Caroline (Status Quo song)
"Caroline" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1973. It was included on the band's 1973 album Hello![2]
| "Caroline" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Status Quo | ||||
| from the album Hello! | ||||
| B-side | "Joanne" | |||
| Released | 31 August 1973 | |||
| Genre | Rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Francis Rossi, Bob Young | |||
| Producer(s) | Status Quo | |||
| Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
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| Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
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Background and release
The song was written by band leader Francis Rossi and roadie / harmonica player Bob Young on a table napkin in the dining room of a hotel in Perranporth, Cornwall, in 1971. A demo was cut with Rossi playing guitar and bass, with Terry Williams on drums. The group changed the arrangement from a slow blues song, doubling the tempo, and recorded it mostly live using their stage gear and amplifiers.[3] On the single release, the song fades out, while the album version is about thirty seconds longer and has a conclusive ending.
The song became one of the opening numbers in Quo's live setlist for over 25 years.[3] It was the second number played at their Live Aid gig in 1985 and it inspired Apollo 440's 1999 single "Stop the Rock".[4]
The song was reprised, in 2014, for the band's thirty-first studio album Aquostic (Stripped Bare). It was featured in the ninety-minute launch performance of the album at London's Roundhouse on 22 October, the concert being recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 2 as part of their In Concert series.[5][6]
Singles
- 1973: "Caroline" (Rossi/Young) (3.43) / "Joanne" (Lancaster) (4.06) 45 rpm Vinyl 7", Vertigo / 6059 085 Germany, United Kingdom
- 1985: "Caroline" / "Down Down" 45 rpm Vinyl 7", Old Gold / OG 9566 United Kingdom
Album tracks
- 1973, on the vinyl album Hello! - track 5, 4:16.[2]
- 2014, on the album Aquostic (Stripped Bare), track 8, 3:13 (acoustic version)
- 2015, on the CD album Hello!, CD1, track 5, 4:16; the 2015 re-issue bonus disc has four different versions: original demo fast, original demo slow, mono version and stereo version.
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| Sweden | 5 |
| Germany | 36 |
| Belgium | 9 |
| Norway | 12 |
| Ireland | 11 |
| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| Ireland | 12 |
References
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/hello%21-mw0000473649
- "Status Quo discography". statusquo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- "How we made: Caroline - Status Quo". The Guardian. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- Warwick, Kutner & Brown (2004, p. 75)
- "Status Quo Concert Setlist at Roundhouse, London on October 22, 2014 - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "Status Quo - Acoustic". Radio 2 In Concert. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
