4500 Times

Album: Hello! (1973)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Status Quo mainstays Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt wrote this song, which finds Rossi pleading with a girl to stay in their relationship. The song was never released as a single, but became one of their most popular numbers and a live favorite.
  • Why 4500? In our interview with Francis Rossi, he says that the number just sounds right and fits musically.

    Also, when he and Parfitt wrote the song, they had recently embarked on their first tour of America and were fascinated with the culture and the vagaries of the language. In England, the number 4500 is expressed, "four thousand five hundred," but Americans say "forty-five hundred," which is how they wrote it in the song.
  • Status Quo recorded this song many times, the first being on their 1973 album Hello!. Later versions included a drum solo.
  • The first recording was 10:00 long. The 1991 version was 13:00 and the song even topped a massive 30:00 live. The solos were primarily improvised but they soon became frequently used, as fans began to whistle and hum the licks. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Greg - Barking, England
  • The song usually opens in the key of B-major before switching to various others.
  • The line, "I'm sitting still here in my chair" is a reference to the 1970 Status Quo hit, "In My Chair."

Comments: 1

  • Frozenhero from GermanyThe live versions, as well as the 1991 re-recording, all incorporate a riff from Quo's previous "long piece" (Is It Really Me/Gotta Go Home) as the starting point for the many improvisations. This is marked by the transition from B to E. The song is also remarkable for being sung by both Rick Parfitt (who gets the lion's share of the vocals) and Francis Rossi (who sings main melody on the "Sure wanna stay here..." parts). Not unlike The Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler", the song switches several times between a straight and a shuffle feel. The studio version features guests John Mealing playing piano and the sax players Steve Farr and Stewart Blandamer, although both are pretty low in the mix.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.