| "No Matter What" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the 1970 UK single | ||||
| Single by Badfinger | ||||
| from the album No Dice | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 12 October 1970 [1] | |||
| Recorded | May 1970 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Ham | |||
| Producer(s) | Mal Evans | |||
| Badfinger singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "No Matter What" (remastered 2010) on YouTube | ||||
"No Matter What" is a song originally recorded by Badfinger for their album No Dice in 1970, written and sung by Pete Ham and produced by Mal Evans.
As a demo, "No Matter What" was originally recorded at a slower tempo by Ham on acoustic guitar (as heard on the posthumous Ham solo CD 7 Park Avenue ). A group demo version, played at the same tempo as Ham's acoustic demo, was recorded by Badfinger on 18 April 1970 [6] 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, 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 Records 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 [7] and slotted for the upcoming LP and as a single release.
According to AllMusic critic Ritchie Unterberger, the lyrics of "No Matter What" are essentially "a pledge of eternal love." [2] Unterberger says that these lyrics are "sung with great infectious lilting cheer, pioneering the 'power pop' style years before that was named by critics." [2] Unterberger noted that the opening guitar chords are "not exactly hard rock and certainly not heavy metal, but dense and gripping." [2] He also pointed out that similar to many Beatles songs, "the melody goes through a few different chord changes on the final line of the bridge than it does in the first half of the bridge, though retaining a similar progression." [2]
The song has a false ending, after the final chorus, where, after a short pause, the last line is repeated twice before the final ending chord. [2]
The single was released in the United States (12 October 1970), Canada, the Philippines and a few other countries, [8] 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 had appeared on Badfinger's previous album, Magic Christian Music . In all other countries, the single was backed with the Tom Evans-Joey Molland song "Better Days", which also appeared on No Dice .
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. [9] 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, and "Day After Day", number 10 in the UK in January 1972.
Cash Box described the song as sounding "as though it might have come from a '65 Beatles LP" with "bright vocals and strong instrumentals." [10] Record World said that "millions are going to love Badfinger's new single. The boys have a certain vocal sound that sets them apart." [11]
AllMusic critic Ritchie Unterberger said that "No Matter What" "boasted a strong McCartney-esque melody and very Beatlesque vocal harmony and guitars but felt that "derivative of McCartney it might have been, yet 'No Matter What' rocked a darn sight better than most of the songs McCartney himself put out in the early '70s." [2]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 3rd best song, saying that it "features one of pop's all-time mightiest hooks" and that "from the terrific opening riff to the false ending, it's pure pop heaven." [12] Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it as Badfinger's 4th best song, calling it "a declaration of loyalty and affection with a Beatlesy middle eight and the kind of hook that became synonymous with the soulful power pop of Big Star and The Raspberries." [13] Hughes also praised Molland's guitar solo. [13] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts also rated it as Badfinger's 4th best song. [14]
The song is notable for being one of the first successful records associated with the power pop sound, using all of the elements attributed to the genre. A subsequent single released by Badfinger, "Baby Blue" (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". [15]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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| "No Matter What" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Def Leppard | ||||
| from the album Yeah! | ||||
| Released | 16 May 2005 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Ham | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Def Leppard singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "No Matter What" on YouTube | ||||
English rock band Def Leppard covered "No Matter What" in 2005, recorded at Joe's Garage, Dublin and distributed by UML (Universal Music Group). [30] It was included on their 2005 compilation album Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection and also on its 2006 album, Yeah! .
Def Leppard began playing the song on their 2005 tour in support of their compilation album Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection along with a cover of David Essex's "Rock On" which appeared on the album. [31]
It reached the 24 place in the US Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart. [32]
Badfinger were a British rock band formed in 1961 in Swansea, Wales. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recognised for their influence on the 1970s power pop genre. It is estimated that the band sold 14 million records.
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 guitarist Joey Molland, No Dice significantly expanded the British group's popularity, especially abroad. The album included both the hit single "No Matter What" and the song "Without You", which would become a big hit for Harry Nilsson, and later a hit for Mariah Carey.
Straight Up is the fourth studio album by the Welsh rock band Badfinger, released in December 1971 in the United States and February 1972 in Britain. Issued on the Beatles' Apple record label, it includes the hit singles "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue", and the similarly popular "Name of the Game", all of which were written by singer and guitarist Pete Ham. The album marked a departure from the more rock-oriented sound of Badfinger's previous releases, partly as a result of intervention by Apple Records regarding the band's musical direction.
Peter William Ham 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 "Baby Blue". He also co-wrote the ballad "Without You", a worldwide number-one hit for Harry Nilsson that has become a standard covered by hundreds of artists. Ham was granted two Ivor Novello Awards related to the song in 1973.
"Without You" is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album No Dice. The power ballad has been recorded by over 180 artists, and versions released as singles by Harry Nilsson (1971) and Mariah Carey (1994) became international number one hits. The Nilsson version was included in 2021's Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Paul McCartney once described it as "the killer song of all time".
Wish You Were Here is the seventh studio album by rock band Badfinger and their third consecutive album produced by Chris Thomas. It was recorded in the spring of 1974 at Colorado's Caribou Ranch and released in November of that year on Warner Bros. Records. Wish You Were Here was the second and last album the band released on the Warner Bros. label.
"Come and Get It" is a song composed by English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney for the 1969 film The Magic Christian. The song was performed by Badfinger, produced by McCartney and issued as a single 5 December 1969 in the UK, and 12 January 1970 in the US, on the Beatles' Apple label. It was the band's first release under the Badfinger name and was their international breakthrough, hitting the top 10 in both the UK and US singles charts.
Badfinger is the sixth studio album by British rock band Badfinger. The album was recorded in autumn 1973 and released in 1974 on Warner Bros. Records. It was the first of two albums released by the band on the Warner label. The cover art for the album shows a woman wearing a riding outfit and hat from the 1920s and smoking a cigarette in a cigarette holder.
Magic Christian Music is the second studio album by the British rock band Badfinger, released on 9 January 1970 on Apple Records. It was their first release under the Badfinger name, having previously released the album Maybe Tomorrow in 1969 under the name The Iveys. It includes the band's first international hit, "Come and Get It", written and produced for them by Paul McCartney.
Say No More is the ninth studio album recorded by British rock band Badfinger that contained new material. Issued in January 1981 on Radio Records, the LP was the second and last reunion by Tom Evans and Joey Molland, after the suicide of band founder Pete Ham in 1975. The album was recorded in Miami, Florida, by Evans, Molland, pianist and organist Tony Kaye, guitarist Glen Sherba and drummer Richard Bryans and was co-produced by Jack Richardson.
Thomas Evans was an English musician. He is best known for his work as the bassist of the band Badfinger. He also co-wrote their 1970 song "Without You," which has been recorded by over 180 artists — most notably Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. Evans died by suicide in 1983, one of two members to do so.
"Day After Day" is a song by the British rock band Badfinger from their 1971 album Straight Up. It was written by Pete Ham and produced by George Harrison, who also plays slide guitar on the recording. The song was issued as a single and became Badfinger's biggest hit, charting at number 4 in the United States and number 10 in the UK, ultimately earning gold accreditation from the Recording Industry Association of America.
BBC in Concert 1972–1973 is a CD of live recordings by the British rock group Badfinger released in 1997 by Strange Fruit Records and then re-released in 2000 by Fuel 2000 Records. The recordings were made for the BBC in 1972 and 1973, in two separate concerts at the Paris Theatre in London. The album also includes a 1970 BBC recording of Badfinger's first Top 10 hit, "Come and Get It".
"Baby Blue" is a song by Welsh rock band Badfinger from their fourth studio album, Straight Up (1971). The song was written by Pete Ham, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released on Apple Records. As a single in the US in 1972, it went to #14.
"Maybe Tomorrow" is a song composed and sung by guitarist Tom Evans of The Iveys, which was released as the group's first worldwide single on Apple Records. It also served as the title track for the album Maybe Tomorrow, and it was also included on the Badfinger album Magic Christian Music released in 1970.
"Apple of My Eye" is a song recorded by the rock/pop band Badfinger for inclusion on their 1973 album, Ass. The song was written and sung by Pete Ham, produced by Chris Thomas and Badfinger, and released on Apple Records.
"I Miss You" is a song by the British power pop band Badfinger. Written by Pete Ham for their first Warner Bros. LP, Badfinger, it served as the opening track and sole U.S. single for said album.
"Lost Inside Your Love" is a song by the British power pop band Badfinger. Written by bassist Tom Evans, "Lost Inside Your Love" was the third track on the band's 1979 album, Airwaves.
"Love Is Gonna Come at Last" is a song by the British power pop band Badfinger. Written by guitarist Joey Molland, "Love Is Gonna Come at Last" appeared on the band's 1979 album, Airwaves.
"Meanwhile Back at the Ranch"/"Should I Smoke" is a medley released by the British power pop band Badfinger. The song was the closing track on their critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful album, Wish You Were Here. "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" was written by Pete Ham, while "Should I Smoke" was penned by Joey Molland.
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