Iain Matthews Shares His Thoughts on 5 Musical Highlights From His Career

Contrary to how it may appear, English singer-songwriter Iain Matthews is no one-hit wonder. The only Top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 under his name (then spelled Ian Matthews) is his 1979 hit “Shake It.” Yet at the beginning of the ‘70s, his band Matthews Southern Comfort had a substantial pop and adult contemporary hit with their cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.” Even more to the point, Matthews’ impact goes far beyond these two radio hits. He was a vocalist for one of the most influential folk-rock bands of the late ‘60s, created one of the rock era’s most beloved vocal harmony arrangements, and has released more than 30 albums as a solo artist.

Just prior to the release Friday (October 25) of his latest solo album How Much Is Enough, Matthews shared some of his thoughts via email about five songs that are among the highlights of his storied career.

“Meet on the Ledge” by Fairport Convention from What We Did on Our Holidays (1969)

Matthews and Sandy Denny split the vocals on “Meet on the Ledge,” which was just the second single ever released by the legendary folk-rock band Fairport Convention. Matthews says once Richard Thompson brought the song to the rest of the band, he “knew he was on the path to becoming a great writer.” As to the meaning of “Meet on the Ledge,” Matthews surmises, “Had this song been written after the road accident that took the lives of Martin Lamble, the band’s drummer, and Jeannie [Franklyn], Richard’s girlfriend, I would have said without hesitation, that’s what it’s about. But it wasn’t, it was written before.” Matthews adds that he thinks “it’s a song about the music business and all the unknowns it hides behind.”

“Meet on the Ledge” was the first Fairport Convention song to place on a chart, peaking at No. 52 on the UK Breakers chart.

“Woodstock” by Matthews Southern Comfort from Later that Same Year (1970)

Matthews left Fairport Convention in 1969 and would soon release his first solo album Matthews Southern Comfort. The project eventually transitioned into a full band, and after releasing their first album as a band (Second Spring), MSC released their cover of “Woodstock” as a single. It rose to No. 23 on the Hot 100, and it was even more popular in the UK, spending three weeks atop the UK Official Singles Chart.

Matthews still looks back fondly on the day he learned the song went to No. 1. He recalls, “We were in rehearsal when my manager called with the news. The previous week we had been at No. 10, and I had celebrated the fact. Happy in the knowledge that I had become a member of that elusive club. I anticipated it moving higher. Maybe a couple of spots, but never dreaming it would sell in such numbers that it would leapfrog the rest of the Top 10 and take the No. 1 spot. The first thing I did when I got the news was call my folks and tell them. There was a lot of blubbering and sniffling.” Matthews also notes that “it’s the one career song that I’ve never really stopped playing live,” though he has changed the arrangement numerous times over the years.

“Seven Bridges Road” by Iain Matthews from Valley Hi (1973)

Most listeners know “Seven Bridges Road” from Eagles’ 1980 live version, but the song was originally written and recorded by Steve Young for his 1969 album Rock Salt and Nails. Seven years before Eagles’ version hit the charts, Matthews released a cover of the song on his Valley Hi album. Once you listen to Matthews’ version of “Seven Bridges Road,” it becomes evident that Eagles were covering him and not the Young original.

Young’s version of “Seven Bridges Road” caught Matthews’ attention, and he says “I knew when I began collecting songs for Valley Hi that Steve’s song was a must. Michael Nesmith, my producer, loved it too and it was his idea to give it tempo. When you listen to it with that in mind, the end result was really a typical Nesmith track. It was my idea to add all the vocal harmonies.” Being familiar with Matthews’ version, the Eagles’ five vocalists would use the song—and Matthews and Nesmith’s vocal arrangement—as a pre-show warmup, and it eventually became their set opener.

“Shake It” by Iain Matthews from Stealin’ Home (1978)

Matthews’ 1978 album Stealin’ Home was his big solo breakout, and three tracks from the album reached the Billboard charts. His cover of Terence Boylan’s “Shake It” was the most successful of the three, reaching No. 13 on the Hot 100. Two other covers—Boylan’s “Don’t Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes” and Robert Palmer’s “Give Me an Inch”—also received airplay.

Matthews had a Seattle radio station to thank for becoming aware of all three songs. He explains, “We had a terrific FM radio station KZAM, and a few of my friends were jocks there. If I heard a song I liked I could usually call anytime and one of them would tell me who I was hearing. … They played “Shake It” and “Don’t Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes,” and I loved them both. I couldn’t choose which one I liked best, so I recorded them both.” Matthews notes he first heard “Give Me an Inch” on KZAM as well.

“Rhythm & Blues” by Iain Matthews from How Much Is Enough (2024)

“Rhythm & Blues” was the second single from How Much Is Enough, and it was a collaborative effort between Matthews and Freddy Holm of the Norwegian band The Salmon Smokers. Of the partnership, Matthews says, “When I assembled the lyrics to ‘Rhythm & Blues,’ it was a no-brainer to send it to Freddy for the music. He ‘got the song,’ too. We threw melodic ideas back and forth, and at a certain point, I asked him to write music that would be challenging for me to play. Boy did he come through.” Matthews cites the song as possibly his favorite from his latest album, which he adds may be his final solo effort.

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