"Daytona Demon" is the fourth solo single and third UK hit by Suzi Quatro, released in 1973. The song is frequently believed to be a revision of Freddy Cannon's "Tallahassee Lassie" and a reference to Daytona Beach in Florida[1] in which Quatro's lover is equated with a fast car.
"Daytona Demon" was never included on the US or other foreign release of her second album Quatro and remained unavailable in any format in the US[2] until the advent of the CD and numerous compilations in the 1990s.[3] "Daytona Demon" has been a staple of Quatro's numerous hits compilation albums since then. On the 2011 expanded issue of Suzi Quatro, “Daytona Demon” and its B-side "Roman Fingers"[4] were included as bonus tracks.
Following on from two Australian number ones, “Daytona Demon” peaked at number four in the autumn of 1974,[5] but in the UK, where she had also had major success with her previous two singles, the song was a comparatively minor hit, peaking at number 14 late in 1973.[6][7]
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 243. ISBN0-646-11917-6.