Matchbox (song)
Encyclopedia
"Matchbox" is a rock and roll and rockabilly
song written by Carl Perkins
and first recorded by him at Sun Records
in December 1956 and released on February 11, 1957 as a 45 single on Sun Records. It has become one of Perkins' best-known recordings. Perkins' "Matchbox" has been followed by many cover version
s, notably by The Beatles
.
, or from the version by country musicians The Shelton Brothers (who recorded the song twice in the 1930s, and again in 1947).
As Perkins sang the few words his father had suggested, Jerry Lee Lewis
, who was at that time a session piano player at Sun Studios, began a restrained boogie-woogie riff. Carl began picking out a melody on the guitar and improvised lyrics.
On December 4, 1956 Carl Perkins recorded the song called "Matchbox". Later that day, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and session pianist Jerry Lee Lewis were all in the Sun studio with Sam Phillips. The impromptu group formed at this jam session became known as the Million Dollar Quartet
.
Perkins maintained that he had never heard Jefferson's "Match Box Blues" when he recorded "Matchbox". Jefferson's song is about a mean spirited woman; Perkins' was about a lovelorn "poor boy" with limited prospects.
Perkins performed the song on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee
on February 2, 1957.
was the first to record "Match Box Blues" under that title in 1927, Ma Rainey
had earlier recorded the famous line in her 1923 recording of "Lost Wandering Blues":
In "Screening the Blues," Paul Oliver stated that both Rainey and Jefferson "may have absorbed [the line] from traditional usage."
As later developed, the song consists of traditional blues lyrics that open with the initial verse:
This verse is the only one common to all versions of the song.
, performed the lead vocals, but no studio recording featuring Best singing the song is known to exist although a live recording with Best on vocals does exist. In 1962, John Lennon
sang the song during a performance at the Star-Club
in Hamburg, Germany; a recording of this exists and was included on Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
.
The next year, the Beatles performed "Matchbox" with Ringo Starr
on lead vocals for their BBC
radio show, and this version would be included on the Live at the BBC
album. Starr also got to sing lead vocals on it when it was recorded in 1964. There are suggestions that Perkins may have been present in the studio at that time. As was usually the case, all instruments on the song are played by the Beatles themselves, with the exception of the piano, which was played by producer George Martin
. George Harrison
plays 12-string rhythm guitar, while Lennon plays the lead guitar riffs and solo. (Starr even says on the Live at the BBC version, "All right, John!") "Matchbox" appeared on the Long Tall Sally
EP in the United Kingdom
. In the United States
, it appeared on the Capitol Something New
album, and was released as a Capitol single on August 24, 1964, 5255, which reached number seventeen on the Billboard
pop singles chart. "Matchbox" reached number six on the Canadian CHUM Hit Parade charts in 1964. It was also included on the Past Masters and Mono Masters compilations.
," "Honey Don't
," and "Gone, Gone, Gone," was performed live on February 19, 1987 at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, California by George Harrison
, Bob Dylan
, John Fogerty
, Taj Mahal
, and Jesse Ed Davis
. This performance was filmed and recorded. The assembled musicians were dubbed the Silver Wilburys.
and on the original Broadway cast recording, copyright 2010 by MDQ Merchandising, LLC. The song is also included in the Paul McCartney
live album Tripping the Live Fantastic
as a soundcheck tune between concert songs; it has been performed by McCartney in every tour as a soundcheck song. In 1985 it was played at the Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session
made-for-TV concert in London, with Perkins, Starr and Eric Clapton
alternating the lead vocal.
Paul McCartney's publishing company MPL Communications
administers the rights to the song, which was originally published by Knox Music, Inc., BMI.
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
song written by Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
and first recorded by him at Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
in December 1956 and released on February 11, 1957 as a 45 single on Sun Records. It has become one of Perkins' best-known recordings. Perkins' "Matchbox" has been followed by many cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s, notably by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Perkins' "Matchbox"
After recording "Your True Love", Carl Perkins's father Buck suggested that he do "Match Box Blues". Buck knew only a few lines from the song, either from a 1927 recording by Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....
, or from the version by country musicians The Shelton Brothers (who recorded the song twice in the 1930s, and again in 1947).
As Perkins sang the few words his father had suggested, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, who was at that time a session piano player at Sun Studios, began a restrained boogie-woogie riff. Carl began picking out a melody on the guitar and improvised lyrics.
On December 4, 1956 Carl Perkins recorded the song called "Matchbox". Later that day, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and session pianist Jerry Lee Lewis were all in the Sun studio with Sam Phillips. The impromptu group formed at this jam session became known as the Million Dollar Quartet
Million Dollar Quartet
"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...
.
Perkins maintained that he had never heard Jefferson's "Match Box Blues" when he recorded "Matchbox". Jefferson's song is about a mean spirited woman; Perkins' was about a lovelorn "poor boy" with limited prospects.
Perkins performed the song on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
on February 2, 1957.
"Match Box Blues" history
Although Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Lemon Jefferson
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....
was the first to record "Match Box Blues" under that title in 1927, Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues....
had earlier recorded the famous line in her 1923 recording of "Lost Wandering Blues":
- "I'm leaving this morning, with my clothes in my hand
- "I won't stop to wandering, till I find my man
- "I'm sitting here wondering', will a matchbox hold my clothes
- "I've got a sun to beat, I'll be farther down the road." http://heartonastick.blog-city.com/matchbox01.htm
In "Screening the Blues," Paul Oliver stated that both Rainey and Jefferson "may have absorbed [the line] from traditional usage."
As later developed, the song consists of traditional blues lyrics that open with the initial verse:
- "I'm sittin' here wonderin', will a matchbox hold my clothes (2X)
- "I ain't got no matches but I still got a long way to go."
This verse is the only one common to all versions of the song.
The Beatles
The Beatles were fans of Perkins and began performing the song circa 1961. Their then-drummer, Pete BestPete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
, performed the lead vocals, but no studio recording featuring Best singing the song is known to exist although a live recording with Best on vocals does exist. In 1962, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
sang the song during a performance at the Star-Club
Star-Club
The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...
in Hamburg, Germany; a recording of this exists and was included on Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962 is a double album featuring live performances by The Beatles, recorded in late December 1962 at the Star-Club during their final Hamburg residency...
.
The next year, the Beatles performed "Matchbox" with Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
on lead vocals for their BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio show, and this version would be included on the Live at the BBC
Live at the BBC (The Beatles album)
Live at the BBC is a 1994 compilation album featuring performances by The Beatles that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Programme radio shows from 1963 through 1965. The monaural album, available in multiple formats but most commonly as a two-CD set, consists of 56 songs and 13 tracks...
album. Starr also got to sing lead vocals on it when it was recorded in 1964. There are suggestions that Perkins may have been present in the studio at that time. As was usually the case, all instruments on the song are played by the Beatles themselves, with the exception of the piano, which was played by producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
plays 12-string rhythm guitar, while Lennon plays the lead guitar riffs and solo. (Starr even says on the Live at the BBC version, "All right, John!") "Matchbox" appeared on the Long Tall Sally
Long Tall Sally (EP)
-Other releases:*In the United States, the EP was split and released on The Beatles' Second Album and Something New ....
EP in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it appeared on the Capitol Something New
Something New (album)
Something New is The Beatles' third Capitol LP release, but fifth American album following the United Artists release of A Hard Day's Night. This album includes eight songs from the original British release of A Hard Day's Night, as well as the remaining tracks "Slow Down" and "Matchbox" from the...
album, and was released as a Capitol single on August 24, 1964, 5255, which reached number seventeen on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop singles chart. "Matchbox" reached number six on the Canadian CHUM Hit Parade charts in 1964. It was also included on the Past Masters and Mono Masters compilations.
Silver Wilburys
Carl Perkins' "Matchbox," along with "Blue Suede ShoesBlue Suede Shoes
"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time...
," "Honey Don't
Honey Don't
"Honey Don't" is a song written by Carl Perkins, originally released on January 1, 1956 as the B-side of the "Blue Suede Shoes" single. Both songs became rockabilly classics...
," and "Gone, Gone, Gone," was performed live on February 19, 1987 at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, California by George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, and Jesse Ed Davis
Jesse Ed Davis
Jesse Edwin Davis was an American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist. His death in 1988 is attributed to a drug overdose.-Biography:...
. This performance was filmed and recorded. The assembled musicians were dubbed the Silver Wilburys.
Additional legacy and other recorded versions
"Matchbox" is covered by Robert Britton Lyons portraying Carl Perkins in the Broadway musical Million Dollar QuartetMillion Dollar Quartet (musical)
Million Dollar Quartet is a jukebox musical written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott. It dramatizes the Million Dollar Quartet recording session of December 4, 1956, among early Rock and roll stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, and newcomer Jerry Lee Lewis...
and on the original Broadway cast recording, copyright 2010 by MDQ Merchandising, LLC. The song is also included in the Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
live album Tripping the Live Fantastic
Tripping the Live Fantastic
Tripping the Live Fantastic is Paul McCartney's first official live album and his first release of concert material since Wings' 1976 Wings over America live package. It was released in 1990 as triple LP, double cassette and double CD. Tripping the Live Fantastic reached #16 in the UK and #26 in...
as a soundcheck tune between concert songs; it has been performed by McCartney in every tour as a soundcheck song. In 1985 it was played at the Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session
Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session
Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session was a concert that was held on 21 October 1985 in London England, and featured rock n' roll pioneer Carl Perkins and his house band, along with friends as guest stars, including Eric Clapton, former Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as Dave...
made-for-TV concert in London, with Perkins, Starr and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
alternating the lead vocal.
Paul McCartney's publishing company MPL Communications
MPL Communications
MPL Communications is the holding company for the business interests of Sir Paul McCartney. In addition to handling McCartney's post-Beatles work, MPL is also one of the world's largest privately owned music publishers through its acquisition of numerous other publishing companies...
administers the rights to the song, which was originally published by Knox Music, Inc., BMI.