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.
Caroline
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now anything you really want to
Turn me on to your love
Sweet love
If the night time is the right time
Oh anytime of yours is my time
We can find time for love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya
I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
When I'm thinking of you sleeping
I'm at home alone and weeping
Are you keeping your love
Sweet love
Do you still care when I'm not there
Now do you really wish I was there
Can I come there for love
Sweet love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya
I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
If you want to turn me on to
Now anything you rally want to
Turn me on to your love
Sweet love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya
I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
The lyrics of Status Quo's song "Caroline" express the singer’s deep longing for his lover. He clearly states that he is attracted to her and wants her to turn him on to her love. He also admits that he thinks of her often, especially when he is alone, and feels sad without her. He asks if she still cares about him and if she misses him. He expresses his desire to be with her and to rock and roll together.
Line by Line Meaning
If you want to turn me on to
If there's something you want me to like or enjoy,
Now anything you really want to
Literally anything you want to show me or share with me,
Turn me on to your love
Share your affection and feelings of love with me
If the night time is the right time
If nighttime is the best time for us to be together,
Oh anytime of yours is my time
I'm available to be with you at any time that suits your schedule,
We can find time for love
Together we can always make time for love and affection
Come on sweet Caroline
Addressing the person they are singing to, inviting them to join in the fun,
You're my sweet Caroline
A term of endearment for the person they are singing to,
You know I wanna take ya
Expressing their desire to be physically close to the person they are singing to,
I really gotta make ya
The urgency with which they want to express their love and affection,
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
Together we can live our lives to the fullest, enjoying every moment of the journey
When I'm thinking of you sleeping
When they think about the person they are singing to sleeping,
I'm at home alone and weeping
It makes them feel sad and lonely,
Are you keeping your love
This line could potentially mean that they are questioning whether the person they are singing to still loves them,
Sweet love
And then the chorus reassures them that there is love and affection between the two of them
Do you still care when I'm not there
Another line that could potentially be questioning the other person's feelings towards them,
Now do you really wish I was there
Expressing their desire to be with the person they are singing to,
Can I come there for love
Asking for the person they are singing to to allow them to express their love for each other physically
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Francis Rossi, Robert Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cesco Mucinelli
If you want to turn me on to
Now anything you really want to
Turn me on to your love
Sweet love
If the night time is the right time
Oh anytime of yours is my time
We can find time for love
Sweet love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya
I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
When I'm thinking of you sleeping
I'm at home alone and weeping
Are you keeping your love
Sweet love
Do you still care when I'm not there
Now do you really wish I was there
Can I come there for love
Sweet love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
If you want to turn me on to
Now anything you rally want to
Turn me on to your love
Sweet love
Come on sweet Caroline
You're my sweet Caroline
You know I wanna take ya
I really gotta make ya
Come on sweet Caroline
Take my hand, together we can rock'n'roll
Neil Robinson - Skelmersdale's Estate Agent
The first six seconds of this song is up there as one of the greatest guitar riffs ever written, in my opinion. Very underrated indeed.
JoeNor
Yep
Chucho Satánico
Apollo 440 know it.
gerald ors
💚✌🕵️♂️👍🏁👏✌
alexander mathieson
3rd in musical history , in my opinion
asif zaidi
My love and obsession in the late 1970s /80s. All I ever listened to then was Quo
RevBen F
As someone new to rock n roll in 1973, this was one of the first songs I heard on the radio and it still gets me going now aged 64. RIP Rick Parfitt!!
CellJog
ditto
Terry Harris
The first six seconds of this song is up there as one of the greatest guitar riffs ever written, in my opinion. Very underrated indeed. as Neil robo said
Vasilios Agio
As a kid in the 70s learning guitar this opening riff changed my life