"Down Down" is a song by English
rock band
Status Quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
, released by
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...
on 29 November 1974. Written by
Francis Rossi and
Bob Young and
produced by Status Quo, "Down Down" was Status Quo's only
number one single on the
UK Singles Chart. The
single spent a week at the top of the chart in January 1975.
Both "Down Down" and its
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
"Nightride" were taken from the album ''
On the Level'' (1975), which had yet to be released. The album version lasts 5 minutes and 24 seconds, whilst the single version is 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
Song information
"Down Down" was inspired by
T. Rex's debut single "
Debora". Originally it was titled "Get Down", but this was changed before release, possibly to avoid confusion with the
Gilbert O'Sullivan song of the same name.
Towards the end of his life, DJ
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
was known for playing "Down Down" as part of his eclectic DJ sets.
In 1986 co-writer Bob Young recorded a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
style version of the song to open his solo album ''In Quo Country''.
In July 2012, Status Quo reworked the lyrics to create a three-minute promotional song for the Australian supermarket chain
Coles. The chorus chants, "down down, prices are down". This was released on television and
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
, the most notable of which depicted a
mince rally.
The song was reprised, in 2014, for the band's thirty-first studio album ''
Aquostic – Stripped Bare
''Aquostic – Stripped Bare'' is the thirty-first studio album by English rock band Status Quo, first released on 17 October 2014. Produced by Mike Paxman, this is the band's first completely acoustic album and the first recorded with drummer ...
''. It was featured in the ninety-minute launch performance of the album at London's
Roundhouse on 22 October and recorded and broadcast live by
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
as part of their ''In Concert'' series.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1975 singles
British songs
UK singles chart number-one singles
Status Quo (band) songs
Songs written by Francis Rossi
Songs written by Bob Young (musician)
Songs used as jingles
1975 songs
Vertigo Records singles