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.
I Can Hear the Grass Grow
Status Quo Lyrics
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I can't imagine that their minds are thinking the same like me
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I see rainbows in the evening
My head's attracted to a magnetic wave of sound
With a stream of coloured circles making their way around
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
Can't seem to puzzle out the signs
My senses form a micro-line
So get a hold of yourself, now baby
You see I need you to help, now baby
Get a hold of yourself, now baby
Put your head down to the ground and listen to your mind
If you can't spell what you find I'll know that you're not my kind
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I see rainbows in the evening
Can't seem to puzzle out the signs
My senses form a micro-line
So get a hold of yourself, now baby
You see I need you to help, now baby
Get a hold of yourself, now baby
See the people all in line, what's making them look at me?
I can't imagine that their minds are thinking the same like me
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I see rainbows in the evening
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I see rainbows in the evening
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I see rainbows in the evening
The lyrics to Status Quo's song "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" are a psychedelic and abstract representation of the countercultural movement happening in the 1960s. The song starts with the singer feeling self-conscious about being looked at by other people, wondering if they think like him. However, he then focuses on his perception of the environment around him, hearing the grass grow and seeing rainbows at unusual times of day. The stream of coloured circles could represent the visual effects of hallucinogens or the energy of a music festival. The lyrics then urge the singer to look inward, to listen to his mind by putting his head to the ground to comprehend what is happening to him.
The song invites listeners to imagine the possibility of looking at the world from a different perspective. The lyrics provoke the listener to see the world as something beyond the concrete representations of reality, and to interpret it using their senses. The repeated lyrics, "I can hear the grass grow,” "I see rainbows in the evening," symbolize the unity of the physical world and the perception of those experiencing it. The last lines urge the listener to join the musician in hearing the grass grow, seeing the rainbows and traveling with the music.
Overall, "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" is a trippy, imaginative song designed to connect the listener to the psychedelic world of the 1960s, where accessing one's mind, perception, and intuition are written in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
See the people all in line, what's making them look at me?
What is causing all these people to stare at me in this line?
I can't imagine that their minds are thinking the same like me
It's hard to believe that everyone in this line is thinking the same thoughts as me
I can hear the grass grow, I can hear the grass grow
I am very attuned to the sounds of nature, to the point where I can hear the grass growing
I see rainbows in the evening
I have a heightened sense of perception, where I can see rainbows even when others can't
My head's attracted to a magnetic wave of sound
My attention is easily drawn to particular sounds that captivate my mind
With a stream of coloured circles making their way around
I experience synesthesia, where sound is connected to visual sensations, resulting in colorful circles in my mind's eye
Can't seem to puzzle out the signs
I am struggling to understand the signs or signals around me
My senses form a micro-line
My senses are highly attuned to the environment, allowing me to detect even the slightest changes
So get a hold of yourself, now baby. You see I need you to help, now baby.
I am asking my partner to help ground me and bring me back to reality when my senses become overwhelming
Put your head down to the ground and listen to your mind
Sometimes it is helpful to focus solely on one's internal thoughts and emotions by being mindful and present
If you can't spell what you find I'll know that you're not my kind
If someone cannot understand or connect with my unique perspective and experiences, then they are not a good match for me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROY WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Андрей Кирюхин
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