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.
Need Your Love
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need your love, need your love every day
I need your love, need your love, need your love
I need your love, need your love every day
I, I need your love
I, I see your love
And now I'm here to take it
It's not the greatest love
But it's alright with me, alright with me
I need your love every day
I need your love, need your love every day
I need your love every day
I need your love, need your love, need your love
My nights were getting longer
My dreams were getting old
I wasn't getting younger
My bed was getting cold
But it's all far behind me
I'm a really satisfied man
My nights were getting longer
My dreams were getting old
I wasn't getting younger
My bed was getting cold
But it's all far behind me
I'm a really satisfied man
I, I need your love
I, I see your love
And now I'm here to take it
I'm glad I've had your love
It's not the greatest love
But it's alright for me, alright for me
more STATUS QUO Lyrics
The lyrics of Status Quo's song "Need Your Love" depict a person who is expressing their need for the love of someone special in their life. The recurring line "I need your love every day" emphasizes the intensity of this need and the importance it holds in their day-to-day life. The repetition of this line also creates a sense of urgency and desperation, highlighting the depth of the singer's emotions.
The second verse talks about the singer's past struggles with feeling lonely and unfulfilled, but how having the love of their partner has changed all that. The lyrics "My nights were getting longer, my dreams were getting old, I wasn't getting younger, my bed was getting cold" paint a picture of loneliness and desperation, but the chorus brings hope and light back into the singer's life.
The song ends on a positive note, with the singer declaring that while their love might not be the greatest, it is still enough for them to be a "satisfied man." Overall, the lyrics of "Need Your Love" are simple yet powerful, expressing the universal human desire for love and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your love every day
Every day, I require your love to fill me up and make me feel whole.
I need your love, need your love every day
Without your love, I am incomplete and I rely on it to keep me going each day.
I need your love, need your love, need your love
I cannot stress enough how much I need your love, it is an integral part of my life.
I, I need your love
I am admitting that I am in need of your love and I understand its importance in my life.
I, I see your love
I acknowledge the love that you have for me and how much it means to me.
And now I'm here to take it
I am ready to accept and embrace the love that you have for me.
I'm glad I've had your love
I am grateful for the love that you have given me in the past.
It's not the greatest love
I understand that our love may not be perfect, but it is still meaningful to me.
But it's alright with me, alright with me
Despite its imperfections, I appreciate our love and it is enough for me.
My nights were getting longer
I was struggling with loneliness and a lack of affection in my life.
My dreams were getting old
My hopes and aspirations seemed to be fading away.
I wasn't getting younger
I was feeling the effects of age and wanting to fulfill my desires before it was too late.
My bed was getting cold
I was missing the warmth and touch of another person in my life.
But it's all far behind me
Since I have found your love, those feelings of loneliness and hopelessness are in the past now.
I'm a really satisfied man
Your love has brought me a sense of contentment and fulfillment.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANCIS DOMINIC MICHAEL NICOLA ROSSI, ROBERT KEITH YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mike davies
Their best album in my humble opinion.
Broncycolon 70
Jepp...and Dog and Piledriver....
Flippikat
Ditto. They just try a lot of different styles, to see what works and what doesn't. Makes for a good diverse listen - and even the experiments that don't quite work are still interesting.
Mordecai Pladah
A classic Status Quo track..apart from their 12 bar boogie familiar songs...people need to check their earlier material ...they are a great blues rock band!
Doug Maxwell
I bought this album in 1973 in Papua New Guinea ,,a fucking brilliant album,and its still today,,Ma Kellys Greasypoon album ,,classics from the early 70,s..
Long live Quo ,59 years later the band still rocks
Dougie Maxwell Western Australia
Convinced otherwise
No comments ? How is this possible ?
The best song of Status Quo that my ears have ever experienced !
paulakhs
If that’s so you should widen your listening.
FelipeLM
I'm well impressed too. Never wonder that Status Quo could sound like this :)
Flippikat
They were never gonna be Black Sabbath, but they gave it a shot.
Actually this whole album is Quo trying a heap of different styles to see what "fits" them after abandoning psychedelic pop - and that's why I love Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon.
Such a diverse mix of music.
GOD will Guide me.
I can hear a light Sabbath Vibe but it is not heavy enough to say they wanna be them...but they were before my time, both bands, so what do I know? Lol!