The group's lead singer Francis Rossi wrote this song - he was still a teenager and it was just the second tune he had ever composed. Like many of his later songs, this one is about a woman who treats him wrong ("You make men cry, you lie"). In our interview with Rossi, he explained: "'Matchstick Men' was basically about my ex-wife. I'd just got married, and I thought, Oh, this is a mistake, what have I done?"
This was Status Quo's debut hit in the UK and their only hit in America. It was originally intended to be a B-side to "Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe," but at the last minute they decided to swap the B-side and the A-side of the single.
Status Quo are best known in Britain for their no-nonsense, heads-down boogie rock which they have played since the 1970s, but this psychedelic effort is their best-known hit in America, where it is a staple of oldies radio. When the song hit the American charts, the group made the fateful decision to remain in Europe, focusing their efforts on the UK market. This paid off with wild success in their homeland, as Status Quo became one of the most popular bands in Britain, charting over 60 singles. They did tour the US in the mid-'70s, but never broke the American market. Their only other chart entry there was "Ice in the Sun," released later in 1968.
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