A talented singer and bass guitarist, trained in classical piano and percussion, she joined her sisters in the 60s Detroit garage rock group The Pleasure Seekers whilst still in her teens and never looked back. By the early 70s, Suzi went off to England to work with producer Mickie Most, while her sister Patti joined the all-woman rock band Fanny. An underground following spread around Suzi's charisma and powerful singing.
Suzi found herself singing the material of songwriting duo Chinn & Chapman, musicians who were also having hits with Sweet. Combining shades of bubblegum pop with a hard rock spirit, similar to the power pop ethos of the era, Suzi embraced the glam sound. Under their tutelage, she had four top ten rock hits in the U.K., but she remained mostly unknown in the U.S.
However, her U.K. fame expanded through the 70s, with Suzi becoming a successful solo singer, bassist, and songwriter with a string of charting hits. Her appeal extended into the 80s while many of her contempoaries broke up. Notable songs of his period include "Can The Can", "Devil Gate Drive", "Tear Me Apart", and "The Wild One", among many others.
Suzi extended her career to television in 1979 when she guest starred for three seasons on the hit television series 'Happy Days'. She played the character Leather Tuscadero, who was the younger sister of Fonzie's love interest, Pinky Tuscadero. In 1979, at the height of the disco era, she finally made the U.S. Top Five with the track "Stumblin' In", a duet with Chris Norman.
In her musical career she has had 16 hit singles, sold over 45 million records and toured since 1964. She has also had guest appearances in the Runaways documentary "Edgeplay" and various UK television shows including Minder, Dempsey And Makepeace and Absolutely Fabulous.
In 1990, Suzi trod the boards in London's West End playing the lead in the musical Annie Get Your Gun and wrote and starred in a musical about Talullah Bankhead.
Suzi continues to write, perform and record her own original material and has a forthcoming new album Naked Under Leather. She also hosts an excellent show on BBC Radio 2.
Quatro's first single "Rolling Stone" did not achieve popularity anywhere except Portugal, where it made number one. Most introduced Quatro to the songwriting and production team Nicky Chinn/Mike Chapman. Her second single "Can the Can" (1973) was a number one hit throughout Europe and in Australia. It was followed up by three further hits: "48 Crash" (1973), "Daytona Demon" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974) on RAK Records. Her first two albums were also European and Australian successes.
These recordings, however, met little success in her native U.S., despite tours in the mid-1970s supporting Alice Cooper, and, except in Australia, the popularity of Quatro's rocking glam rock declined from 1975. In the interim, she did enjoy success as a session player.
Quatro's fortunes did not change until 1978 when "If You Can't Give Me Love" became a hit in the UK and Australia. This did nothing to prompt Stateside success, but "Stumblin' In", a duet recorded that same year for RSO Records with Chris Norman of Smokie secured a #4 peak in the U.S. Both tracks featured on the "If You Knew Suzi" album. A year later, Quatro released "Suzi... And Other Four Letter Words". She called it her favourite album. This featured singles, such as "She's In Love With You", which made number 11 in the UK , "Mama's Boy" (34) and "I've Never Been In Love" (56). In 1980, her song "Rock Hard" was featured on the soundtrack of the cult film Times Square, along with some punk and new wave bands like Talking Heads, Ramones, XTC and The Pretenders. This success period proved brief however, and her last UK hit was "Heart of Stone" in late 1982. In 1985 Quatro collaborated with Bronski Beat and members of The Kinks, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and Dr Feelgood on the Mark Cunningham-produced version of David Bowie's classic "Heroes", released the following year as the 1986 BBC "Children In Need" single.
In December 2005, a documentary chronicling Quatro's life, "Naked under leather" directed by former Runaway Victory Tischler Blue appeared. In February 2006, Quatro released "Back To the Drive", produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott. The album's title track was penned by her former collaborator Mike Chapman.
March 2007 saw Quatro release a version of The Eagles' "Desperado", followed by the publication of her autobiography, "Unzipped".
Suzi Quatro has sold over 45 million records.
http://www.suziquatro.com
The Honky Tonk Downstairs
Suzi Quatro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And up those stairs I hide my shameful tears
''cause I work all night long
For a man who's half way gone
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
And it's a shame
I wear the name
Of a man who's now been chained
To a man with lonely eyes
I work and hide my pride
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
It won't be long now until that old sun goes down
And up those stairs I hide my shameful tears
''cause I work all night long
For a man who's half way gone
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
And it's a shame
I wear the name
Of a man who's now been chained
To a bottle that destroys all hopes and cares
To a man with lonely eyes
I work and hide my pride
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
The lyrics of Suzi Quatro's song "The Honky Tonk Downstairs" paint a picture of a woman who works as a barmaid in a seedy honky-tonk bar. The woman works all night long for a man who is described as being "halfway gone," likely a patron of the bar who drinks excessively. The woman is ashamed of her situation and hides her tears upstairs, away from the customers. The lyrics suggest that she is caught in a cycle of serving drinks to men who are trapped in their own destructive habits.
The song highlights the plight of women who work in the bar industry and are often subjected to unwanted advances, exploitation and abuse by patrons and fellow employees. The woman in the song is undervalued and unappreciated, working long hours for a boss who doesn't care about her well-being. The bar is a dark and depressing place, where people come to forget their troubles and drown their sorrows in alcohol. The woman's life is a reflection of the misery and despair that pervades the honky-tonk world.
Overall, "The Honky Tonk Downstairs" is a poignant and powerful portrayal of a woman's struggle to survive in a tough and unforgiving environment. The lyrics are raw and emotional, capturing the pain and hardship of a life lived on the fringes of society.
Line by Line Meaning
It won't be long now until that old sun goes down
The day is almost over and night time is approaching soon
And up those stairs I hide my shameful tears
After work, I go upstairs and cry because I am embarrassed of my job
'Cause I work all night long
I work the night shift at the honky tonk
For a man who's half way gone
The owner of the bar is always drunk and not fully present
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
I work as a bartender in the lower level of the honky tonk
And it's a shame
It's unfortunate and regrettable
I wear the name
I have the title or job of
Of a man who's now been chained
The owner of the honky tonk is addicted to alcohol
To a bottle that destroys all hopes and cares
Alcohol has ruined his life and any dreams or ambitions he may have had
To a man with lonely eyes
The owner of the honky tonk is often alone and sad
I work and hide my pride
I do my job but am not proud of it
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
I work as a bartender in the lower level of the honky tonk
Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRAZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
H. D
It won't be long now until that old sun goes down
And up those stairs I hide my shameful tears
''cause I work all night long
For a man who's half way gone
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
And it's a shame
I wear the name
Of a man who's now been chained
To a bottle that destroys all hopes and cares
To a man with lonely eyes
I work and hide my pride
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
It won't be long now until that old sun goes down
And up those stairs I hide my shameful tears
''cause I work all night long
For a man who's half way gone
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
And it's a shame
I wear the name
Of a man who's now been chained
To a bottle that destroys all hopes and cares
To a man with lonely eyes
I work and hide my pride
I'm the barmaid in the honky tonk downstairs
Michael Commins
I absolutely love this song. Suzi brings such energy and charisma to it. Whenever I am feeling blue, this is the song I go to on you-tube. Also love the trad country versions by George Jones, Poco, and Big Tom McBride (Ireland). Wonderful stuff!
Meenaz A
Check out her interview on Flipsyde App channel. She's incredible and holds the conversation so well
Flora Bunda
I know it by POCO, just listened to George Jones (great). I will check out Big Tom McBride.
Валерий Кузьмин
Музыка моего детства! Обожаю!
ЮРРИИЙ ЮРРООВ
Хорошо вы написали
Но выросли вы
И почему писать перестали
Raul Carrera
Una de las agrupaciones más representativas del Rock que te hace mover a lo que ya se paralizó!
Flavio Walter Ansaldi
OLHA SO ! O TALENTO DE SUZI FOUR, CANTORA COMPOSITORA ,ISTRUMENTISTA , MUSICA .
Flora Bunda
Listening to various covers of this Dallas Frazier song, recorded by George Jones and Poco.
Whew!
Great to hear chicks doing it and from a chick's point of view.
This rock version terrific. Usually done as sad country.
What energy! and talent.
Wasn't familiar with Suzi Quatro, Will check her out.
Ivan Kirchner
Na tu dobu jsou její písně úžasné! Líbí se mi více než v době vzniku, který pomatuji.
Raymond Bertlin
Still beautiful!!!Love is inside you know,Suzi Kay!!!