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.
Centerfold
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Does she come complete?
My homeroom homeroom angel always pulled me from my seat
She was pure like snowflakes, no one could ever stain
The memory of my angel could never cause me pain
The years go by and I'm looking through some girlie magazine
And there's my hometown angel on the pages in between
My angel is a centerfold, angel is a centerfold
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
Angel is a centerfold
Slipping notes, under the desk
While I was thinking about her dress
I was shy, I turned away, before she caught my eye
I was shakin' in my shoes whenever she flashed those baby blues
Something had a hold on me when Angel passed close by
Those soft and fuzzy sweaters, so magical to touch
To see her in that negligee is really just too much.
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
My angel is a centerfold, angel is a centerfold
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
Angel is a centerfold
Come on
Nah nah nah nah nah nah
It's okay, I understand
This ain't no never-never land
I hope that when this issue's gone
I'll see you when your clothes are on
Take your car, yes we will, we'll take your car and drive it
Take it to a hotel room, and get 'em off in private
A part of me has just been ripped
The pages from my mind are stripped
Oh no, I can't deny it
Oh yeah, I guess I got to buy it
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
My angel is a centerfold, angel is a centerfold
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
Angel is a centerfold
Come on
Nah nah nah nah nah nah
The lyrics to Status Quo's song "Centerfold" tell a story of a boy who had a crush on a girl in his class who was quiet and pure as snowflakes. He would slip notes under her desk, but was too shy to make a move. Years later, as an adult, he is looking through a magazine and sees a centerfold of a beautiful woman. To his shock and surprise, he realizes it is his former classmate, the angel from his homeroom. He remembers her soft, fuzzy sweaters and the effect she had on him when she passed by. The realization that his former crush has posed for a centerfold leaves him feeling conflicted and a part of him feels as though his memories have been stripped away.
The song is about the desires of the male gaze and the hold that sexuality can have on a person's mind. The lyrics describe how the image of a beautiful woman can be so powerful that the memory of someone who had been pure and innocent can be distorted, and how women can be seen as objects to be consumed.
Line by Line Meaning
Does she walk? Does she talk?
Is she the complete package - beautiful, smart, kind, and easy to talk to?
Does she come complete?
Is she everything I need in a partner and more?
My homeroom homeroom angel always pulled me from my seat
I always had a crush on a girl in my class who was smart, pretty, and had a good heart. She was always there for me when I needed her, and I admired and respected her greatly.
She was pure like snowflakes, no one could ever stain
She was innocent and kind, with a heart of gold that nobody could corrupt.
The memory of my angel could never cause me pain
Even though we never became a couple, I always cherished the memories of my angel and was grateful for the time we spent together.
The years go by and I'm looking through some girlie magazine
Years later, as an adult, I stumbled upon a magazine with scantily clad women and started flipping through it out of curiosity.
And there's my hometown angel on the pages in between
To my surprise and dismay, the centerfold of the magazine was none other than my homeroom angel from high school.
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
I feel a sense of shock and betrayal, like my very soul has been exposed to a cold, harsh reality.
My angel is a centerfold, angel is a centerfold
My beautiful, innocent angel from high school is now reduced to a mere object of male fantasy, gracing the pages of a men's magazine.
Slipping notes, under the desk
As a shy teenager, I often communicated with my angel through secret notes passed between us in class.
While I was thinking about her dress
During class, my mind would often wander to visions of my angel looking beautiful in her dress or other clothing.
I was shy, I turned away, before she caught my eye
I was too scared to make a move or express my feelings for my angel, so I would often avoid eye contact or look away when she was around.
I was shakin' in my shoes whenever she flashed those baby blues
Her beautiful blue eyes had a mesmerizing effect on me, causing my heart rate to increase and my hands to shake uncontrollably.
Something had a hold on me when Angel passed close by
There was an inexplicable gravitational pull that drew me towards her whenever she was near, making it hard for me to focus on anything else.
Those soft and fuzzy sweaters, so magical to touch
My angel had a penchant for wearing soft, cozy sweaters that were fun to touch and completely irresistible to me.
To see her in that negligee is really just too much.
Seeing her dressed in lingerie or other intimate clothing was a fantasy beyond my wildest dreams, something that was too much for me to handle.
It's okay, I understand
I come to terms with the fact that my angel is now an object of male desire, knowing I cannot change the past.
This ain't no never-never land
I know that life is not always fair, and sometimes the people we hold in high regard make choices that are not ideal.
I hope that when this issue's gone
I hope that I can eventually move on from this incident and accept the fact that my angel is a centerfold.
I'll see you when your clothes are on
I hope to see my angel again one day, but in a different light where she is not sexualized and objectified in this way.
Take your car, yes we will, we'll take your car and drive it
I am determined to take action and do something about the situation, so I suggest we leave and get away from all of this negativity.
Take it to a hotel room, and get 'em off in private
I suggest we find a hotel room where we can be alone and intimate, away from the prying eyes of the public or society's judgment.
A part of me has just been ripped
I feel like a part of my sense of identity or moral compass has been ripped away or compromised by this situation.
The pages from my mind are stripped
The memories I once held dear of my angel have now been tainted by the knowledge that she was once a centerfold model.
Oh no, I can't deny it
I cannot deny the fact that this has affected me deeply and I am struggling to cope with the repercussions.
Oh yeah, I guess I got to buy it
In the end, I decide to buy the magazine and keep it, as a reminder of this moment and the wake-up call it has given me about life and human nature.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Seth Justman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dale Tonelli
IS THERE A SONG THEY DON'T COVER...LOVE STATUS QUO
OrganistJohn
Any with more than three chords...
Cristiam Machado
Smurfs theme 😆