They began as a rock and roll freakbeat band called The Spectres. By 1967, with very little commercial success, they discovered psychedelia and changed their name to Traffic (later Traffic Jam, to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood's Traffic.) At this time the line-up also included organist Roy Lynes and drummer John Coghlan. Late in 1967 they recruited second guitarist Rick Parfitt and became The Status Quo, scoring Top 10 singles with Pictures Of Matchstick Men and Ice in The Sun. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" remains the only Top 40 hit single the group has ever charted in the United States. They have never achieved the same level of success there, that they have enjoyed in their home country.
After their second album Spare Parts they decided to change into a heavy boogie rock band. During the seventies they became one of the UK's leading rock bands, gaining a faithful following due to their excellent live gigs. They showed a great amount of energy during this decade and in the early 80s. They and are best known for songs from this era such as Paper Plane (1972), Caroline (1973), Down Down (1975), John Fogerty's Rockin' All Over The World (1977) and Whatever You Want (1979). Down Down topped the UK charts in January 1975 (their only British No. 1 single to date).
Lynes left in 1971, to be replaced initially by guest keyboard players on album, including Jimmy Horowitz and John Parker, and later on a more permanent basis on record and stage by ex-The Herd and Judas Jump member Andy Bown, though as he was contracted as a solo artist with EMI, he was not credited as a full-time member until 1982. Coghlan left in late 1981, to be replaced by Pete Kircher from 1960s band Honeybus. This short-lived lineup played its last gig in 1984 at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and reformed briefly to open the Live Aid charity event at Wembley in July 1985.
That year Rossi recorded and released two solo singles with longtime writing partner Bernie Frost. Parfitt was also working on a solo album which is still unreleased, although some tracks have been re-recorded by Status Quo and released as 'B' sides. Bass player John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich, both ex-Judie Tzuke Band and Climax Blues Band, assisted Parfitt in the studio.
In the summer of 1985 Rossi, Parfitt and Bown, along with Edwards and Rich started work on a new album. Lancaster, who was living in Australia at the time, took out a legal injunction to stop the band using the Status Quo name on any records. The injunction was lifted after a court hearing in January 1986. Lancaster had had increasing musical differences with the group, notably during the sessions for the 1983 album Back to Back over two tracks which became hit singles for the group around that time. He had written Ol' Rag Blues, but was angered when the producers chose to release a version with Rossi singing lead vocal in preference to the one sung by himself, and he objected to Marguerita Time, which he thought unduly corny and too pop-oriented for them. He remained in Australia, forming a band called Party Boys, who had no success in Britain.
The commercially successful In The Army Now album was released in 1986, and the band continues to this day with the revised personnel. Rich left in 2000 and was replaced by Matthew Letley. Andrew Bown took a year off at the same time for family reasons and was replaced on stage by Paul Hirsh, formerly of Voyager.
According to Songfacts.com, Quo's 29th studio album, Quid Pro Quo, was released in a deluxe format exclusively at Tesco on 30 May 2011. The regular edition was released elsewhere a week later on 7th June. The LP debuted at #10 in the UK charts, the band's best chart placing for an original album since Don't Stop peaked at #2 in 1996.
Although Quo still release new material every few years, recent years have seen them release a series of greatest hits compilations and covers albums. One of the band's most recent original albums, Heavy Traffic, shows a return to classic form not seen since the late 1970s.
Status Quo have often been characterized, perhaps unfairly, as producing very simple songs, always in the same format: 4/4 rhythm, three chord structure. However, the recordings from their first decade demonstrate a diversity in musical style and complexity to rival most of the late 60s UK bands, and several of their singles and album tracks from later show considerable subtlety, not least the mainly acoustic 1979 single Living On An Island, and the 1980 album track, later a single, Rock'n'Roll, which is ironically one of the least rock'n'roll-like songs they have ever recorded.
They have a loyal group of fans in the United Kingdom, where they have enjoyed more hits than any other group in rock and roll history (over 60 as of mid-2005), as well as a big following in Europe, notably in The Netherlands.
In September 2005 a contestant on the long-running BBC television quiz programme Mastermind chose Status Quo as his specialist subject. That same year they took part in the long running ITV soap opera Coronation Street in a storyline which involved them being sued by the layabout Les Battersby.
In December 2005 it was announced that Parfitt was undergoing tests for throat cancer. All subsequent dates of the UK tour were cancelled as a result. However on 20th December it was further announced that the growths found in Parfitt's throat were benign and had been removed.
Quo have even been the subject of a Doctoral Thesis, purporting to demonstrate that their music composition skills could be favourably compared to the likes of the classical music composers, such as Beethoven!
In Autumn 2008 German techno legend Scooter released new single Jump that rock together with Status Quo.
On 1 February 2016, it was officially announced that Status Quo, in addition to the spring and summer dates already scheduled, would tour Europe starting in October. The final dates would take place in the UK towards the end of the year, after which the group would retire from playing 'electric' tours.
On 28 October 2016, Rick Parfitt permanently retired from live performances after suffering a heart attack earlier the same year. On 24 December 2017, he died in hospital in Marbella, Spain as a result of severe infection, after suffering an injury to his shoulder. Parfitt's funeral was held at Woking Crematorium on 19 January 2017. Irish guitarist Richie Malone, who had substituted for Parfitt during some 2016 live shows, took his place on rhythm guitar.
All Around My Hat
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will wear the green willow
And all around my hat
For a twelwe month and a day
And if anyone should ask me
The reason why I'm wearing it
It's all for my true love
Who's far far away
Fare the well cold winter
And fare the well cold frost
But nothing have I gain
But my own true love I've lost
I'll sing and I'll be merry
When occasion I do see
She's a false deluded young girl
Let here go farewell she
And all around my hat
I will wear the green willow
And all around my hat
For a twelwe month and a day
And if anyone should ask me
The reason why I'm wearing it
It's all for my true love
Who's far far away
The other night she brought me
A fine diamond ring but,
She tought to have deprive me
Of a far better thing
But I being careful
As lovers ought to be
She's a false deluded young girl
Let her go farewell she
And all around my hat
I will wear the green willow
And all around my hat
For a twelwe month and a day
And if anyone should ask me
The reason why I'm wearing it
It's all for my true love
Who's far far away
All around my hat
I will wear the green willow
And all around my hat
For a twelwe month and a day
And if anyone should ask me
The reason why I'm wearing it
It's all for my true love
Who's far far away
"All Around My Hat" is a traditional folk song that has been covered by various artists over the years. The Status Quo version of the song was released in 1975 and became a hit in the UK. The song is about a person who is wearing a green willow around their hat for a year and a day as a symbol of their love for someone who is far away.
The green willow in the song is a symbol of mourning or lost love. The twelve months and a day is a significant period of time in folklore as it is believed to be enough time for a person to mourn the loss of a loved one. The lyrics suggest that the person wearing the green willow has lost their true love and sings that they will wear it for a year and a day in memory of their love.
The second verse of the song talks about the person's true love bringing them a diamond ring, but the person did not let the gift blind them from the truth about their love's unfaithfulness. They recognize that their love is a "false deluded young girl" and realize that they must let her go.
Overall, "All Around My Hat" is a melancholic song about lost love and the pain that comes with it. The image of the green willow and the twelve-month mourning period illustrate the depth of the person's love and the heartache they are experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
All around my hat
I will wear this green willow all around my hat
I will wear the green willow
I will wear the green willow in honor of my true love
And all around my hat
I will continue to wear the green willow all around my hat
For a twelwe month and a day
I will wear the green willow for a year and a day as a symbol of my love
And if anyone should ask me
If someone asks me about this green willow...
The reason why I'm wearing it
...I will tell them the reason why I'm wearing it...
It's all for my true love
...which is to honor my true love...
Who's far far away
...who is far away from me
Fare the well cold winter
I am saying goodbye to the cold winter
And fare the well cold frost
I am saying goodbye to the cold frost
But nothing have I gain
Despite this, I have not gained anything...
But my own true love I've lost
...except for the loss of my true love
I'll sing and I'll be merry
Despite this, I will still sing and be happy...
When occasion I do see
...when the opportunity presents itself
She's a false deluded young girl
Referring to the girl who betrayed me, she is foolish and deceitful
Let here go farewell she
I must say goodbye to her and move on
The other night she brought me
Recently, she gave me...
A fine diamond ring but,
...a nice diamond ring, but...
She tought to have deprive me
...she wanted to take away from me...
Of a far better thing
...something even more valuable to me (like my true love)
But I being careful
But I am being cautious...
As lovers ought to be
...as lovers should be
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Rangers
Lovely to see quo embracing folk, folk is really 19th century rock and roll 😁👍🏻
Nigel Kerr
Ian Anderson won't lose any sleep over this...
jiggermast
I agree, 'used to race from tea room to tea room on our 'clipped out' velocipedes in 1890 before it finished playing on the pianola .
Rock Fan
Francis and Maddie's voices are in total harmony, she should have toured with them :)
Mojo Risen
@status quo-all You'd get better results if you explained what this link is all about. Every single comment you get all you is post a random link.
status quo-all
https://www.facebook.com/groups/489354311102647/
rebecca lane
Brilliant - what a combination and works so well !
Philip Paine
I've waited an age for this to be uploaded ....excellent. Maddie Prior fronting the Quo ....what a talent. I saw her at Wembley supporting Quo ...then she returned to the stage.
status quo-all
https://www.facebook.com/groups/489354311102647/
George Stanley
It proves that status quo are possible one of the Greatest bands in the world