Musically, Tilbrook cited Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder as inspirations on "Slap and Tickle", though his inexperience with sequencers made it difficult to replicate the sound. He noted, "I played it all by hand. There's a clip of me on the Old Grey Whistle Test prodding away manfully at the keyboard." Tilbrook played keyboard on the song, which he later noted was him "encroaching on Jools [Holland]'s territory."
