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.
Mystery Island
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sit and dream oh I'm singing out loud
under that coconut tree I'll close my eyes
drift away and think of you
walking on in the sand
I'll take your hand and lead you to
Mystery Island, Mystery Island
Mystery Island, take me away from it all
you don't look back, you don't look back
you just leave your worries behind
you wanna stay on Mystery Island
Today I'm daytripping out to sea
like the bird on the wing
nothing's bothering me
I wanna be flying high
up to the clouds
with my feet still on the ground
I'll drift away I know I'm safe
now that I've found my
Mystery Island, Mystery Island
in the sun yeah
Mystery Island, take me away from it all
you don't look back, you don't look back
you just leave your worries behind
you wanna stay on Mystery Island
(I've found my)
Mystery Island, Mystery Island
in the sun yeah
Mystery Island, take me away from it all
You don't look back, you don't look back
you just leave your worries behind
you wanna stay on Mystery Island
The lyrics to Status Quo's song "Mystery Island" convey a sense of escapism and the desire to leave behind the stresses of everyday life for a tropical paradise. The opening line, "Away, away from the madding crowd," suggests a need to detach oneself from the hustle and bustle of society and find a peaceful retreat. The singer imagines himself under a coconut tree, closing his eyes and dreaming of a loved one while walking on the sand. This imagery creates a romantic and idyllic atmosphere, perfect for an escape from reality.
As the song progresses, the singer describes his desire to fly high and leave all his worries behind, drifting away to a place where he feels safe. He has found his "Mystery Island," a place where he can truly relax and forget the stresses of his life. The repetition of the phrase "Mystery Island" throughout the song emphasizes the importance of this place and how it brings comfort and peace to the singer's life.
Overall, "Mystery Island" is a song that captures the longing for escape and the desire to find a tranquil paradise. It conveys a sense of freedom and the ability to leave behind the worries of everyday life to find solace in a far-off place.
Line by Line Meaning
Away, away from the madding crowd
I want to escape from the noisy and chaotic city life
I sit and dream oh I'm singing out loud
I am daydreaming and singing my heart out
under that coconut tree I'll close my eyes
I'll find a calm spot under a coconut tree and rest
drift away and think of you
I'll let go of myself and think of someone special
walking on in the sand
I'll walk on the beach sand
I'll take your hand and lead you to
I'll take someone's hand and show them the way to
Mystery Island, Mystery Island
A place called Mystery Island
in the sun yeah
A sunny place
take me away from it all
I want to escape from everything
you don't look back, you don't look back
You leave everything behind and move forward
you just leave your worries behind
You forget about your worries
you wanna stay on Mystery Island
You want to stay on the island forever
Today I'm daytripping out to sea
Today I'm taking a day trip over the sea
like the bird on the wing
Like a bird flying in the sky
nothing's bothering me
Nothing is troubling me
I wanna be flying high
I want to be high in the sky
up to the clouds
Up high in the clouds
with my feet still on the ground
While still being grounded on earth
I'll drift away I know I'm safe
I'll get lost in thoughts but I know I'm in a safe place
now that I've found my
Now that I have found
(I've found my)
(I have found)
Writer(s): Wayne Morris, Rick Parfitt, Richard John Parfitt Copyright: 47 Music, Hornall Brothers Music Ltd.
Contributed by Madelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jaime Alvarado
on Rain
great song ,,, !!!!!!!