"No Matter What" is a song originally recorded by

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recog ...

for their album ''

No Dice ''No Dice'' is the third studio album by British rock band Badfinger, issued by Apple Records and released on 9 November 1970. Their second album under the Badfinger name, but their first official album under that name, and first to include gui ...

'' in 1970, written and sung by

Pete Ham Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and "B ...

and produced by

Mal Evans Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...

Recording

As a demo, "No Matter What" was originally recorded at a slower tempo by Ham on

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

(as heard on the posthumous Ham solo CD ''

7 Park Avenue ''7 Park Avenue'' is the first of four posthumous CD releases of demo material recorded by Badfinger's Pete Ham. The recordings are taken from various eras, beginning with compositions he wrote during his years with The Iveys from 1967 to 1969, ...

''). A group demo version, played at the same tempo as Ham's acoustic demo, was recorded by Badfinger on April 18, 1970 with Mal Evans producing. The song was recorded again in a rockier fashion, at a faster tempo, by the band in May 1970 at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

and it was this version that appeared on the album and single. Although the song and recording was a favourite of Badfinger's shortly after it was completed, the hierarchy at Apple reportedly was not inclined to release it in any format. It was not until Al Steckler, the American director of Apple in New York, heard the tape in August 1970 and considered it a strong entry by the band, that it was remixed by engineer/producer

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums '' Revolver'' (1966), '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and ''Abbey Road ...

and slotted for the upcoming LP and as a single release. The song is also noted for its

false ending A false ending is a device in film and music that can be used to trick the audience into thinking that the work has ended, before it continues. The presence of a false ending can be anticipated through a number of ways. The medium itself might bet ...

, after the final chorus, where, after a short pause, the last line is repeated twice before the final ending chord.

Release

In the United States (October 12, 1970), Canada, The Philippines and a few other countries the single was released with the Tom Evans–Pete Ham song "Carry On Till Tomorrow", the theme song for the movie '' The Magic Christian'', as the B-side. This was an edited version of the recording that appeared on Badfinger's previous album, ''

Magic Christian Music ''Magic Christian Music'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Badfinger, released on 9 January 1970 on Apple Records. It was the first release under the band's new name as Badfinger. The band had previously released the album '' ...

''. In all other countries, the single was backed with the Tom Evans–

Joey Molland Joseph Charles Molland (born 21 June 1947, Edge Hill, Liverpool) is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed wit ...

song "Better Days", which also appeared on ''

''.

Reception

It was the band's first UK Top 10 single to be composed by Badfinger, reaching number 5 in the UK in January 1971. In the US it peaked at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In South Africa it topped the charts. The band also scored with " Come and Get It", number 4 in the UK in January 1970, which was composed by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, and " Day After Day", number 10 in the UK in January 1972. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described the song as sounding "as though it might have come from a '65

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

LP" with "bright vocals and strong instrumentals." The song is notable for being one of the first successful records associated with the

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

sound, using all of the elements attributed to the genre. A subsequent single released by Badfinger, "

Baby Blue Baby blue is a tint of azure, one of the pastel colors. The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892. Variations of baby blue Beau blue Beau blue is a light tone of baby blue. "Beau" means "beautiful" in Fr ...

" ( ''Billboard'' number 14, 1972), along with several album tracks in a similar vein, succeeded in categorizing the band themselves as power pop. This song is ranked number 1 on VH1's "20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever".

Personnel

Badfinger version

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

– lead guitar, backing vocals * Tom Evans – bass, backing vocals *

Mike Gibbins Michael George Gibbins (12 March 1949 – 4 October 2005) was a Welsh musician, most notable for being the drummer of Badfinger. Early life Mike Gibbins was born on 12 March 1949 in Swansea, Wales. He began playing drums at age 14, and joine ...

– drums

Def Leppard version

Joe Elliott Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English–Irish rock singer, best known as the lead singer and one of the founding members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute ba ...

– lead vocals *

Phil Collen Philip Kenneth Collen (born 8 December 1957) is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard, joining the band in 1982 during the recording of the ''Pyromania'' album. Prior to joining Def Leppa ...

– guitar, backing vocals *

Vivian Campbell Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio (band), Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Camp ...

– guitar, backing vocals *

Rick Savage Richard Savage (born 2 December 1960) is an English musician best known for being the bass guitarist and one of the founding members of the English rock band Def Leppard. Savage and lead singer Joe Elliott are the only two remaining original ...

– bass, backing vocals * Rick Allen – drums

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{authority control 1970 songs 1970 singles 2005 singles Apple Records singles Mercury Records singles Badfinger songs Def Leppard songs Songs written by Pete Ham Number-one singles in South Africa