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.
Confidence
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All she needs is a little confidence
All she knows is to run and hide
Through a lifetime of knocking back
Oh don't do this you can't do that
But she never learned to interact
All she needs is confidence
All she learned was a little self-defence
Looking out over number one
She's been diving and ducking round
In and out the lost and found
But it never laid her to the ground
All she needs is something to believe
Sweet security
All she needs tries so hard to please
But all she really all she really needs
Is confidence
No chance of keeping her close to me
No sense abusing her liberty
Through a lifetime of knocking back
Oh don't do this you can't do that
But she never learned to interact
All she needs is something to believe
Sweet security
All she needs tries so hard to please
All she really all she really needs
Is confidence
The lyrics to Status Quo's "Confidence" are an introspective look at a person's struggle with confidence, as well as a plea for someone to believe in themselves. The lyrics suggest that the singer has spent their life running and hiding due to being constantly told what they can't do. They've learned to defend themselves but have never learned how to interact, leaving them in a constant state of fear and insecurity. The chorus expresses the idea that all they need is confidence and something to believe in, highlighting the importance of self-assurance in one's life.
The song suggests that the singer’s confidence issues have affected their personal relationships as well. They acknowledge that there’s no chance of keeping someone close to them if they don't have confidence, and that it’s important not to abuse someone's freedom. Though the song appears to be about a female protagonist, the universal theme of confidence makes the lyrics relevant to anyone struggling with their self-esteem.
Line by Line Meaning
All she needs is a little confidence
This woman lacks confidence and feels unsure of herself.
All she knows is to run and hide
When troubled, this woman has learned to withdraw from the situation.
Through a lifetime of knocking back
The woman has dealt with a lifetime of people knocking her down with criticism and negative feedback.
Oh don't do this you can't do that
The negative feedback this woman has received is often in the form of limiting advice.
But she never learned to interact
The woman didn't learn to socialize properly because of her negative experiences growing up.
All she learned was a little self-defence
This woman learned to protect herself, but didn't learn how to properly relate to others.
Looking out over number one
The woman has put herself first in order to cope with her insecurities.
She's been diving and ducking round
The woman moves constantly, avoiding being confronted head-on.
In and out the lost and found
The woman is searching for something in life, but can't seem to find it.
But it never laid her to the ground
Despite all of the obstacles she's faced, the woman has never been defeated.
All she needs is something to believe
This woman needs something that she can put her faith in.
Sweet security
The woman yearns for a sense of safety and stability.
All she needs tries so hard to please
The woman is constantly striving to impress others.
But all she really all she really needs
Despite what she thinks she needs from others, the woman's true desire is confidence.
No chance of keeping her close to me
The singer knows that he can't keep this woman close, because she's so closed-off.
No sense abusing her liberty
The artist knows that he can't control this woman, nor should he try to.
All she needs tries so hard to please
This woman is doing everything in her power to make others happy.
All she really all she really needs
Ultimately, the woman's deepest need is confidence.
Is confidence
The true message of this song is that confidence is essential for happiness and success.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Azman Othman
Love this album
Beatrice Peter
All I needed , right now , a bit more ... QUO Confidence !
A good way to start your day ,by the way...
status quo-all
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ZETA ZACARIAS
GRANDES RECUERDOS , THANKS FROM MÉXICO :(
status quo-all
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Josh Tinkler
Best solo rossi has ever done bar non. Its super rock on quo
Laura Garcia
una rareza gracias por subirlo
status quo-all
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