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.
Don
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it takes just a little while
Open your eyes, look at the day
You'll see things in a different way
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be here better than before
Why not think about the times to come
And not about the things that you've done
If your life was bad to you
Just think what tomorrow will do
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be here better than before
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
All I want is to see you smile
If it takes just a luttle while
I know you don't beieve that it's true
I didn't mean any harm to you
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be here better than before
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be here better than before
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
Oooh, don't you look back
Oooh, don't you look back
Oooh, don't you look back
Oooh, don't you look back
The song "Don't Stop" by Status Quo is about maintaining a positive outlook on life and looking towards the future with hope, even when things may not seem to be going well in the present. The opening lines suggest that there may be times when it is difficult to feel happy, but the singer encourages the listener to look at the day with fresh eyes and see things from a different perspective.
The chorus repeats the message that one should keep thinking about tomorrow and not dwell on the past, as yesterday is gone and the future holds the promise of better things. The second verse continues this theme by urging the listener to focus on the possibilities of the future rather than the mistakes of the past, and to believe that things will get better with time.
The final verse of the song is more personal, with the singer expressing a desire to see the listener smile and reassuring them that there was no harm intended in any previous actions. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive attitude towards the future.
Overall, "Don't Stop" is an uplifting song that encourages listeners to persevere through difficult times and look towards a brighter future. Its simple but catchy melody and upbeat lyrics have made it a popular anthem for positive thinking and perseverance.
Line by Line Meaning
If you wake up and don't wanna smile
If you wake up feeling low and unhappy
If it takes just a little while
If it takes only a small amount of time
Open your eyes, look at the day
Open your eyes and look at the world around you
You'll see things in a different way
You'll begin to see things from a new perspective
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow
Don't stop imagining a better future for yourself
Don't stop, it'll soon be here
Don't give up, the future is almost within reach
It'll be here better than before
The future will be an improvement on the past
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone
The past is in the past, there's no need to dwell on it
Why not think about the times to come
Why not focus on the future
And not about the things that you've done
And not worry about past mistakes or regrets
If your life was bad to you
If you've had a tough life
Just think what tomorrow will do
Imagine the positive changes that tomorrow could bring
All I want is to see you smile
The singer wants to see the listener happy
If it takes just a little while
If it only takes a small effort to make you happy
I know you don't believe that it's true
The listener may be skeptical, but the singer is sincere
I didn't mean any harm to you
The singer didn't intend to cause any harm or offense
Oooh, don't you look back
Don't dwell on the past, keep facing forward
Oooh, don't you look back
Reinforcing the message to not dwell on past mistakes
Oooh, don't you look back
Continuing to encourage the listener to look towards the future
Oooh, don't you look back
Final repetition of the message to focus on the future, not the past
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christine McVie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris Nott
This is the Quo that I and many thousands adored. Simply magic.
rockerbox1973
Amen to that brother...
JR
My favourite Quo track ever, played this to death on Pile Driver.
Les Littleton
The real Status Quo!!
Cormac Loughman
Can’t beat the classic quo! ❤️🎸
SonofSkaro
Stunning. A truly great hard rock band and Don't Waste My Time is perhaps the most iconic 12 bar shuffle song they ever wrote and performed. Magic!
Sharp-Eye Washington
@metafis well, if I may chip in. I like the bit near the end when rick plays a great rhythm guitar solo. A great Quo concept.
metafis
Yes!!...its pure jump blues....the guitar lead melody is boogie woogie on a guitar. (except for a short mid section where he plays a delta blues break 2.36 - 2.48).
olragblues
totally agree mate...still watch em live and they still rock,but this is the line up i fell in rock love with..absolute classic stuff.Miss nuff and spud!
AtomAntTC
I'm not sure I miss Alan Lancaster much from the modern line up but John Coghlan is certainly missed. Looking at him again now makes me realise how much he fits. Get him back lads :)