Songfacts®:

• "Showdown" was written by ELO leader Jeff Lynne, who is a huge Beatles fan. On September 28, 1974, John Lennon gave the song quite an endorsement when he appeared on the New York City radio station WNEW. Said Lennon: "'Showdown' I thought was a great record and I was expecting it to be #1 but I don't think UA [United Artists] got their fingers out and pushed it. And it's a nice group - I call them 'Son of Beatles' - although they're doing things we never did, obviously. But I remember a statement they made when they first formed was to carry on from where the Beatles left off with 'Walrus,' and they certainly did. This is a beautiful combination of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' by Marvin Gaye and 'Lightnin' Strikes' by Lou Christie, and it's a beautiful job with a little 'I Am The Walrus' underneath."
• This was ELO's third single. In the liner notes to their 1979 Greatest Hits album, Jeff Lynne said: "On the early songs like 'Showdown,' we were still trying to find our way musically, but I can still listen to these tracks and smile and think how important they seemed at the time, even though at some of our shows we outnumbered the audience!"
• The liner notes for the ELO 2 remastered CD state: "'Showdown' was initially recorded under the working title 'Bev's Trousers No. 7.' The song later proved to be a favorite of John Lennon's and a popular departure into R&B (with cellos) for the band. During these sessions, Marc Bolan was also in the studio, recording material. The UK superstar and chart phenomenon was a friend of Jeff's from his Idle Race days and accepted an invitation to play guitar on three ELO tracks. Marc also lent Jeff his 1953 Gibson Firebird for Showdown's guitar solo. 'Showdown' was Jeff Lynne's first self-composed worldwide hit single and ELO's final release for EMI on 14 September 1973. The original promotional film, featuring an ELO performance on the banks of the River Thames, survives in EMI's archive."
• Artists to cover this song include Odia Coates, Asia, and The Cadets.
• "Showdown" plays in a Michelob commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in 2022. In the spot, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Butler and Nneka Ogwumike all go bowling, and Steve Buscemi works the counter.
• Jeff Lynne wrote "Showdown" in his parents' front room in Birmingham. Released as a single in September 1973, it peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart, #53 on the Hot 100 and #9 in Norway. It also reached the Top 50 in Canada and The Netherlands.
• "Showdown" wasn't included on the UK version of On the Third Day, but it was added to the US version of the album. In 2006, the remastered issue of On the Third Day included the song on both the US and UK versions.