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.
Bad Company
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cannot look away
I know what people say
You're bad company
I've seen it when you need a man
And i could lose my life
I know I'll pay the price
You're the witch in the wild
And you're driving me out of my mind
You're the devil inside
I'd rather not find
See my friend you'll never mend
And see his look of pain
And you, you are to blame
You're bad company
I've seen the snake that comes away
And lives beneath the moon
And you, you call the tune
You're bad company
You're the witch in the wild
And you're driving me out of my mind
You're the devil inside
I'd rather not find
Bad company, you had to be
Bad company
You're the witch in the wild
And you're driving me out of my mind
You're the devil inside
I'd rather not find
Bad company, I soon will be
Bad company
You're the witch in the wild
And you're driving me out of my mind
Bad company, bad company
Bad company
The song "Bad Company" by Status Quo is a classic rock anthem that tells the story of a group of outlaws, referred to as "bad company," who live outside of the law and society. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a group of men who have chosen a life of crime and who use their guns to get what they want. The chorus, which is repeated several times throughout the song, celebrates the freedom and power that comes with being a member of this group.
The opening lyrics, "Company always on the run, destiny is the rising sun," suggest that the group is constantly moving and never stays in one place for too long. The singer then reveals that he was "born 6-gun in [his] hand" and that he will make his final stand behind a gun. The chorus establishes him and his fellow outlaws as "bad company," a name that they wear with pride. The second verse reveals that the outlaws are deserters who have rejected the authority of society and adopted a lawless lifestyle. The towns they visit know their name and the sound of their six guns is their calling card.
The song's lyrics are a celebration of the rebellious spirit and the power that comes with rejecting the norms and laws of society. The outlaws are portrayed as fierce and independent individuals who are not afraid to use violence to achieve their ends. The song has become an anthem for generations of rock fans who value the spirit of rebellion and who identify with the image of the outsider who chooses to live outside of society's rules.
Line by Line Meaning
Company always on the run
The group is always moving around, never staying in one place for too long.
Destiny is the rising sun
Their destiny lies ahead of them, and they see it as something bright and positive.
Oh I was born 6-gun in my hand
The singer was born ready for a fight and always carrying his preferred weapon, a six-gun.
Behind a gun I'll make my final stand
He'll fight to the end with his weapon and won't back down.
That's why they call me bad company
He has gained a reputation for being tough and dangerous, earning him the title 'bad company.'
And I can't deny
He can't deny this reputation.
Till the day I die
He'll have this reputation for the rest of his life.
Till the day I die rebel souls
He and his group will always be rebellious spirits, never conforming to societal norms.
Deserters we are called
Some may label them deserters for leaving behind societal expectations and taking up a 'live fast, die young' lifestyle.
Chose a gun and threw away the sun
They chose violence and darkness instead of peace and light.
Now these towns
The towns they visit and leave behind.
They all know our name 6-gun sound is our claim to fame
Their reputation has traveled, their shooting has become known and a source of infamy for them.
I can hear them say bad company
Their reputation precedes them, as they're being referred to as 'bad company.'
And I won't deny
He won't deny that he is associated with this reputation.
Bad bad company
Their notoriety is well-established, giving them a double 'bad'.
Till the day I die
They'll never be too far away from this image of 'bad company.'
Solo bad
A solo riff on guitar, but 'bad' still applies.
I can't deny
He cannot escape the image of 'bad company.'
Bad company
Reiteration of their reputation.
Till the day I die
It's something they'll carry with them always.
And I say it's
He's owning his reputation.
Bad company oh yeah---yeah
It's their reputation, and it's something they accept.
Till the day I die oh yeah tell me that you are not a thief
Continues to hold onto the image of 'bad company,' with a challenge for anyone to tell him that they're not criminals when they clearly are.
Oh but I am
He's unapologetic and admits to a life of crime.
Bad company
It's his lifestyle, and their reputation.
It's the way I play
Their lives are theirs to live, and it's typically violent.
Dirty for dirty
They fight back against a grimy world with their own griminess.
Oh somebody double-crossed me
Someone betrayed him and double-crossed him, leading him to lead a criminal life.
Double-cross
An emphasis on the act of double-crossing.
Double-cross
The same emphasis as before.
Yeah
Agreement with the chorus.
We're bad company
The group looks at each other and identified themselves as a member of this group known for their bad reputation.
Kill in cold blood
They're not above even murder to get what they want.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lukasmarzell5598
Wish they done it live, great song, great produced
@beatricepeter995
Didn't have any.... company ,by those days ,
and here I AM , listening to the Only company I had .
@iannorton2253
A great, but very little known, song. Thank you.
@davebrown151
Got this on cassette from a friend of quo, a demo tape, somewhere ! ☺
@euhyricane
thanks for the upload {}
@sergioperez1186
John Coghlan at 3:40 !!!!!!!!
@lukasmarzell3730
Great Recording Technology...
Guess that rick put his acoustic guitar through some speakers with a b Tuning. Is a very good unreated song. Alan lancaster would be happy to play it live at some frantic four tours. RIP rick great ryhtm guitar player.
@alanstrom2221
I'm one of the biggest and maddest QUO supporters in the Universe and I've just stumbled on to this song. Not too bad.
Is it a B- Side of a single? Someone know the background on this tune?
@sergioperez1186
Written by Pip Williams on a 18-string guitar and plays it on the song. It was going to be included on the 'As it happens' álbum ( later renamed to Whatever you want and a different tracklist ).
@carloflo
Quobad it is supposed to be another demon's name according to exorcist Priests. Any resemblance with "Status Quo" and the lyrics of this song? Bad company sure he/she be =]