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.
JEALOUSY
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is what you see doing me
Jealous of me, such jealousy
It shouldn't be - leave me alone
Time is running out, out runs the time
I waste it on my own
But don't think I'm alone
I can't stay on the phone
I'll see you back at home
I really did think that problem was solved
But it is not
Just jealousy, my jealousy
Is what you see doing me
Jealous of me, such jealousy
It shouldn't be - leave me alone
I've got another one, listen to me
And don't get all hung on
To things I have done wrong
Oh no, not again, I won't reply
It's only how I feel
It sometimes seems unreal
But everyone gets there once in a while
Are you wishing?
Just jealousy, my jealousy
Is what you see doing me
Jealous of me, such jealousy
It shouldn't be - leave me alone
Just jealousy, my jealousy
Is what you see doing me
Jealous of me, such jealousy
It shouldn't be - leave me alone ....
The lyrics to Status Quo's "Jealousy" are about the consuming nature of jealousy and how it can affect a person's relationships and sense of self. The song suggests that jealousy is an irrational emotion that can cause pain and harm to the person who experiences it, as well as to their loved ones.
The first verse reflects the feelings of the jealous person, who is frustrated and upset with their own jealousy. They know that it is not healthy or productive, but they cannot seem to shake it. The second verse continues this theme, as the person acknowledges that they are stuck in a cycle of jealousy and cannot find a way out. They try to distract themselves with other things, but the jealousy always creeps back in.
The chorus provides the central message of the song, urging the person's loved ones to leave them alone and not feed into their jealousy. The repetition of the phrase "just jealousy" emphasizes the irrationality of the emotion and suggests that the person knows that they should not be feeling this way.
The final verse offers a glimmer of hope, as the person suggests that everyone experiences jealousy sometimes and that it is not necessarily a reflection of their character. This suggests that the person may be open to addressing and overcoming their jealousy in the future.
Overall, Status Quo's "Jealousy" is a poignant reflection on the destructive nature of jealousy and how it can impact relationships and individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
Just jealousy, my jealousy
The feeling of jealousy is present and overwhelming
Is what you see doing me
It is causing me visible pain that others can observe
Jealous of me, such jealousy
The jealousy is directed towards me which adds to the pain
It shouldn't be - leave me alone
The artist knows the jealousy is irrational and wants to be left alone to deal with it
Time is running out, out runs the time
The artist feels like time is running out and they are wasting it on their own problems
I waste it on my own
The singer feels like they are wasting precious time by being consumed by jealousy
But don't think I'm alone
The singer doesn't want others to think they are isolated even though they feel alone
Oh no, not again, I won't reply
The artist doesn't want to engage in a conversation about their jealousy again
I can't stay on the phone
The artist feels too overwhelmed to continue talking on the phone
I'll see you back at home
The artist knows they will have to return back to their everyday life and surroundings soon
I really did think that problem was solved
The singer hopes their problem of jealousy was resolved but it seems it hasn't
But it is not
The jealousy is still present and a problem
I've got another one, listen to me
The singer has another problem to talk about
And don't get all hung on
The singer doesn't want others to become too consumed by their problems as well
To things I have done wrong
The singer has made mistakes in the past which they are still being judged for
It sometimes seems unreal
The artist finds their jealousy to be irrational and sometimes hard to believe
But everyone gets there once in a while
The artist knows that others can relate to their feelings of jealousy and it is a common human emotion
Are you wishing?
The singer questions if others are wishing for their problems to continue
Just jealousy, my jealousy
The feeling of jealousy is present and overwhelming
Is what you see doing me
It is causing me visible pain that others can observe
Jealous of me, such jealousy
The jealousy is directed towards me which adds to the pain
It shouldn't be - leave me alone
The artist knows the jealousy is irrational and wants to be left alone to deal with it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERNARD JOHN FROST, FRANCIS ROSSI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kristian Yrjölä
HYVÄ biisi!!!
Tomyelectronic
Wow....this is not easy for me listening to. Wimpy Quo in a "happy sound" performance. No no no! Found it always one of the worst tracks from this very average album. Hey guys - what has happened to you back than? Greetings from germany.
Shane Patrick
No, good song.