Whatever You Want (song)

Infobox Single
Name =Whatever You Want


Cover size =
Caption =
Artist =Status Quo
Album =Whatever You Want
A-side =
B-side ="Hard Ride" [http://www.status.quo.btinternet.co.uk/sin.htm Singles discography]
Released =September 1979
Format =7", 45rpm
Recorded = 1979
Genre = Hard rock
Length =3:48
Label = Vertigo 6059 242
Writer = Andy Brown, Rick Parfitt
Producer =
Certification =
Last single ="In My Chair" (1979)
This single ="Whatever You Want " (1979)
Next single ="Living on an Island" (1979)
Misc =Audiosample
Upper caption ="Whatever You Want", 16 seconds (of 3:48)
Audio file = Status_Quo_-_Whatever_You_Want.ogg

"Whatever You Want" is a rock song by the British rock band Status Quo. Written by Rick Parfitt and Andy Bown, it was released on the album of the same name in 1979 and has become one of the band's better-known works.

Composition

The song commences with a quiet introduction, containing a guitar solo. This lasts for approximately 25 seconds, and fades out towards the end. After this, the guitar picks up once more with a D-minor riff, and 40 seconds into the piece, the familiar D-major riff of the song begins, accompanied by drums from the 56 second mark.

At 1 minute, 11 seconds, all audio pauses for approximately half a second; at this point, the lyrical portion commences. The music returns as soon as the first lyrics are heard. This pause creates a short-lived dramatic start to the song, which lasts for a total of 4 minutes.

Impact

Within the United Kingdom, the song reached 4th position in the music charts in 1979. The song has been used in advertising campaigns by popular UK retailer Argos. In 2008 the song was sampled on the jumpstyle song "1980" by Citizen, and then later that same year by German techno band Scooter on the song "Jump That Rock!" from the hit album "Jumping All Over The World".

Instruments

The song is guitar oriented, like most Status Quo songs. During recording up to three guitar 'layers' were used, though it can be played with two: rhythm guitar and solo guitar. The other instruments are a bass guitar, keyboards and drums. The lyrics are multi-vocal; for instance the 'Whatever you want' part is sung entirely with two voices.

The guitar low 'E' string is tuned to a D (the song is also in the D chord). This is required to play the intro and also the low strumming after the intro. In this later part a flanger effect is used together with the ever-present overdrive/distortion effect.

References