Hands Off...She's Mine

The single was the first release on the band's newly created record label Go-Feet and was released as a double A-sided single with "Twist and Crawl" in the UK as there were opposing thoughts in the band as to which song should be the A-side.{{Cite book|last=Augustyn|first=Heather|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bUba45txcJ8C&pg=PA121|title=Ska: An Oral History|date=2014-01-10|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-6197-4|pages=121|language=en}} A 12" extended dub mix of the single was released on 22 February 1980, a week after the release of the 7" single.{{cite magazine|date=21 February – 5 March 1980|title=Bitz|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/50642138031/in/album-72157717025852778/|magazine=Smash Hits|page=10|access-date=5 March 2021|via=flickr.com}}

In his review of the song in Record Mirror, journalist John Shearlaw wrote "Why then is this turgid, beatless, tuneless, production-less mere germ of an idea (that could turn into a song if they sat down and worked on it for about a year) allowed to be released to pervert the minds of the nation's youth?". Reviewing the song retrospectively for AllMusic, Jo-Ann Greene said that the "rich and fulsome arrangement blends a driving spot-on rhythm, tuneful riffing that dances merrily around the melody, fabulous sax solos, and sweetened by a xylophone-esque line that gives the piece a further Caribbean flair".{{Citation|last=Greene|first=Jo-Ann|title=Hands Off...She's Mine - The English Beat|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/hands-offshes-mine-mt0048967812|language=en-us|access-date=2020-09-24}}

Dave Wakeling later said that some people took the meaning of the song completely wrong, saying that "It was meant obviously to mean the opposite. Of course she’s not yours. Nobody is ever anybody else’s, are they? And some people got it, but some girls were really offended. They were like, "I can’t believe you’d come up with something like that! 'Hands Off, She’s Mine'. What nonsense!" I’m like, "Yes. That’s the point. It’s nonsense.""{{Cite web|title=Dave Wakeling on the short, successful, fractious career of The English Beat|url=https://avclub.com/dave-wakeling-on-the-short-successful-fractious-caree-1798232527|access-date=2020-09-25|website=AV Club|language=en-us}}

• The song appeared in the episode "The War Room" of the 1986 crime thriller TV mini-series Dead Head.{{Citation|title="Dead Head" The War Room (TV Episode 1986) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1246856/soundtrack|access-date=2020-09-24}}
• The song is featured in the 2004 romantic comedy film 50 First Dates.{{Cite web|date=2019-09-24|title=Soundtrack: 50 First Dates - listen to all 30 songs with scene description|url=https://www.soundtrackradar.com/soundtrack-50-first-dates/|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Soundtrackradar.com|language=en-US}}
• It is featured in the film and on the soundtrack of the 2007 comedy-drama Mama's Boy.{{Cite web|title=Various - Mama's Boy - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Mamas-Boy-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/release/13664329|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Discogs|language=en}}

In an interview with Songfacts, Wakeling said "it was actually a friend of David Steele's, the bass player, Peter Greenall, wrote the lyrics", and Wakeling "filled out the lyrics" and "made it scan a bit more". The song is about "somebody wanting to be in the Twist and Shout kind of casual '60s confidence, but found that it was more like twist and crawl. Just social discomfort to the point of pitiful pain of always feeling you're in the wrong place at the wrong time and saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. Never getting anywhere with it."{{Cite web|last=Songfacts|title=Dave Wakeling of The English Beat : Songwriter Interviews|url=https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/dave-wakeling-of-the-english-beat|access-date=2020-09-24|website=www.songfacts.com|language=en}}

7"

• "Hands Off..She's Mine" – 3:01
• "Twist and Crawl" – 2:30

12"

• "Hands Off..She's Mine" – 4:34
• "Twist and Crawl" – 4:58

{{Reflist}}

• {{discogs master|type=single|8310}}

{{The Beat}}

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Category:1980 songs

Category:1980 singles

Category:The Beat (British band) songs

Category:Songs written by David Steele (musician)

Category:Songs written by Ranking Roger

Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Sargeant

Category:Arista Records singles