“I love the message”: Suzi Quatro picks her favourite singer-songwriters
The path to stardom was always laid out for Suzi Quatro. One day, her sister, Patti, watched The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and decided to form a band that Quatro would later become a part of. In the group, she would realise the power of female aesthetics in music. Her journey took a decisive turn, however, when the president at Elektra opened her eyes to the world of songwriting with one simple remark: “You could become the new Janis Joplin.”
Of course, someone like Quatro wouldn’t take such a comparison at face value and work to be just like her contemporary. She approached it with individual rebellion and worked alongside Mickie Most to become “the first Suzi Quatro” because, in her eyes, “I didn’t want to be the new anybody”. Most nurtured Quatro and encouraged her to develop her skills so she could shine independently from her peers, which she found more straightforward to achieve than most because, as Mickie Most argued, her personality was a major strong suit.
While establishing her artistry, she directly and subconsciously learned from the best and most appreciated names she would carry throughout her entire career. Although dabbling in the film world in the early days, her true calling in music became clear when she realised the art of songwriting and how a good composition could tell much more layered and poignant stories than any of her movie gigs could.
Discovering Bob Dylan is like landing upon a goldmine for any aspiring songwriter, but Quatro let Dylan in early, her mind soaking up everything he had to offer in ways that no one else could. “I was 14 years old, newly in my first band, The Pleasure Seekers, working the clubs and perfecting my bass and singing. And my mind was like a sponge,” she explained.
Like many others, Quatro enjoyed Blonde on Blonde, but she delved so deep into his repertoire that he eventually entangled himself in her own artistry, her many Dylan covers peeling back the many colours of her own approach to songwriting. “Bob Dylan clarified my love of writing lyrics,” she once said while discussing why ‘Just Like A Woman’ has a grip on her heart. “I love the message in this,” she added.
“It is one million per cent me. I just don’t understand how romantic he can be, and so angry and the same time.”
Regarding exceptional female singer-songwriters, it’s almost difficult not to mention Carole King, who almost single-handedly transformed the landscape of popular music with her personal lyrics, emotive melodies, and groundbreaking album Tapestry, which became a defining soundtrack of the 1970s and set new standards for what a singer-songwriter could achieve in more ways than one.
For Quatro, King is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and someone she turns to on a regular basis. She has also demonstrated her appreciation in many ways, including selecting ‘So Far Away’ as one of her all-time favourite tracks during an appearance on BBC Radio Two in 2017 and covering King’s ‘I Feel The Earth Move’ on her 2022 EP Uncovered. When Quatro loves another artist, she usually covers their work, which allows her to honour her favourites while delivering their songs with her signature charm.
Quatro’s admiration for some of history’s most remarkable songwriters runs deep and covers many genres, including the country narratives of Dolly Parton and her hit ‘I Will Always Love You’, Willie Nelson and ‘Always on My Mind’, and of course, the work of Waylon Jennings. She also enjoys those who make her feel like she’s on her way to somewhere unidentified, like Jackson Browne, who, in her view, has mastered the art of making music that feels like “what it’s like being on the road.”
His record Running on Empty, in particular, is “just wonderful” because many of the tracks have layers and double-meanings that make it a consistently endearing listen. She specifically enjoys ‘Rosie’, mainly because it often confuses people with its ambiguous subject matter, leading you to believe it’s about one thing when it’s actually much more complicated. As Quatro explained to Quietus: “Everybody thinks it’s about a groupie and it’s not.”
From King and Dylan to Jennings and Browne, many of Quatro’s favourite songwriters reflect her affinity with great storytelling, where the virtues of narrative creation lie in an artist’s ability to bring something to life, whether mundane or not, transforming everyday experiences into profound, relatable, and emotionally resonant songs. This approach also aligns with Quatro’s own attitude towards music, where even the most ordinary experiences feel significant and meaningful.
Suzi Quatro’s favourite songwriters:
- Bob Dylan
- Donovan
- Carole King
- James Taylor & Carole King
- Neil Sedaka
- Neil Diamond
- Neil Young
- The Miracles
- Willie Nelson
- Kris Kristofferson
- Jackie DeShannon
- Jackson Browne
- Waylon Jennings
- Dolly Parton
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.