Can the Can

"Can the Can" is the second solo single by Suzi Quatro and her first to reach number one in the UK, spending a single week at the top of the chart in June 1973. It also reached number one on the European and Australian charts in whose market Quatro achieved her most consistent success throughout her career as a recording artist. The single belatedly became a hit in the US peaking at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. It was re-released as a B-side single in 1984, but this time it failed to chart. The single hit the charts again in 1987 in the UK at number 87, it also appeared on her 1995 album What Goes Around.

This article is about a single. For Suzi Quatro's debut album in Australia, see Can the Can (album).

"Can the Can"
The single cover of "Can The Can"
Single by Suzi Quatro
B-side"Ain't Ya Something Honey"
Released1973
Genre
LabelRAK Records
Songwriter(s)
(A-side)
Suzi Quatro (B-side)
Producer(s)
(A-side)
Mickie Most (B-side)
Suzi Quatro singles chronology
"Rolling Stone"
(1972)		 "Can the Can"
(1973)		 "48 Crash"
(1973)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

This single made Quatro the first female bass guitar player to become a major rock star and therefore broke a barrier to women's participation in rock music.[6][7][8]

Background

This, Quatro's second solo single, was released after she moved from the United States to Britain. In the United States, she had already released two singles with the all-female band The Pleasure Seekers.[9] Her first solo single, "Rolling Stone," was recorded with session players. "Rolling Stone" only achieved popularity in Portugal, where it went to number one.[10]

For "Can the Can," Quatro had organized her own band, which had toured the United Kingdom as the warm-up act for Slade and Thin Lizzy, and they had new songwriters/producers Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn.[10]

The song "Can the Can" was written, composed, and produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn.[10][11] It has the refrain :

  • Make a stand for your man, honey, try to can the can
  • Put your man in the can, honey, get him while you can
  • Can the can, can the can, if you can, well can the can
— – Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn

According to songwriter Nicky Chinn, the phrase "can the can" means "... something that is pretty impossible, you can't get one can inside another if they are the same size, so we're saying you can't put your man in the can if he is out there and not willing to commit."[12]

The song "Ain't Ya Something Honey," with which "Can the Can" was backed, was written and composed by Quatro and produced by Mickie Most.[10][11]

Accolades
Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
2005 Bruce Pollock United States "The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000"[13] Unordered
Toby Creswell Australia "1001 Songs"[13]
2009 Gilles Verlant and Thomas Caussé France "3000 Rock Classics"[13]

Personnel
  • Suzi Quatro – bass and lead vocals
  • Len Tuckey – guitar
  • Alastair McKenzie – keyboards
  • Keith Hodge – drums

Chart performance

See also

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s music. Virgin Books. p. 348. ISBN 978-1-8522-7947-9. a second RAK single, 1973's 'Can The Can', topped hit parades throughout the world at the zenith of the glam-rock craze
  2. Fontenot, Robert. "Glam Rock Music – What is Glam Rock Music? – Oldies Music Songs and Artists". About.com. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  3. Williams, Andrew (5 August 2007). "60 SECONDS: Suzi Quatro". Metro. Retrieved 19 July 2013. Suzi Quatro was one of the biggest female pop stars of the 1970s – notching up No.1 hits with glam rock classics Can The Can and Devil Gate Drive.
  4. "Suzi Quatro". Wolfgang's Vault. Archived from the original on 23 November 2009. The first single they recorded went nowhere, so Most brought in up-and-coming hard-pop writers, Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The first song they gave Quatro, a hard rock pop gem entitled "Can the Can" went straight to the top of the U.K. charts.
  5. "Teenager Pop Factory". Teenager. Vol. 4. M.M. Ahmed. 1973. p. 30. The only lady to get in top twenty and at number one, with a solo number was the English Suzy Quatro, with her hard rock and noisy number 'Can the Can'..
  6. Auslander, Philip (28 January 2004). "I Wanna Be Your Man: Suzi Quatro's musical androgyny" (PDF). Popular Music. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 23 (1): 1–16. doi:10.1017/S0261143004000030. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  7. "BBC – Queens of British Pop – Video – Suzi Quatro – David Jensen on Suzi Quatro". London, UK: BBC Online. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  8. Callwood, Brett. "Glycerine queen, forever!". Metro Times. Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends – SUZI QUATRO". Michigan, United States: Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  10. Hendriks, Phil; Mankowitz, Gered (January 2011). Suzi Quatro (CD booklet). Suzi Quatro. London, United Kingdom: 7T's Records. GLAM CD 118.
  11. Thompson, Dave. "Suzi Quatro – A's, B's and Rarities – Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  12. "Can The Can by Suzi Quatro". Songfacts. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. "Suzi Quatro – Can the Can". Acclaimed Music. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  14. "Go-Set Australian charts – 13 October 1973". Go-Set. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  15. "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Suzi Quatro – Can The Can" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Suzi Quatro – Can The Can" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  18. "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Suzi Quatro" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Suzi Quatro – Can The Can". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Suzi Quatro". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Suzi Quatro - Can The Can" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Suzi Quatro – Can The Can" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Suzi Quatro – Can The Can". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  25. "Suzi Quatro – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  26. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 28, 1976". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012.
  27. "Top Singles for 1973". Go-Set. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  28. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  29. "Jahreshitparade 1973" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  30. "Jaaroverzichten 1973" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  31. "TOP – 1973" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1973" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  33. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1973" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  34. "Les Meilleures Ventes "Tout Temps" de 45 T. / Singles / Téléchargement" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  35. "British single certifications – Suzi Quatro – Can the Can". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Can the Can in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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