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.
Kick Me When I'm Down
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You moved right along, I can't believe it's true
And worst of all, it's my best friend,
Aint that really rubbin' it in
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
First you put me down, then you make clown out of me
Kick me when I'm down, I tell you
They say you live and learn, but this education's killin' me
You say we'd grown apart, and that your love had died
But you made a new start, babe, before my tears had dried
I called my buddy, 'cos I was alone,
That's when you answered the phone
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
First you put me down, then you make clown out of me
It's all over town, how could you
Kick me when I'm down, I tell you
They say you live and learn, but this education's killin' me
Well I'm no stranger to pain, I got it down to a tee
From the school of hard knocks, I got my honorary phd
I didn't ask for this, I didn't treat you bad
A fool for your kiss, I gave you everything that I had
But you were wearing my old pal's ring,
While I was still wearing black
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
First you put me down, then you make clown out of me
It's all over town, how could you
Kick me when I'm down, I tell you
They say you live and learn, but this education's killin' me
They say you live and learn, but this education's killin' me
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you,
Kick me when I'm down, kick me when I'm down,
Why don't you splatter my brains all over town
Kick me when I'm down
Status Quo's Kick Me When I'm Down is a song about heartbreak and betrayal. The singer's partner has moved on quickly, and even worse, with his best friend. The title line, "Kick me when I'm down" sums up the feeling of being emotionally beaten while already in a vulnerable state. The lyrics describe the feeling of disbelief and shock at the situation, as well as the frustration and anger towards both the ex-partner and the former friend. The chorus repeats the title line, emphasizing the pain and humiliation the singer is feeling.
The verses provide more detail about the situation, with the singer feeling like he was used and made a fool of. He thought the breakup was due to growing apart, only to find out his ex had already moved on before he even had a chance to process the end of their relationship. The final lines reveal the heartbreaking detail that his ex was even wearing his friend's ring while he was still mourning the breakup. The song concludes with a plea for the pain to stop, with the singer feeling like his heartbreak has become an education in how cruel love can be.
Overall, Kick Me When I'm Down is a relatable song about the pain of heartbreak and betrayal. The catchy chorus and memorable guitar riffs make it a classic Status Quo song.
Line by Line Meaning
It didn't take you long, to find someone new
You quickly found someone else after ending our relationship
You moved right along, I can't believe it's true
You didn't waste any time finding a new person to be with
And worst of all, it's my best friend,
To make matters worse, the person you're with now is my best friend
Aint that really rubbin' it in
This is just adding insult to injury
Kick me when I'm down, why don't you
You're taking advantage of my misfortune
First you put me down, then you make clown out of me
You first made me feel bad about myself and now you're making a mockery of me
It's all over town, how could you
This news is spreading like wildfire and it's humiliating
They say you live and learn, but this education's killin' me
People say you learn from your mistakes, but this experience is causing me extreme emotional pain
You say we'd grown apart, and that your love had died
You claimed our relationship had run its course and your feelings for me had faded away
But you made a new start, babe, before my tears had dried
You started a new relationship before I had even fully processed the end of ours
I called my buddy, 'cos I was alone,
Feeling lonely, I reached out to my friend for comfort
That's when you answered the phone
You answered the phone instead of my friend, adding to my emotional turmoil
Well I'm no stranger to pain, I got it down to a tee
I'm no stranger to emotional pain, I've experienced it many times before
From the school of hard knocks, I got my honorary phd
I've become an expert in dealing with difficult situations after years of hardships
I didn't ask for this, I didn't treat you bad
I didn't deserve this treatment from you, I didn't mistreat you during our relationship
A fool for your kiss, I gave you everything that I had
I was in love with you and gave you all I had to offer, despite it ending badly
But you were wearing my old pal's ring,
To add insult to injury, you're wearing a ring that was given to you by my former friend and now boyfriend
While I was still wearing black
I'm still mourning the loss of our relationship, while you've moved on and are happier without me
Why don't you splatter my brains all over town
This situation is so painful, it feels like my brain might explode
Kick me when I'm down
You're taking advantage of my vulnerable state and causing me even more pain
Contributed by Ella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tony Murray
we love the quo