Status Quo is a British rock band (London, England) with strong boogie line… Read Full Bio ↴Status Quo is a British rock band (London, England) with strong boogie line. The group was founded by bassist Alan Lancaster and guitarist Francis Rossi in 1962.

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.

Anniversary Waltz Part 2
Status Quo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rock'N'Roll Music
Just let me hear some of that rock'n'roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat you can't lose it
Any old way you use it
Gotta be rock'n'roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

I got no kick against modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too damn fast
And change the beauty of the melody
Until it's sounding like a symphony

That's why I go for that rock'n'roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat you can't lose it
Any old way you use it
Gotta be rock'n'roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Lover Please
Lover please, please come back
Don't take the train coming down the track
Don't please, no, don't leave me
Don't leave me in a-misery

You wouldn't ever come so near
You wouldn't ever call me dear
Don't you know I'd die for you
Now you're gone that's what I'll do

Lover please, please come back
Don't take the train coming down the track
Don't please, don't, don't leave me
Don't leave me in a-misery

That'll Be The Day
Oh that'll be the day when you say goodbye
That'll be the day when you make me cry
You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
'Cos that'll be the day when I die

You give me all your lovin' and your turtle dovin'
Your hugs and kisses and your money too
You know you love me baby, but still you tell me maybe
That some day well I'll be blue

Oh that'll be the day, woo-hoo
That'll be the day, woo-hoo
That'll be the day,
'Cos that'll be the day when I die

Singing The Blues
I never felt more like singing the blues
'Cos I never thought that I'd ever lose your love dear
You got me singing the blues

The moon and stars no longer shine
The dream is gone I thought was mine
There's nothing left for me to do
But cry over you

Oh I never felt more like running away
But why should I go 'cos I couldn't stay without you
You got me singing the blues

When Will I Be Loved
I've been made blue, I've been lied to
When will I be loved?
I've been turned down, I've been pushed round
When will I be loved?

Let's Work Together
Together we stand, divided we fall
Come on now people lets get on the ball
And work together, c'mon, c'mon let's work together, now, now people
'Cos together we will stand, every boy girl and man

Before when things go wrong as they sometimes will
And the world that you're travelling stays over the hill
Lets work together, c'mon, c'mon let's work together, now, now people
'Cos together we will stand, every boy girl woman and man

You Keep a Knockin'
You keep a-knockin' but you can't come in
You keep a-knockin' but you can't come in
You keep a-knockin' but you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again

You say you love me and you can't come in
You say you love me and you can't come in
You say you love me and you can't come in
Come back tomorrow night and try it again

Long Tall Sally
We're gonna have some fun tonight
We're gonna have some fun tonight
Everything's all right

We're gonna have some fun tonight
We're gonna have some fun, having some fun tonight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Status Quo's song Anniversary Waltz Part 2 are a combination of snippets of iconic rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 60s. "Rock'N'Roll Music" sung by Chuck Berry, is a celebration of rock and roll music and how it inspires people to dance. The next song "Lover Please" by Clyde McPhatter is about a lover who is pleading for their partner to return and not leave them in misery. Then there is "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly, which talks about how devastating it would be if his lover were to leave him. In "Singing The Blues" by Guy Mitchell, the singer refers to losing his love and feeling heartbroken. The lyrics to "When Will I Be Loved" by The Everly Brothers, express the singer's frustration with being lied to and continually turned down. Lastly, the song "Long Tall Sally" is a classic rock and roll song by Little Richard about having fun and letting loose.

Line by Line Meaning

Just let me hear some of that rock'n'roll music
The singer is asking someone to play rock n roll music.

Any old way you choose it
The singer does not mind the specific rock n roll music played, as long as it is played.

It's got a back beat you can't lose it
Rock n roll music has an infectious rhythm that makes people want to dance.

Any old way you use it
The artist reiterates that rock n roll music can be used in any way, as long as it is played.

Gotta be rock'n'roll music
The artist insists that the music played must be rock n roll.

If you wanna dance with me
The singer is addressing someone they would like to dance with to this music.

I got no kick against modern jazz
The singer does not dislike modern jazz music.

Unless they try to play it too damn fast
The artist dislikes modern jazz played very quickly.

And change the beauty of the melody
Playing modern jazz music too fast can take away from its beauty.

Until it's sounding like a symphony
Playing modern jazz music too fast can make it sound like a symphony.

That's why I go for that rock'n'roll music
The singer prefers rock n roll music because it is played at a moderate pace.

Lover please, please come back
The artist is begging someone they love to come back to them.

Don't take the train coming down the track
The singer does not want this person to leave on a train coming soon.

Don't please, no, don't leave me
The singer does not want this person to leave them.

Don't leave me in a-misery
The singer does not want to be left in a state of misery without this person.

You wouldn't ever come so near
This person has never been close to the artist before.

You wouldn't ever call me dear
This person has never called the artist 'dear.'

Don't you know I'd die for you
The singer would do anything for this person.

Now you're gone that's what I'll do
Now that this person has gone, the singer is willing to die for them.

That'll be the day when you say goodbye
The artist knows that one day this person will say goodbye to them.

That'll be the day when you make me cry
The artist believes that this person will make them cry on that day.

You say you're gonna leave, you know it's a lie
The artist does not believe this person will actually leave them.

'Cos that'll be the day when I die
If this person does leave them, it will be the day the singer dies from heartbreak.

You give me all your lovin' and your turtle dovin'
This person gives the artist all their love and affection.

Your hugs and kisses and your money too
This person shows the singer love through physical affection and also gives them money.

You know you love me baby, but still you tell me maybe
This person may love the singer, but they are still uncertain about their relationship.

That some day well I'll be blue
This person believes that one day the singer will feel sad or depressed.

I never felt more like singing the blues
The artist feels like singing a sad song.

'Cos I never thought that I'd ever lose your love dear
The artist is sad because they never thought they would lose the love of the person they are singing about.

You got me singing the blues
The person's absence has put the singer in a sad state of mind.

The moon and stars no longer shine
The world seems dull and uninteresting without the person the singer loves.

The dream is gone I thought was mine
The artist had a dream that has now been lost because of the absence of the person they love.

There's nothing left for me to do
The artist feels helpless and does not know what to do without the person they love.

But cry over you
The artist's only solution is to cry over the person they love.

I've been made blue, I've been lied to
The singer has been made to feel sad and has also been lied to by someone they trusted.

When will I be loved?
The artist is asking when they will find someone who truly loves them back.

I've been turned down, I've been pushed round
The singer has been rejected and mistreated by the people they have loved in the past.

Together we stand, divided we fall
The singer emphasizes the importance of unity and teamwork in achieving success.

Come on now people let's get on the ball
The singer is encouraging people to work together more efficiently.

And work together, c'mon, c'mon let's work together, now, now people
The artist continues to urge people to work together towards a common goal.

'Cos together we will stand, every boy girl and man
If people work together, they can achieve anything.

Before when things go wrong as they sometimes will
The singer acknowledges that setbacks can occur when trying to achieve a goal.

And the world that you're travelling stays over the hill
The singer is saying that the path to success is often challenging and uphill.

Lets work together, c'mon, c'mon let's work together, now, now people
The artist is trying to rally people to work together to overcome obstacles and achieve success.

'Cos together we will stand, every boy girl woman and man
Once again emphasizing the power of unity, the artist reinforces that anyone can contribute to the cause.

You keep a-knockin' but you can't come in
The artist is telling someone that they are not welcome in their life.

Come back tomorrow night and try it again
The singer is giving this person a chance to try again another day.

You say you love me and you can't come in
This person claims to love the artist, but they are still not welcome.

'Cos that'll be the day, woo-hoo
The singer is anticipating the day when they will finally be free from this person.

We're gonna have some fun tonight
The singer is looking forward to having a good time tonight.

Everything's all right
The singer believes that everything will be perfect tonight and there will be no problems.

We're gonna have some fun, having some fun tonight
The artist is emphasizing that tonight is all about having fun.

Contributed by Gavin A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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