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.
Over The Edge
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From my head to my feet
I thought I was cold but
I've been really feeling the heat
You're turning me on
You're driving me crazy
My temperature's rising
When I'm talking to you
If you told me a hundred and two
What's going on?
You're driving me crazy
And I'm falling, I'm falling, I'm falling
Yeah I'm falling, I'm falling' I'm falling
I've never felt like it before
Surely it's against the law
What's going on?
What's going on?
What's going on?
You're driving me crazy
You gave me the fever
And the fever is hot
Taking me higher and higher
Right to the top
Don't let it stop
You're driving me crazy
You gotta believe me
''cause I never pretend
You're doing it now
So do it again
And again
Turning me on
Driving me crazy
And I'm falling, I'm falling, I'm falling
Yeah I'm falling, I'm falling' I'm falling
And like I said before
Surely it's against the law
What's going on?
What's going on?
What's going on?
You're driving me crazy
Over the edge, I'm falling
Over the edge, I'm falling
Never felt like it before
Surely it's against the law
What's going on?
What's going on?
You're driving me crazy
You're driving me crazy
You're driving me crazy
You're driving me crazy
You're driving me crazy
I'm shaking all over
From my head to my feet
I thought I was cold but
I'm a-feeling the heat
My temperature's rising
When I'm talking to you
It wouldn't surprise me
It's a-hundred-and-two
You gave me the fever
And the fever is hot
It's taking me higher
Right to the top
You gotta believe me
''cause I never pretend
You're doing it now
So do it again
I'm shaking all over
From my head to my feet
I'm shaking all over
I'm shaking all over
I'm shaking all over
From my head to my feet
I'm shaking all over
I'm shaking all over
I'm shaking all over
From my head to my feet
I'm shaking all over
Shaking all over
The lyrics of "Over The Edge" by Status Quo describe the powerful impact that someone has on the singer's emotions and physical sensations. The singer exclaims how they are shaking all over, feeling a feverish heat inside, and their temperature rising when they talk to this person. The singer is "falling" for this person and is being "driven crazy" by their irresistible presence. The lyrics are filled with hyperbole to emphasize the singer's overwhelming feelings and also convey a sense of danger, as indicated by the repetition of "Surely it's against the law."
At its core, the song is about the intoxicating power of attraction and desire. The singer is completely consumed by the spell of their lover, and they can't resist the pull of the force that's driving them mad. The song's lyrics remind us of the powerful, almost mystical feeling of being helplessly in love, experiencing physical and emotional sensations that are utterly overwhelming.
Overall, "Over The Edge" is a testament to the enduring appeal of rock and roll love songs that celebrate the chaos and passion of romantic desire.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm shaking all over
The singer is experiencing strong physical sensations that they cannot control.
From my head to my feet
These sensations are affecting the entirety of the singer's body.
I thought I was cold but
The singer believed that they were unaffected by the situation, but now realizes they were mistaken.
I've been really feeling the heat
The artist is now feeling intense emotions, such as desire or attraction.
You're turning me on
The object of the artist's desire is arousing them.
You're driving me crazy
The singer is becoming overwhelmed and obsessive due to their attraction.
My temperature's rising
The singer's physical response is intensifying.
When I'm talking to you
The object of the artist's desire is present and conversing with them.
It wouldn't surprise me
The artist expects that their physical reaction will continue to escalate.
If you told me a hundred and two
The artist anticipates their body temperature will continue to rise to a feverish level.
What's going on?
The singer is confused and uncertain about their intense reaction to the object of their desire.
And I'm falling, I'm falling, I'm falling
The artist is succumbing to their intense attraction and losing control of their emotions and actions.
I've never felt like it before
The singer is experiencing an unprecedented level of attraction and desire.
Surely it's against the law
The singer is feeling overwhelmed by the intensity and possible social taboo of their attraction.
You gave me the fever
The object of the singer's desire is responsible for their intense physical response.
And the fever is hot
The artist's physical response is passionate and intense.
Taking me higher and higher
The artist's attraction is continuing to intensify.
Right to the top
The singer is reaching the pinnacle of their physical and emotional response to their attraction.
Don't let it stop
The singer wants to continue to experience their attraction to the fullest extent possible.
You gotta believe me
The artist wants the object of their desire to take their attraction seriously and acknowledge that it is real.
''cause I never pretend
The artist is sincere in their attraction and is not simply playing a role to get attention.
You're doing it now
The object of the artist's desire is currently responsible for causing their physical and emotional response.
So do it again
The singer wants their attraction to continue and for the object of their desire to repeat the actions that caused it.
Over the edge, I'm falling
The artist has lost control and is succumbing completely to their attraction.
Never felt like it before
The singer is experiencing emotions and physical responses that are completely new to them.
You're driving me crazy
The object of the singer's desire is causing them to become overwhelmed and obsessive with their attraction.
I'm shaking all over
The singer is experiencing strong physical sensations that they cannot control.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH LAMB, ALAN LANCASTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Acer Canon
# 1 in the US album chart January 1981 for 5 weeks . Amazing album.
Adam Taylor
Nope
piledriverpotter
This song is a typical example of how much Alan Lancaster loved the heavier side of Quo.
Harry Pe
Alan was a true Hard Rocker 🎸💔
Dean Meadows
One of best quo songs ever written that captured the quo unrelenting drive and energy. The cross vocals are brilliant the. A very under rated track it was played live 70's not surprised.
Paul jones
R.I.P Alan, top man.
Paul jones
The Quo wall of sound captured perfectly by John Eden.
George Mathie
Alan Lancaster's songs never get their due do they and this is one of his rocking best
mick62mick
Excellent Alan Lancaster song.
Harry Pe
😍💔😩🎸