The Leather Baby Wild One: Suzi Quatro

When doing my previous post on gals who rocked in the 70s it became incredibly obvious that Suzi Quatro was going to need her own post. Is there a vast music world conspiracy keeping all her amazing music hidden from the world? Teenagers, self possessed gals, and anyone who enjoys a serious and fun rocking out session are being done a great dis-service by the absence of Suzi Quatro in our lives.



In The Runaways movie that came out this year (if you didn't see it you are a loser, get your crap together) they did, in my opinion, give well deserved mention to Suzi. In an early scene Joan Jett is seen huffing fumes, making out with her friend, and playing Suzi Quatro's The Wild One on her quitar. Later in the movie when Cherie Currie is given an audition for The Runaways, manager Kim Fowley insists that she learn a Suzi Quatro song in preparation.

So I'm embarrassed by this but I really didn't know much about Suzi Quatro and now from thoroughly surfing the world wide web I'm pissed at the world for not exposing me earlier.

Okay example one: When Suzi was 15 she was in a band with her sisters and some other gals and they were called The Pleasure Seekers. They had an amazing song in 1964 called "What A Way To Die". The lyrics are as follows:

Well I love you baby
I’m telling you right here
But please don’t make me decide baby
Between you and a bottle of beer.
chorus:
Baby come on over,
come on over to my side
well I may not live past twenty-one
but WOO!
what a way to die!

Your lovin' fluctuates baby
and everybody knows
but the temperature always stays the same
on an ice cold bottle of Stroh's

When I start my drinking
my baby throws a fit
So I just blitz him outta my mind
with seventeen bottles of Schlitz

You’ve got the kind of body
that makes me come alive
But I’d rather have my hands around
A bottle of Colt 45

There isn't a video for that song but her is a video of them covering I'll Be There. Suzi's dancing makes me want to go out and party.

Pleasure Seekers 1967-Northwest tour

Patti, Nancy, Suzi, Arlene Quatro | MySpace Music Videos


Okay so now on to the solo career. This is Suzi Quatro doing 48 Crash in 1973. Keep in mind thats 2 years before The Runaways even formed.

I'm frustrated because in this next video the vocals and video don't line up very well. But Wild One is a great example of what an influence Suzi was on girl rockers who came after her. Also the lyrics are pretty epic.

"All my life I've wanted to be somebody, and here I am.
I know what I've got, and there ain't nobody gonna take it away from me.
So let me tell ya what I am!"

I'm a red-hot fox. I can take the knocks
I'm a hammer from hell. Honey, can't you tell?
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one
I'm a touched-up freak on a winning streak
I'm gonna own this town. You can't hold me down
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one

Well it ain't no use. Turn me loose
More...more...I can't keep score

I've got my head screwed on, and the days are gone
When you kept me down, and you pushed me 'round
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one

I'm a blue-eyed bitch and I wanna get rich
Get out of my way 'cause I'm here to stay
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one
Well it ain't no use. Turn me loose
More...more...I can't keep score...YEAH!
Well it ain't no use. Turn me loose
More...more...I can't keep score

I'm a red-hot fox. I can take the knocks
I'm a hammer from hell. Honey, can't you tell?
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one
I'm a touched-up freak on a winning streak
I'm gonna own this town. You can't hold me down
I'm the wild one. Yes, I'm the wild one

Here are a few more videos

This next song I May Be Too Young is pretty epic also. Its so rock and roll with talk of her keeping company with "those long haired blue eyed southern gents". And such an epic teenagery line "I may be too young to fall in love, but I'm still hangin round".


Suzi was in her early to mid twenties when these videos were shot. She toured and did interviews and all around busted her ass for a few years but mostly did well in Europe and Australia without hitting too high in the US charts. Then she had another resurgence in the late 70s and charted pretty well in the US. My favorite from that later time, which actually didn't do that well here in the states was If You Can't Give Me Love, which actually is more soft rock but pretty awesome.


These days Suzi Quatro, originally from Detroit, is living in Germany according to imdb and England according to wikipedia. Either way she continues to rock hard, look good in leather, and inspire generations of even more rockers. You can read more about her here.