In The 1970s Suzie Quatro

The rock queen from the 1970s who made teenage boys squirm and their dads sigh. Suzie Quatro was American by birth in 1950 but adopted by the British all through the 1970s and beyond. Selling over fifty million records and also appearing in the 1970s in the TV comedy Happy Days Suzie was a worldwide global star.

Suzie was inspired by Elvis and in the 1960s was a bass player for an all female group. In 1971 she moved to the UK and signed up to RAK records owned by Mickie Most. It was her second single with him that stormed to the top of the UK charts with Can The Can in 1973 (a small hit in the US in 1976).

Make a stand for your man, honey, try to can the can
Put your man in the can, honey, get him while you can
Can the can, can the can, if you can, well can the can

The "CAN" has nothing to do with tin, but more to do with an expression of something that is impossible. In this context it was about love being impossible.

Not many people  were worried about the lyrics, they were more happy to listen to a great pop song and to watch a beautiful woman in a leather skin tight suit. Suzie was also wearing that suit whilst on the road with Slade at this time.

   

Thanks to her sexy performance on Top Of The Pops everyone was talking about Suzie. Later that year she scored a top three single, with 48 Crash which she co-wrote. Suzie was a writer, performer, band leader and an excellent interviewee too. This American lady was now in the hearts of the UK population.

  

One more hit that year was Daytona Demon getting to No. 14.

1974 saw Suzie back at No.1 with Devil Gate Drive which was also played within an episode of Happy Days.

That was to be her last No. 1 single and in 1974 she had smaller hits with Too Big and a cover of the classic Wild One. In 1975 and 1976 Suzie failed to make any single enter the top thirty.

1977 Suzie was back with Tear Me Apart which made No. 27. It was 1978 when Suzie broke back into the Top Twenty with a melodic song called If You Cant Give Me Love which reached No. 4 and even mentioned the word discotheque.

   

Two more singles followed that failed even to make the top forty which meant her last top chart single in the 1970s was She's In Love With You reaching No. 11. Suzie is still performing and has a radio show too on BBC Radio 2 in the UK.