"Caroline" is a single released by the British
rock band
Status Quo in 1973. It was included on the band's 1973 album ''
Hello!
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
''
Background and release
The song was written by band leader
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo.
Early life
Rossi was born ...
and roadie / harmonica player
Bob Young on a
table napkin in the dining room of a hotel in
Perranporth
Perranporth ( kw, Porthperan) is a seaside resort town on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 1 mile east of the St Agnes Heritage Coastline, and around 8 miles south-west of Newquay. Perranporth and its long beach f ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
, 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.
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.
[ It was the second number played at their ]Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine ...
gig in 1985 and it inspired Apollo 440
Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are a British electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as ...
's 1999 single " Stop the Rock".BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...
as part of their ''In Concert'' series.
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!
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
'' - track 5, 4:16.Hello!
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
'', 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
Live Version
Certifications
References
Status Quo (band) songs
1973 singles
1982 singles
Songs written by Francis Rossi
Songs written by Bob Young (musician)
1973 songs
Vertigo Records singles
{{1970s-single-stub