Everything about Pictures Of Matchstick Men totally explained
"
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.
(External Link
) 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 (for example
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(External Link)
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.
Remakes and Cover Versions
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. (External Link) 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. (External Link)
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(External Link), Shoot The Runner. Although a first performance of this song was heard on Dermot O'Leary's(External Link) BBC Radio 2 show, this version was recorded in the studio for the CD release.
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Further Information
Get more info on 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men'.
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