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"Caroline"
Single by Status Quo
from the album Hello!
B-side"Joanne"
Released31 August 1973 (1973-08-31)
Genre
Length3:43
LabelVertigo
Songwriter(s) Francis Rossi, Bob Young
Producer(s)Status Quo
Status Quo singles chronology
" Gerdundula"
(1973) 		"Caroline"
(1973) 		" Break the Rules"
(1974)
Official audio
"Caroline" on YouTube
Status Quo singles chronology
" She Don't Fool Me"
(1982) 		"Caroline (live)"
(1982) 		" Ol' Rag Blues"
(1983)

"Caroline" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1973. It was included on the band's 1973 album Hello! [3]

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. [4] 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. [4] It was the second number played at their Live Aid gig in 1985 [5] and it inspired Apollo 440's 1999 single " Stop the Rock". [6]

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. [7] [8]

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. [3]
  • 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

Original release

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australian Singles ( Kent Music Report) [9] 31
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [10] 49
French Singles ( SNEP) [11] 63
Germany ( Official German Charts) [12] 36
Ireland ( IRMA) [13] 11
UK Singles ( OCC) [14] 5

Live version

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Ireland ( IRMA) [15] 12
UK Singles ( OCC) [16] 13

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom ( BPI) [17] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Hello! - Status Quo". AllMusic.
  2. ^ https://returnofrock.com/status-quo-songs-ranked/
  3. ^ a b "Status Quo discography". statusquo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  4. ^ a b "How we made: Caroline - Status Quo". The Guardian. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. ^ Caroline (Live Aid 1985) on YouTube
  6. ^ Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts. London: Omnibus Press. p. 75. ISBN  1-84449-058-0.
  7. ^ "Status Quo Concert Setlist at Roundhouse, London on October 22, 2014 - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Status Quo - Acoustic". Radio 2 In Concert. BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN  0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ " Status Quo – Caroline" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Le Détail des Chansons de chaque Artiste – S". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Status Quo from the menu, then press OK.
  12. ^ " Status Quo – Caroline" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  13. ^ " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Caroline". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  15. ^ " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Caroline (Live)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  17. ^ "British single certifications – Status Quo – Caroline". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
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