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Charted: #8 in November 1970
People who were pining for the days when the Beatles were an active recording unit had precious little to comfort them. The music that the solo Beatles were releasing had shown occasional flashes of brilliance, but often did little more than point out their weaknesses when compared with their work as a team. If you were a full-fledged Beatles fan, it was difficult not to imagine how many of their individual records could have been vastly improved, if only the others could have contributed to the creative process. This opened up a huge void in pop music that was practically begging to be filled. The band that came closest to filling the gap was another four-man act named Badfinger. By replicating the smart harmonies, tasteful arrangements, and intelligent songwriting that marked most Beatles’ recordings, Badfinger showed sufficient promise as the Beatles’ musical heirs apparent. Somewhat coincidentally, two of the band members hailed from the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, while the remaining members came from Wales. They also happened to record for the Beatles’ record label, Apple.
Badfinger had originally existed as a pub band called the Iveys when Mal Evans, a manager/assistant to the Beatles, spotted them. It was right around the same time that, in response to the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, the Beatles were formulating their Western-communism ideals into a very loosely structured business venture called Apple. Apple was intended to be a multimedia, multifaceted business and included forays into electronics, publishing, retailing, and clothing design, as well as film and record production. Just about everything Apple affiliated itself with resulted in either mayhem or nothing of consequence, with the one very obvious exception being the record label. Besides the fact that the Beatles themselves were recording for Apple, other signings included James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, and Badfinger.
As Apple became an accountant’s worst nightmare, the Beatles began to fracture under the pressure. Badfinger found itself in the unusual predicament of recording for the Beatles’ label while the Beatles ceased to exist. Even more odd was the manner in which they became proxy spokesmen to vent the frustration and disillusionment that haunted the Beatles, particularly Paul McCartney. McCartney had written a slightly playful but mostly bitter song called “Come and Get It,” with lyrics that referenced the dismantling of the Beatles’ fortunes through Apple’s gross mismanagement and the outright thievery that caused the corporation’s eventual demise, but he thought better than to have the Beatles record it. Recorded (duplicated, really) from a McCartney demo tape, “Come and Get It” became Badfinger’s first hit and also served as a soundtrack recording for a film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, titled The Magic Christian. Seven months later, Badfinger once again reached the pop charts, but this time with a song the band wrote and arranged themselves. “No Matter What” proved that Badfinger members were no slouches and were capable of writing songs that were just as melodic and engrossing as the material of their super-famous label mates. Although the Beatles self-destructed, Apple Records continued to exist (barely) and released Badfinger’s new single. Badfinger portrayed all the ingredients you would expect from a group that was truly unified and secure in its identity. While rock music was splintering into hundreds of sub genres, Badfinger held fast and true to the notion that good music did not need to be dressed up and repackaged in some image-making process. “No Matter What” is as straightforward as any pop song can be. It has a great hook, a well-thought-out melody, even better harmonies, clever structure, and relatable words. All in all, it’s an ideal example of a thoroughly unpretentious and highly enjoyable pop song. No other band since the Beatles had displayed such a facility with all of these characteristics.
 
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