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.
Are You Growing Tired of My Love
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can I know just what goes on in your mind if you always walk away
So what's the good, what's the good of trying
And hanging around you begging for your love
When it seems there's someone else in your dreams
And I can't be sure of you anymore
Are you growing tired of my love?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Where is the love you once gave me?
And when we meet, things are not the same now, you always hurry away
And all the friends that once you used to share with me are ignored now, and you're bored now
I guess we are through, but still I go on hoping
Because you never put it into words
Can't you see you should be honest with me
And I've got to find what is in your mind
Are you growing tired of my love?
Have you had too much of my love?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Where is the love you once gave me?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Have you had too much of my love?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Where is the love you once gave me?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Have you had too much of my love?
Are you growing tired of my love?
Where is the love you once gave me?
The lyrics to Status Quo's "Are You Growing Tired of My Love" express the frustration and uncertainty of a partner who feels ignored and unloved in a relationship. The singer laments that their partner never seems to have the time or inclination to listen to them, and that they can't be sure of their affection anymore. They wonder if their partner has grown tired of their love, or if they're simply hiding something that they're unable or unwilling to express. The chorus repeats the questions, driving home the sense of confusion and disconnection.
The verses highlight some of the specific ways in which the relationship has changed: the partner hurries off when they meet, and ignores friends that they used to share. The singer concludes that they may be through, but they can't help holding out hope that their partner will reveal what they're really feeling. The use of rhetorical questions throughout the song underscores the sense of doubt and anxiety, as the singer tries to make sense of what's happening in the relationship.
The lyrics to "Are You Growing Tired of My Love" are straightforward and unambiguous, but they still manage to convey a sense of emotional turmoil and vulnerability. The song speaks to anyone who has felt neglected or unappreciated by their partner, and who has struggled to make sense of what's going wrong in the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You never seem, seem to have the time to listen to what I say
I feel like you never listen to me, or care about what I have to say.
How can I know just what goes on in your mind if you always walk away
I can't understand you, or your feelings, because you're never around to talk to me.
So what's the good, what's the good of trying
What's the point of trying to make things work, when you don't seem to care.
And hanging around you begging for your love
I feel like I'm constantly begging for your attention and affection.
When it seems there's someone else in your dreams
I feel like you're thinking about someone else, and not me.
And I can't be sure of you anymore
I can't trust you or your feelings anymore, because you're always distant and unresponsive.
Are you growing tired of my love?
Are you getting sick of my love, my constant attention, and my attempts to make this work?
Have you had too much of my love?
Have I been giving you too much, and pushing you away?
Where is the love you once gave me?
I miss the love you once gave me, and I don't know where it's gone.
And when we meet, things are not the same now, you always hurry away
When we're together, it feels like something has changed, and you're always in a hurry to leave.
And all the friends that once you used to share with me are ignored now, and you're bored now
You used to introduce me to your friends and share your life with me, but now you ignore me and seem bored with me.
I guess we are through, but still I go on hoping
I think we're done, but I still hope that we can find a way to make things work.
Because you never put it into words
You never tell me how you feel or what you want, it's always a mystery to me.
Can't you see you should be honest with me
I wish you would be honest with me and tell me the truth about your feelings.
And I've got to find what is in your mind
I need to know what you're thinking and feeling, so we can either work things out or move on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alanpriest9826
For me, the best song ever to fail to make it in the charts. Magnificent.
@Esteban929
It did chart in the UK in 1969 @ number 50, and later re-entered the charts @ number 46.
@jamesb1647
It just goes to show status quo weren’t just capable of performing 3 chord hard rock songs. Rick parfitt is my absolute favourite rhythm guitarist and his voice is phenomenal, RIP Rick
@bettyemidkiff8431
Rick had a really good voice. What a talent.
@michaelrichardson1898
Rip rich profit
@heli-crewhgs5285
@Michaél Richardson Your mistake is really funny!
@photodom2000
His wasn't the strongest voice in the world and as he got older and 'indulged' more it became even weaker. Much prefer Francis Rossie singing.
@beds139
Bet they hoped this one would stay buried
@mtmpromotion
Great song that never got the recognition it deserved, I wish we could have put this in Straight as Quo's set list when we were out gigging around the UK, Love this song.👍
@Peter-nv3wu
This song really gave Rick the opportunity to show everyone just how good his voice was, and what he could do with it.