Pictures of Matchstick Men
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| “Pictures of Matchstick Men” | |||||
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| Single by The Status Quo from the album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo |
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| B-side | "Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe" | ||||
| Released | January 1968 | ||||
| Format | 7", 45rpm | ||||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock | ||||
| Length | 3:09 | ||||
| Label | Pye Records 7N17449 Cadet Concept 7001 (US) | ||||
| Writer(s) | Francis Rossi | ||||
| The Status Quo singles chronology | |||||
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| “Pictures of Matchstick Men” | ||
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| Single by Camper Van Beethoven from the album Key Lime Pie |
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| Released | 1989 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock | |
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" was the first hit single by Status Quo, released in January of 1968. It reached number seven in the British charts, and number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their only hit single in the United States.[1] It was originally intended to be a B-side to 'Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe' but it was decided to swap the B-side and the A-side of the single.
The song opens with a single guitar repeatedly playing a simple four note riff before the rhythm guitar comes in with chords and the drums and lyrics begin. Pictures of Matchstick Men is one of a number of songs from the late sixties to feature phasing (the audio effect).
"I wrote it on the bog (i.e. toilet). I'd gone there, not for the usual reasons - having a crap and what have you - but to get away from the wife and mother-in-law. I used to go into this narrow frizzing toilet and sit there for hours, until they finally went out. I got three quarters of the song finished in that khazi. The rest I finished in the lounge." Francis Rossi[2]
The song, which could be described as bubblegum psychedelia, is very similar in many respects to another early Quo song, Black Veils of Melancholy.
It is thought the song refers to the paintings of L.S. Lowry.
[edit] Remakes and Cover Versions
- The Slickee Boys released an up-tempo version of "Pictures of Matchstick Men" on their 1982 album Cybernetic Dreams of Pi.
- In 1989 U.S. group Camper Van Beethoven scored a number one hit on Billboard magazines alternative music chart "Modern Rock Tracks" with a cover version of Pictures of Matchstick Men. [3] The song is from their critically acclaimed album Key Lime Pie.
- In 1986 the Forgotten Rebels released a punk version of Matchstick Men on their The Pride and Disgrace album.
- Ozzy Osbourne, backed by Type O Negative, covered Pictures of Matchstick Men as part of the soundtrack to the Howard Stern biographical movie Private Parts in 1997. [4]
- In 2000 the German band Atrocity covered "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" on their Taste Of Sin single.
- Shy Nobleman, Tel Aviv's mod hero, covered Pictures of Matchstick Men as part of his "How to be shy" tour in 2001.
- In May 2001, a live cover version appeared as a B-side on The Divine Comedy single 'Bad Ambassador'. It was recorded during a gig at Oxford Brookes University in March that year.
- In 2003, Death in Vegas released the title track of their album Scorpio Rising as a single (featuring Liam Gallagher from Oasis on vocals). The song featured a melody and chord sequence almost identical to Pictures of Matchstick Men; so much so, in fact, that Status Quo were credited as co-writers.
- In 2006, Kasabian released a version of the song on the CD single of their second release from the album Empire[5], Shoot The Runner. Although a first performance of this song was heard on Dermot O'Leary's[6] BBC Radio 2 show, this version was recorded in the studio for the CD release.
| Preceded by "Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears |
Billboard Modern Rock Chart number one single (Camper van Beethoven version) October 21, 1989 - November 4, 1989 |
Succeeded by "Proud to Fall" by Ian McCulloch |
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