Rock and roll music
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" is the first hit single by British rock band The Status Quo. It was released on 5 January 1968.[6]
The Status Quo version
Leer másSingles chronology
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Status Quo
Discográfica: Pye · Estudio de grabación: Pye, London[1] · Productor: John Schroeder[1]
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1
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Pictures of Matchstick Men
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Rossi •
1968 /01 /05
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3:11 |
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2
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Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Café
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /01 /05
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0:00 |
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Album
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo
Fecha Lanzamiento: 27 Septiembre 1968 · Fecha Grabación: Septiembre 1968 -Discográfica: Pye · Estudio de Grabación: Pye Studios, London · Productor: John Schroeder
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1
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Black Veils of Melancholy
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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2
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When my Mind is not Live
Status Quo •
w: mono version •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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3
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Ice in the Sun
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Marty Wilde · Ronnie Scott •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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2:12 |
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4
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Elizabeth Dreams
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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5
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Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Café
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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6
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Paradise Flat
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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7
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Technicolour Dreams
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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8
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Sheila
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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9
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Spicks and Specks
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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10
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Sunny Cellophane Skies
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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11
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Green Tambourine
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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12
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Pictures of Matchstick Men
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Rossi •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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3:11 |
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13
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To Be Free
Status Quo •
w: B-side •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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2:38 |
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14
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Make me Stay a Bit Longer
Status Quo •
w: BBC session •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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15
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Auntie Nellie
Status Quo •
w: bonus track •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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16
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interview with Brian Matthew
Status Quo •
w: BBC session •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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1:08 |
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17
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Pictures of Matchstick Men
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Rossi •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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3:11 |
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18
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Things Get Better
Status Quo •
w: Al Jackson, Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) (BBC session •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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2:11 |
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19
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Spicks and Specks
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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20
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Judy in Disguise
Status Quo •
w: with Glasses) (Andrew Joseph Bernard, John Fred Gourrier) (BBC session •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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2:45 |
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21
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(another) interview (BBC session)
Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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1:19 |
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22
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Make me Stay a Bit Longer
Status Quo •
w: BBC session •
1968 /09 /27 disc one - mono LP
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0:00 |
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1
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Black Veils of Melancholy
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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2
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When my Mind is not Alive
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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3:03 |
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3
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Ice in the Sun
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Marty Wilde · Ronnie Scott •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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2:12 |
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4
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Elizabeth Dreams
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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5
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Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Café
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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6
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Paradise Flat
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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7
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Technicolour Dreams
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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8
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Sheila
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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9
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Spicks and Specks
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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10
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Sunny Cellophane Skies
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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11
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Green Tambourine
Status Quo •
w: stereo remix •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
|
0:00 |
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12
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Pictures of Matchstick Men
Status Quo •
Status Quo •
w: Rossi •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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3:11 |
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13
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Auntie Nellie
Status Quo •
w: bonus track •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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14
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Gloria
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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15
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Interview with Francis Rossi
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Spectres •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:49 |
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16
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I
Status Quo •
w: who have Nothing) (BBC session, the Spectres •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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3:03 |
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17
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Neighbour, Neighbour
Status Quo •
w: Alton Joseph Valier) (BBC session, the Spectres •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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2:39 |
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18
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I don`t want You
Status Quo •
w: Brian Potter, Pete Dello) (BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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2:34 |
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19
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Almost but not Quite There
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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2:38 |
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20
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Spicks and Specks
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, Traffic Jam •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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21
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Gloria
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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22
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interview with Alan Lancaster
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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1:01 |
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23
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Black Veils of Melancholy
Status Quo •
w: BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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0:00 |
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24
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Bloodhound
Status Quo •
w: Larry Bright) (BBC session, the Status Quo •
1968 /09 /27 disc two - stereo LP remixed P
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2:05 |
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| "Pictures of Matchstick Men" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A-side label of the UK vinyl release | ||||
| Single by the Status Quo | ||||
| from the album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo | ||||
| B-side | "Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Café" | |||
| Released | 5 January 1968 | |||
| Studio | Pye, London[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | Pye | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Francis Rossi | |||
| Producer(s) | John Schroeder[1] | |||
| The Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (Mono Version) on YouTube | ||||
Review
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" is the first hit single by British rock band The Status Quo. It was released on 5 January 1968.[6]
The Status Quo version
Leer másA painting by L. S. Lowry including his characteristic "matchstick men".
The song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart, number eight in Canada, and number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming their only top-40 single in the United States.[7][8][9] Francis Rossi confirmed on DVD2 of the Pictures set,[clarification needed] that 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.
There are two versions, one in stereo and another in mono, with significant differences: the original single was in mono and has the trademark wah-wah guitar in the breaks between lyrics, but this is omitted in stereo.
The song opens with a single guitar repeatedly playing a simple four-note riff before the bass, rhythm guitar, organ, drums and vocals begin. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" is one of a number of songs from the late 1960s which feature the flanging audio effect. The band`s next single release, "Black Veils of Melancholy", was similar but flopped, which caused a change of musical direction.[10]
Rossi (living in a prefab in Camberwell at the time)[11] later said of the song:
I wrote it on the bog. I`d gone there, not for the usual reasons... 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.[12]
The "matchstick men" reference is to the paintings of Salford artist L. S. Lowry.[12]
Releases
- 1968: "Pictures of Matchstick Men" / "Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Cafe" [Promo] 45 rpm Vinyl 7"; Pye / 7N 17449
- 1969: "Retrato de hombre con bastón" / "El café del caballero Joe" 33 rpm, Mono Vinyl 7"; Music Hall / MH 31.101 Argentina
- 1973: "Pictures of Matchstick Man" / "Ice in the Sun" 45 rpm Vinyl 7"; Pye / 12 746 AT
Camper Van Beethoven version
In 1989, Camper Van Beethoven scored a number 1 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States with their version from the album Key Lime Pie.[13]
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[14] | 19 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] | 18 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] | 18 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] | 8 |
| Germany (GfK)[18] | 7 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[21] | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 12 |
See also
- List of Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number ones of the 1980s
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" is the first hit single by British rock band The Status Quo. It was released on 5 January 1968.[6]
The Status Quo version
A painting by L. S. Lowry including his characteristic "matchstick men".
The song reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart, number eight in Canada, and number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming their only top-40 single in the United States.[7][8][9] Francis Rossi confirmed on DVD2 of the Pictures set,[clarification needed] that 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.
There are two versions, one in stereo and another in mono, with significant differences: the original single was in mono and has the trademark wah-wah guitar in the breaks between lyrics, but this is omitted in stereo.
The song opens with a single guitar repeatedly playing a simple four-note riff before the bass, rhythm guitar, organ, drums and vocals begin. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" is one of a number of songs from the late 1960s which feature the flanging audio effect. The band`s next single release, "Black Veils of Melancholy", was similar but flopped, which caused a change of musical direction.[10]
Rossi (living in a prefab in Camberwell at the time)[11] later said of the song:
I wrote it on the bog. I`d gone there, not for the usual reasons... 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.[12]
The "matchstick men" reference is to the paintings of Salford artist L. S. Lowry.[12]
Releases
- 1968: "Pictures of Matchstick Men" / "Gentleman Joe`s Sidewalk Cafe" [Promo] 45 rpm Vinyl 7"; Pye / 7N 17449
- 1969: "Retrato de hombre con bastón" / "El café del caballero Joe" 33 rpm, Mono Vinyl 7"; Music Hall / MH 31.101 Argentina
- 1973: "Pictures of Matchstick Man" / "Ice in the Sun" 45 rpm Vinyl 7"; Pye / 12 746 AT
Camper Van Beethoven version
In 1989, Camper Van Beethoven scored a number 1 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States with their version from the album Key Lime Pie.[13]
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles (Kent Music Report)[14] | 19 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] | 18 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] | 18 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] | 8 |
| Germany (GfK)[18] | 7 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[21] | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 12 |
See also
- List of Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number ones of the 1980s