with us, that kind of thing."

In a Ludwig drums interview, Quiet Riot's drummer Frankie Banali said:

"I think [Slade] were a little bitter about our success with their song. They had a hit with it in other territories but not in the US and later our version overshadowed theirs worldwide. Any real success in the US always seemed to elude Slade, so Quiet Riot having a major hit with "Cum On Feel the Noize" was bittersweet for them. When Quiet Riot played the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1983, we offered them an invitation complete with a limo service to attend the show, but they never responded. Later I was shopping in Kensington Market and ran into Jimmy Lea. I wanted to shake his hand and thank him for writing a great song. He looked into my face, and walked away leaving me with nothing in my hand but air! I look at the situation like this: Quiet Riot received a great measure of success with the help of that song, and Slade received a great deal of money for their trouble. Fair enough!"

The music video for Quiet Riot's version was a staple on MTV. It featured a teenage boy in his bedroom waking up to turn off his alarm then, accidentally turning on his stereo in the corner (which is simply an AM/FM receiver on top of two standard rectangular speakers) which starts the song. Suddenly the room starts shaking, and the stereo starts getting larger and larger and louder and louder (with the speakers now wedge shaped and emitting strobe lights). As the boy looks up at the "Metal Health Mask", a flashback appears of Dubrow throwing the mask in a crowd, then cuts back to the room to show same mask appears on his wall, above his bed, suggesting that the boy got that mask from a Quiet Riot concert. The boy tries twice to futilely turn the volume down on the now massive sized receiver, then tries pulling the plug on it. When he does and the plug comes out of the wall, it's as huge as the stereo and appears to knock him out. The band is then shown playing the rest of the song. At the end, the boy wakes up, realizing it was all a dream, and everything is back to normal, including the size of his stereo system.