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.
Matchstick Men
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see your eyes, a funny kind of yellow
I rush home to bed, I sunk my head
I see your face underneath my pillow
I wake next morning, tired, still yawning
See your face come peeping through my window
Pictures of matchstick men and you
All I ever see is them and you
Windows echo your reflection
When I look in their direction, gone
When will this haunting stop?
Your face, it just won't leave me alone
Pictures of matchstick men and you
Images of matchstick men and you
All I ever see is them and you
You in the sky, you with this guy
You make me cry, you lie
You in the sky, you with this guy
You make me cry, you lie
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
The song "Matchstick Men" by Status Quo is a hauntingly beautiful representation of obsession and the pain it can bring. The lyrics are deeply emotional, describing the main character's struggle to escape the images of a past lover that have become inextricably intertwined with his consciousness. The song is told from first person point of view, as the character describes the images that appear before him like ghosts, reminding him of what he has lost. The imagery used in the song is vivid, with lines like "Pictures of matchstick men and you, images of matchstick men and you" painting a picture of faces that are burned into the memory of the singer.
The song is mournful in tone, with the lyrics and melody both conveying a deep sense of loss and yearning. The chorus is particularly poignant, with the repetition of the images of the matchstick men and the woman they represent intensifying the sense of melancholy. The lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, but the overarching theme of love and obsession is clear. The song is a testament to the power of memory and the pain it can bring, as well as the struggle to try and move on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
When I look up to the sky
As I gaze upon the vastness of the sky above me,
I see your eyes, a funny kind of yellow
I envision your piercing and unique yellow eyes,
I rush home to bed, I sunk my head
Anxious to be free from my thoughts, I hastily retire to my bed, burying my head,
I see your face underneath my pillow
Despite my attempts to evade it, your face haunts meβeven in my own bed, where I should feel comforted,
I wake next morning, tired still yawning
After a restless night, I awaken to find myself still fatigued, constantly yawning,
See your face come peeking through my window
Even as I attempt to go about my day, your image persistsβpeering in at me through the windowpanes,
Pictures of matchstick men and you
My mind is flooded with visions of both matchstick men and youβthese seemingly unrelated images are inescapable,
Images of matchstick men and you
Not just the physical objects, but the mere thought of matchstick men and you encompasses my every thought,
All I ever see is them and you
No matter where I turn or what I do, I only encounter an endless loop of matchstick men and visions of you,
Windows echo your reflection
As I glance out my window, I expect to see the world outsideβbut instead, only your reflection stares back at me,
When I look in their direction gone
Even the view outside my windows is now lost to me, as everywhere I look, your presence is overwhelming,
When will this haunting stop
I am desperate for an end to this haunting mental loop of yours and the matchstick men,
Your face, it just won't leave me alone
Despite my attempts to rid myself of it, your face refuses to let me be, haunting every aspect of my life,
You in the sky, you with the sky
You are everywhereβpermeating even the vast open expanse of the sky above me,
You make me cry, your eyes
Your eyes evoke an emotional response from me, causing me to shed tears and feel overwhelmed,
Picture of matchstick men and
I cannot escape the clutches of my mind's never-ending association with you and the matchstick men,
Picture of matchstick men and
Everything I see, all that fills my mind, is a consistent reminder of your face and the matchstick men.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Francis Dominic Nicholas Rossi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Tatendeuel1
[Verse 1]
When I look up to the sky
I see your eyes a funny kind of yellow
I rush home to bed, I soak my head
I see your face underneath my pillow
I wake next morning, tired, still yawning
See your face come peeping through my window
[Chorus]
Pictures of matchstick men and you
Mirages of matchstick men and you
All I ever see is them and you
[Verse 2]
Windows echo your reflection
When I look in their direction gone
When will this haunting stop?
Your face it just won't leave me alone
[Chorus]
Pictures of matchstick men and you
Mirages of matchstick men and you
All I ever see is them and you
[Bridge]
You in the sky, you with this guy
You make men cry, you lie
You in the sky, you with this guy
You make men cry, you lie
[Outro]
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
Pictures of matchstick men
@therealpinoyhapa
I'm 72 and am firmly convinced through all these years, that late sixties music especially psychedelic is absolutely the best.
@Lovemylido
I'm pushing 70 and couldn't agree with you more!
@souhung69
I'm half your age and I agree
@KurentEweser
The "65s" was the best decade for music.
@horstwuelbeck3128
Genau so ist das π
@therealpinoyhapa
@@PrayerBlessingandLight Wow, you really have a varied background in your list and the various history of rock music from the psychedelic sixties to metal, punk, post-punk and more. I admire that. πβ
@igluver15
Still sounds incredible 55 years later
@zeerakshow
why would it not?
@terrymasters1176
This song is soooo underrated. This is psychedelic bliss.
@lyre3603
Terry Masters Iβm rewatching trailer park boys again for the 4th time π€£