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.
Nothing Comes Easy
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding our breath and hoping it never will end
It's been a long, long haul
We would be ducking and diving, a rise then a fall
Pretending the ups and the downs didn't matter at all
And we got it almost right
Always a personal reason to cop or to smile
Now there's a green light
We came and we went, we went then we came
Slowly but surely we learnt that it wasn't a game
But it was good clean fun
We were just second hand cars along with the rest
Holding our own and hanging on in with the best
Nothing comes easy
Drinking and thinking what we'd rather do
Nothing of any real interest is coming on through
Maybe we're all right now
But in the end does it matter, matter at all?
Scratching a living and having one hell of a ball
Nothing comes easy
The lyrics of Status Quo's "Nothing Comes Easy" are about the realities of life and its ups and downs. The first stanza talks about how we sometimes have to deal with the struggles of life alone, even with our friends. We hold our breath, hoping that our situation won't end. The second stanza talks about how we go through life with its ups and downs, pretending that it doesn't matter, but learning from our experiences. They say that after miles and miles of mumbling, they finally see the green light that signifies success.
The third stanza talks about the realization that life is not a game, but it can be good clean fun. They are just like second hand cars, holding their own and trying to keep up with the best. The final stanza is about drinking and thinking about life, the mundane things that come with it, and how we're all trying to make it in the end, no matter what. The song is a reminder that nothing in life comes easy, but it's worth the effort and struggle to achieve our goals.
Line by Line Meaning
Fussing and fighting alone with our friends
We argue and bicker with those closest to us, even when we're together.
Holding our breath and hoping it never will end
We're afraid of losing what we have and pray that it will never end.
It's been a long, long haul
It feels like we've been through a lot to get where we are.
We would be ducking and diving, a rise then a fall
We've had our ups and downs and have had to be flexible to adapt to changes.
Pretending the ups and the downs didn't matter at all
We acted like the successes and failures didn't affect us, but they did.
And we got it almost right
We came close to getting it right, but not quite.
Well, there were hundreds and hundreds of mumbling miles
We've traveled a long way, but not always with clear direction.
Always a personal reason to cop or to smile
There were moments of joy and moments of hardship, but they were personal to us.
Now there's a green light
We have an opportunity to move forward and make progress.
We came and we went, we went then we came
We've had our share of comings and goings.
Slowly but surely we learnt that it wasn't a game
Over time, we realized that this was serious and not just for fun.
But it was good clean fun
Nonetheless, we did enjoy ourselves along the way.
We were just second hand cars along with the rest
We were no more special than anyone else.
Holding our own and hanging on in with the best
Despite this, we held our own and competed with the best.
Nothing comes easy
In the end, it takes hard work and perseverance to achieve anything worthwhile.
Drinking and thinking what we'd rather do
We sometimes found ourselves bored and dreaming of other things we could be doing.
Nothing of any real interest is coming on through
We didn't see anything exciting or new on the horizon.
Maybe we're all right now
But for now, we're content with where we are.
But in the end does it matter, matter at all?
But we wonder if it really matters in the grand scheme of things.
Scratching a living and having one hell of a ball
We're making a living, but having a lot of fun in the process.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marcos Soriano
Yo tengo 30 años y para mi estas fueron las mejores épocas de musica viva Status Quo x siempre ♥️♥️
Maura co
En éstos tiempos de pandemia , sólo el recuerdo queda .
Daniela Higuereda
Aquellos recuerdos
Alberto Najera
ESTA ROLA ME ACUERDO CUANDO VENDIA MUSICA EN LA COLONI DEL SOL UNA DE LAS MAS ROCK AND ROLERAS Y LA TRAIAN DE MODA LOS SONIDOS EL ABUELO, URGENTE, CARITA ,,,QUE TIEMPOS AQUELLOS SALUDOS A TODA LA BANDA DE ANTAÑO EN ESPECIAL LA DEL SOL Y A LOS RAMONES DE LA CALLE 7
Eduardo Mendivil
Alberto Najera y si no chavo soy de neza y se q peZ
Jesus Chagoya
Es lo mejor hasta a hora en estos tiempos yo tengo 46 años y para mi fue dela época pasada y la de hoy lo mejor de lo mejor oigo está música nombre hasta se me corren las lágrimas de un pasado que nunca pasa de moda chido el rock y arriba neza
Cecilia Ortega
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Noeli Arellano
Awebo
Ana Maria Cortes
Mi adolescencia plasmada en estas canciones, cuando eran las tocadas en la calle ❤️
Raymundo Mendez
Pura musica chingona de status Quo escuchamos en Neza 😉