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 Didn't Mean It
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're in at the deep end
Give up the night times, give up the high times
Give up the weekend
Give up the chance to be your own man
Let the feeling take over
The only way out is to lie if you can
But you don't have the knack
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said when I said I didn't mean it
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said it was only a game
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to tell you in so many words, I didn't mean it
I felt tied down, my pride down
That I put that lie down
The prize now for you is me
Well I was like you and all I could do was
Give up and surrender
The people can trace what they did in my face
But they're just pretenders
They told me mercenary action today
Is a line as simple and pure
But what if you found you made a mistake
The medicine's worse than the cure
And you'll be back for sure, saying
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said when I said I didn't mean it
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said it was only a game
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to tell you in so many words, I didn't mean it
I felt tied down, my pride down
That I put that lie down
The prize now for you is me
Give up the chance to be your own man
Let the feeling take over
The only way out is to lie if you can
But you don't have the knack
And you'll go crawling back, saying
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said when I said I didn't mean it
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said it was only a game
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to tell you in so many words, I didn't mean it
I felt tied down, my pride down
That I put that lie down
The prize now for you is me
In this song, Status Quo explores the idea of the consequences of saying "I love you". The lyrics suggest that when someone says those three little words, they are giving up a lot of things, including the freedom to be their own person. The singer admits that he too has been in this situation where he said "I love you" and had to give up things that were important to him. He suggests that the only way to get out of this situation is to lie, but this doesn't work out, as he doesn't have the skills to do so convincingly.
The chorus of the song, where the singer keeps repeating "I didn't mean it", seems to suggest that these words have been said without much thought or intention behind them. The line "It was only a game" suggests that perhaps the singer and their partner aren't on the same page when it comes to love and that one person is taking it more seriously than the other.
The song highlights the idea that the words "I love you" can have a lot of weight and implications, and that people should be careful before saying them.
Line by Line Meaning
When you say those words, those three little words
You're in at the deep end
When you confess your love with those three words, you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position
Give up the night times, give up the high times
Give up the weekend
Give up the chance to be your own man
Let the feeling take over
If you give into your emotions, you may have to sacrifice your freedom and give up the things you enjoy
The only way out is to lie if you can
But you don't have the knack
And you'll go crawling back
You may feel the need to lie to get out of a situation, but eventually you'll have to own up to the truth and face the consequences
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said when I said I didn't mean it
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to say what I said it was only a game
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it
I didn't mean to tell you in so many words, I didn't mean it
The artist is regretful of the things they said or did, and is trying to take back their actions or words.
I felt tied down, my pride down
That I put that lie down
The prize now for you is me
The artist feels trapped, and their pride caused them to make a mistake. They are now willing to make amends and give themselves to the other person
The people can trace what they did in my face
But they're just pretenders
They told me mercenary action today
Is a line as simple and pure
But what if you found you made a mistake
The medicine's worse than the cure
And you'll be back for sure
Other people may judge you for your actions, but they don't understand that sometimes the easy solution can lead to worse consequences. Once you realize your mistake, you'll have to face it and make things right.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHN DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter
Such a loss when Jeff left Quo, he made those drums rock ! Not just a drummer, he made drumming a real act.
ian watkins
Jeff was the best drummer Quo ever had . He was very technical, had fantastic timing and was always full of energy.
sascha herrmann
Great solo from Francis here!
Joan Maiorano
I listen to the quo every day for the last 50years love them all
Vale Poli
Me too every day😂🎵🎸 I love these guys😍
Alex Alex
I listen around 30 years. That's best. Even you have just sh.......t mood, turn on any song of Status QUO and you good. Magic? No. Status Quo just.
Peter
Nothing like starting your day with Quo ! Personally I like rocking All Over The World, really blows those cobwebs out of your head in the morning lol. Just be sure to stay well away from the "fast lane" if you are driving on motorway's though when it's blasting through your speakers !
drrock57 Steward
One of their greatest songs. Their fast costume changes and scenery jumping id graeat too lol
JackerNo2 Lewis
Superb music, I will die listening to quo and when Im nicely decomposing, can someone hit play on the cd so I can keep listening...ta
Зина Олч
Такие классные! Очень нравиться ударник - Суперский !👍