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 We Really Wanna Do
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What about it, what about the dream
Of the future, looking much better
Wonder what is on the other side
When we get there, if we do make it
Better than it was before
I think about it, would we be the same
For the same lines and the same reasons
Would we let them take us for a ride
By the next time and the time after
Won't be any time at all
No, there won't be any time at all
'cause all we really wanna do is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
But we never ever think about it
Life goes on and love gets in the way
Everybody does the same old thing
And goes ahead and does it anyway
Write a letter to a magazine
Talk about it, talk about the dream
Of the future, looking much better
Wonder what is on the other side
By the next time and the time after
Won't be any time at all
No, there won't be any time at all
'cause all we really wanna do is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
But we never ever think about it
Life goes on and love gets in the way
All we really wanna do is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
But we never ever think about it
Life goes on and love gets in the way
All we really wanna do is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
The lyrics to Status Quo's "All We Really Wanna Do" reflect the universal desire to pursue one's dreams and aspirations, but also highlight the struggle that comes with it. The song begins with the singer contemplating the possibilities of the future and wondering whether it will be worth the effort they put into making it better. They wonder whether they will be able to avoid making the same mistakes again and not let others take advantage of them.
The chorus of the song serves as a reminder that deep down, all anyone really wants to do is pursue their passion and do what they love every day. However, the reality of life and the obstacles that come with it, such as love and societal expectations, often get in the way of achieving these dreams. The final verse suggests that the only way to achieve these goals is to actively talk about and work towards them, rather than simply letting life pass by without making any real progress.
Overall, "All We Really Wanna Do" is a song that encapsulates the struggle between pursuing one's dreams and the realities of life. It encourages listeners to take action and actively work towards their goals while acknowledging the challenges that come along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought it over in a quiet room
I reflected on this in solitude
What about it, what about the dream
What do we think about our aspirations
Of the future, looking much better
A future that seems promising
Wonder what is on the other side
There's uncertainty about what lies ahead
When we get there, if we do make it
If we succeed in achieving our goals
Better than it was before
We hope the future will be an improvement
I think about it, would we be the same
Would we retain our identity
Working at it, will we fall again
Would we fail again, despite our efforts
For the same lines and the same reasons
Repeating the same mistakes and facing similar challenges
Would we let them take us for a ride
Would we allow others to manipulate or exploit us
By the next time and the time after
With the passage of time
Won't be any time at all
Time flies quickly
'cause all we really wanna do is
Because our true desire is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
To do what we love, all day long
But we never ever think about it
Without considering the consequences
Life goes on and love gets in the way
Life is unpredictable and love can be an obstacle
Everybody does the same old thing
People tend to follow familiar patterns
And goes ahead and does it anyway
Regardless of whether it's fulfilling or not
Write a letter to a magazine
To communicate with others in a public forum
Talk about it, talk about the dream
To discuss our aspirations
All we really wanna do is
Our ultimate desire is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
To pursue our passions for an extended period of time
But we never ever think about it
We ignore the potential consequences
Life goes on and love gets in the way
Life is unpredictable and love can interfere
All we really wanna do is
Our deepest aspiration is
What we wanna do and do it all the day
To pursue our true passions continuously
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNARD JOHN FROST, FRANCIS DOMINIC NICHOLAS ROSSI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gerry Brooks
Amazing to me how this song isnt more heard of
status quo-all
https://www.facebook.com/groups/489354311102647/
Cesar Dominguez
Chingona está rola saludos desde Iztapalapa CDMX
alejandro bautista
Very very good
Alan Strom
This is a very cerebral album.
It sounds very good because STATUS QUO / FRANCIS ROSSI produced the whole album.
RAOTWorld 1977 is a very poorly produced album- Pip Williams
Jaime ledezma
Status Neza !! 👊😍🖤😈
Valentin L
"Rock Til You drop"
And Rick did
Christopher Saunders O SHEA
Sorry Franc. not for me whilst I'm this side of the casket mate . Good to see you out of the crypt this morning with Piers and the gang x
ebdon eggs
yeah just saw it . good plug for this song
Christopher Saunders O SHEA
@status quo-all https://www.facebook.com/therealfroggythefrog