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.
Most Of The Time
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I asked her, where you going to?
Well I saw my little lady walking down the street
She said she'd found somebody new
Found myself all alone
Ain't no fun on your own
Now I'm like a rolling stone
Didn't really know which way to go
So I met another lady and so many more
But no-one did I get to know
Found myself all alone
Ain't no fun on your own
Now I'm like a rolling stone
Well I saw my little lady walking down the street
Now you know where she was going to
Well I saw my little lady walking down the street
Now you know what I've been going through
Found myself all alone
Ain't no fun on your own
Living like a rolling stone
I was like a rolling....
I was like a rolling stone
Walking alone, a street with no phone
Could I be younger most of the time?
Doing her wrong, taking so long
Should I do all things in my own time?
May I be wiser, yes, than most men will ever be?
May I be younger most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
May I be wiser, yes, than most men will ever be?
May I be younger most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, most of the time
The lyrics to Status Quo's song Most of the Time describe a man who finds himself alone after his girlfriend leaves him for someone else. He tries to move on by meeting other women but doesn't connect with them emotionally. The chorus repeats the phrase "found myself all alone, ain't no fun on your own, living like a rolling stone" which shows how the singer is struggling with being alone and is unable to find a purpose or direction in life. The last verse repeats the themes from the previous verses and adds in the lines "walking alone, a street with no phone" which further emphasizes the singer's isolation and loneliness.
The lyrics in Most of the Time depict an all too common experience of heartbreak, loneliness and aimlessness. The singer is struggling with the loss of his relationship and is unable to find meaning and purpose in his life. He tries to alleviate his pain by meeting other women, but the emotional void within him remains unfilled. The reference to being "like a rolling stone" suggests a driftless existence and a lack of direction.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I saw my little lady walking down the street
I saw my girlfriend walking down the street
And I asked her, where you going to?
I asked her where she was headed
She said she'd found somebody new
She told me she found someone else
Found myself all alone
I felt alone
Ain't no fun on your own
It's not enjoyable being alone
Now I'm like a rolling stone
Now I feel like I'm aimless and drifting
So I met another lady and so many more
I met other women, lots of them
Didn't really know which way to go
I wasn't sure what direction to take
But no-one did I get to know
But I didn't really get to know anyone
Well I saw my little lady walking down the street
I saw my ex-girlfriend walking down the street
Now you know where she was going to
Now you know where she was headed
Now you know what I've been going through
Now you know what I've been experiencing
Living like a rolling stone
Living without direction or purpose
Walking alone, a street with no phone
Walking alone on a street with no means of communication
Could I be younger most of the time?
Can I live my life as if I were young most of the time?
Doing her wrong, taking so long
Exploring other relationships and taking too long to commit
Should I do all things in my own time?
Should I do things at my own pace?
May I be wiser, yes, than most men will ever be?
May I be more knowledgeable than most men?
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I am wandering without purpose
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I am unsure of my direction in life
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I feel lost and directionless
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I am just aimlessly moving forward
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I am feeling confused and uncertain
Most of the time, most of the time
Most of the time, I am just wandering through life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANCIS ROSSI, ROBERT KEITH YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
C McCormick
Maybe their most underrated song ever. Magnificent. It was immense to hear it live on the 2013/14 reunion tours. Fabulous.
Paul Sheldon
Played this album to death aged 14 loved it i,m 56 now 👍😃
Blake Gregory
Me too. Now 61
Blake Gregory
Me tooo
Chobbler
Me too. Now 63
Riptideog87
Status quo and slade are probably the most underrated bands of all time
Karel Novák
...and Budgie and Sweet ;-)
Evan Khongsngi
High school memories brought back. Seeing the album cover itself is a joy.
Michael Albertson
My favorite Status Quo song. Best blues rock guitar, especially the "shivering" part, for me. Rossi is the best "feel" guitarist on lead guitar high notes with the most wonderful melodies ever. Rossi's lead, with that stomping bass in the beginning of the instrumental part, and the rhythm guitar, first stomping, then melodious, is excellent. Blistering, slow burn, blues rock, and who doesn't want to be wiser and younger? Rossi and Parfitt worked well together, along with Lancaster and Coghlan. Is that a skip at the end? Was it actually played that way on the album? Needed a better ending anyway, I always thought.
jimmy tuesday
each this band, this record album, and this song, is a part of my soul. thank you for this.