Status Quo is a British rock band (London, England) with strong boogie line… Read Full Bio ↴Status Quo is a British rock band (London, England) with strong boogie line. The group was founded by bassist Alan Lancaster and guitarist Francis Rossi in 1962.
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.
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.
Go Go Go
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta get along 'cause it's a long, long ride now
I've been away too long, I gotta get on home now
I'm getting far too old to know my dream of fortune
But the time is flowing now, I know what I must do
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I gotta get along 'cause it's a long, long ride now
I've been away too long, I gotta get on home now
I'm getting far too old to know my dream of fortune
The time is flowing now, I know what I must do
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I've been away too long, I gotta get on home now
I'm getting far too old to know my dream of fortune
But the time is flowing now, I know what I must do
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta get along 'cause it's a long, long ride now
I've been away too long, I gotta get on home now
I'm getting far too old to know my dream of fortune
The time is flowing now, I know what I must do
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
The lyrics to Status Quo's song "Go Go Go" is about an individual who has been away from home for too long and now needs to go back home to ease his mind. The first verse mentions how the ride ahead is going to be a long one, but the singer has been away from home for too long and needs to go back. The singer feels like they are getting too old to achieve their dream of fortune, which suggests a feeling of desperation to go back home and be with the people they love.
The chorus emphasizes the singer's immediate need to go back home to ease their mind. Despite their uncertainties and doubts about their future, the importance of being with loved ones is made clear in the lyrics. The repetition of the phrase "I gotta go home" highlights the urgency and importance of this decision.
This song can be interpreted in various ways, but at its core, it is about the need to be with loved ones and to find comfort in the familiar. It also touches upon the idea of growing older and how that can impact our priorities.
Line by Line Meaning
I gotta get along 'cause it's a long, long ride now
I need to keep moving forward because the journey ahead is lengthy and challenging
I've been away too long, I gotta get on home now
I've been gone for too much time and now I need to return back to where I belong
I'm getting far too old to know my dream of fortune
I'm realizing that my dream of becoming rich might not be achievable at my age
But the time is flowing now, I know what I must do
I don't have much time left, so I need to figure out what I should do next to make the most of it
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
I must return home to find peace
I gotta go home to ease my mind
The only way to find mental rest and restore my inner balance is to go back home
I gotta go home, I gotta go home
It's essential for my well-being that I make my way back home
I gotta go home to ease my mind
Only by returning to my roots can I find the solace and tranquility that I need
Contributed by Aaron R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@alanstrom2221
Who said he was under rated??
There are a lot of World Class Guitarists and Music Critics that are extremely disappointed with the changes in style and direction that Francis has taken.
They know what he's capable of and so do his fans.
Francis has wasted his talent and special gift by playing some horrible songs and albums.
The 1982 album, the Back-to-Back album, the Ain't Complainin' album, the Perfect Remedy album are all fairly atrocious,
The RTYDrop album is brilliant and Francis Produced it. Great work.
The RIFFS album is fantastic, so is the FITLCentury covers album. They are some of his best works and guess what? Francis doesn't like them.
I'm one of their biggest Fans and also one of their toughest critics.
From 2002-2019 QUO and Francis have produced some very good quality albums.
Some of the albums were good enough for John and Alan to play on.
Francis is not under rated, though he has under delivered quite often since the demise of The Frantic Four's hey days.
@alanstrom2221
I D
3 years ago
Yet another reason to puzzle why Francis Rossi is such an underrated lead guitarist. Always snappy, melodic and proficient I think there are very few guitarists who have Francis' consistency of high performance. Better than all the shredders and their unintelligible and frankly unlistenable efforts, though their speed is admirable.
Alan Strom
Who said he was under rated??
There are a lot of World Class Guitarists and Music Critics that are extremely disappointed with the changes in style and direction that Francis has taken.
They know what he's capable of and so do his fans.
Francis has wasted his talent and special gift by playing some horrible songs and albums.
The 1982 album, the Back-to-Back album, the Ain't Complainin' album, the Perfect Remedy album are all fairly atrocious,
The RTYDrop album is brilliant and Francis Produced it. Great work.
The RIFFS album is fantastic, so is the FITLCentury covers album. They are some of his best works and guess what? Francis doesn't like them.
I'm one of their biggest Fans and also one of their toughest critics.
From 2002-2019 QUO and Francis have produced some very good quality albums.
Some of the albums were good enough for John and Alan to play on.
Francis is not under rated, though he has under delivered quite often since the demise of The Frantic Four's hey days.
@elimhousesteve
Now wouldn’t it have been fantastic if they had done one last album together .
@MJWPub
They did BackBone album since this one!
@philipbonner6486
First time I've heard this song, as always Status Quo, knew how to to write a great song, Rick Parfitt thank you for the music and great memories.....Rest now
@beatricepeter995
❤
@theswedishgirl9362
I’m proud to be a Quo fan really, extremely underrated band, they’re brilliant musicians, as they are extremely down to earth and genuine. My favorite have always been and will always be Rick Parfitt, rest in peace, my legend. Quo will never be the real Quo without him... Got me tears up in the eyes seeing him having the time of his life, love you forever❤️💫🎸🤘
@alanstrom2221
Beautiful words I totally agree with.
Making me cry.
@ianbrown5486
Simply the best ŕock group ever never fade
@jennyguzman9956
I'm so proud to be a fan of Status Quo
@barrymcnicholl4140
Jenny Guzman me too! I hate that the older generation of fans try to discourage the younger fans by saying it isn’t quo anymore because Alan or John or even rick isn’t there anymore. I saw quo in Dubai last year, post rick, and it was one of the most fun gigs I’ve been to.
@e-knockpower7808
Barry McNicholl Fuck the pre-'77 Quo fascists. I'm one of the most open-minded fans when it comes to lineups. But I have to say that it really isn't the same without Rick, sadly.