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.
Another Game In Town
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still, I guess it's too late now
Reckon all your friends have told you
Really wish that I'd known how
Well remember when i told you
If you ever let me down
Then this player would be playing
In another game in town, wo-oh
Now the other????take us
Just like other was to me
If you think I'm gonna join 'em
Hold your breath and wait and see
Oh, if you can spare a moment
Maybe start to wonder why
Then there'd be no time for crying
There'd be no time left to cry, wo-oh
The time for crying, there'd be no time left to cry
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Why do you do it all?
Fast runner, slow runner, home runner, lone runner,
Don't look back it might disturb you
Don't let a thing disturb you
Oh I bet it gets so lonely
When your friends are getting down
And this player is a-palying in another game in town, wo-oh
This player's playing in another game in town
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Why do you do it all?
Fast runner, slow runner, home runner, lone runner,
Don't look back it might disturb you
Fast runner, slow runner, home runner, lone runner,
Why do you do it all?
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Don't look back it might disturb you
Don't let a thing disturb you
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Why do you do it all?...
The song "Another Game In Town" by Status Quo is a bitter reflection on a failed relationship. The singer laments that he had warned his partner that he would move on if she let him down, and now he has found a new "game in town" to play in. The lyrics suggest a sense of betrayal and disappointment, as the singer feels let down by his former partner and the people around him. However, the tone of the song is not entirely negative, as the singer seems to take some satisfaction in moving on and finding a new game to play.
The repeated references to "two-timers" and "outsiders" suggest a theme of disloyalty and mistrust. The singer seems to be suggesting that people should be honest with themselves and their partners, rather than trying to have their cake and eat it too. The repeated refrain of "Don't look back it might disturb you" suggests a sense of detachment and emotional distance. Overall, the song conveys a sense of frustration and disillusionment with the game of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I been trying hard to tell you
I have been attempting to communicate with you in a meaningful way.
Still, I guess it's too late now
Despite my efforts, it may be too late to salvage our relationship.
Reckon all your friends have told you
I believe your friends have likely relayed to you my previous messages.
Really wish that I'd known how
I sincerely regret not knowing how best to communicate with you.
Well remember when i told you
Do you recall when I spoke to you before?
If you ever let me down
Should you disappoint me...
Then this player would be playing
I would engage in other pursuits
In another game in town, wo-oh
I would be involved in other situations in the area.
Now the other????take us
Now others are taking us down a different path.
Just like other was to me
As one person did in the past.
If you think I'm gonna join 'em
If you believe I will ally myself with them...
Hold your breath and wait and see
Be patient and you will find out for certain.
Oh, if you can spare a moment
If you could allow me some of your time...
Maybe start to wonder why
Perhaps you should consider why this is happening.
Then there'd be no time for crying
Then there would be no reason to lament.
There'd be no time left to cry, wo-oh
There would be no time for tears.
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Deceitful people, insiders and outsiders...
Why do you do it all?
For what reason do they engage in such behavior?
Fast runner, slow runner, home runner, lone runner,
Athletes who possess various speeds...
Don't look back it might disturb you
Do not dwell on prior events as it may discomfit you.
Oh I bet it gets so lonely
It is probably quite isolating.
When your friends are getting down
While your associates are experiencing misery...
And this player is a-palying in another game in town, wo-oh
Meanwhile, I am engaged in other activities elsewhere.
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Deceitful people, insiders and outsiders...
Why do you do it all?
For what reason do they engage in such behavior?
Fast runner, slow runner, home runner, lone runner,
Athletes who possess various speeds...
Why do you do it all?
For what reason do they engage in such behavior?
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Deceitful people, insiders and outsiders...
Don't look back it might disturb you
Do not dwell on prior events as it may discomfit you.
Don't let a thing disturb you
Do not allow anything to perturb you.
Two-timer, three-timer, insider, outsider,
Deceitful people, insiders and outsiders...
Why do you do it all?
For what reason do they engage in such behavior?
Contributed by Cooper E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@omarlanderos0
que buena rola de los maestros
@beatricepeter995
Simply,LOVE't!
@rickg.b.n.f.2735
Holy shit, 🤮❗The Rossi popway
@twelvemeister
its too cute nice quoish melody but sounds like making your mind up . .. quo turning into bucks fizz . its unnatural
@RockerRollin
thank u for the infor
@alanstrom2221
This is another Crappy ROSSI/FROST song.
Many people have said that Rossi and Frost should've recorded separately and stained the good name of STATUS QUO.
a LOT OF POST LANCASTER SONGS WERE VERY ORDINARY OR CRAP.
TRUE IN SOME CASES THOUGH THEY DID IMPROVE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC, 4TH CHORD, QUID PRO QUO ETC.
@hardlines5472
Awful.
@JC19seventy6
It’s good