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.
Round And Round
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
don't want to go to work now
Guess I won't be missed this one time
Nobody's getting hurt now
Telephone call on the red card hotline
I'm never gonna learn how
We go round and round and round and round and over again
What goes round and round and round will come together again
I dream all day, she tells me I'm lazy
I think she'd better go now
She doesn't understand, she's an airhead baby
I'm a legend in my own town
On the cars it's a definite maybe
there's gonna be a showdown
We go round and round and round and round and over again
We turn inside out and upside down but in the end
What goes round and round and round will come together again
We go round and round and round and round and over again
Sometimes cool, sometimes crazy
I never have a bad day
I stay clear when everything?s hazy
I never have a mad day
Do my best, nothing can change me
I gotta do it my way
'Cause we go round and round and round and round and over again
We turn inside out and upside down but in the end
What goes round and round and round will come together again
In Status Quo's song Round and Round, the lyrics tell a story of the singer's struggle with the monotony of everyday life, but also their refusal to conform to societal norms. The song begins with the singer complaining about having to go to work on a beautiful day but decides to skip work anyway. The chorus, "We go round and round and round and round and over again" suggests that the singer is stuck in a cycle of repeating the same actions, and is aware of it. The singer then goes on to talk about their love life, where their partner does not understand them, and they feel like a legend in their own town. The song ends with the singer stubbornly declaring that they will continue to do things their way despite any challenges they face.
The song's lyrics are relatable to many people who feel stuck in a routine, and is seen as a classic rock song that embodies the spirit of rebellion. Status Quo was known for their energetic rock and roll sound that brought them success in the 1970s and 1980s. The upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics in Round and Round were typical of Status Quo's style and proved to be a hit with their fans.
Line by Line Meaning
Monday morning, beautiful sunshine
It's a nice day but the singer doesn't want to go to work
Guess I won't be missed this one time
The singer is thinking of skipping work but doesn't believe anyone will notice
Nobody's getting hurt now
The singer believes that skipping work this one time won't negatively impact anyone
Telephone call on the red card hotline
The artist is receiving a call on a special hotline, possibly related to work
I'm never gonna learn how
The artist acknowledges that they're not good at receiving phone calls, or possibly that they're not good at learning in general
We go round and round and round and round and over again
Life is a cycle and we repeat things over and over, maybe referring to the monotony or repetition of work or daily life
We turn inside out and upside down but in the end
We go through changes and challenges, but ultimately things come full circle in the end
What goes round and round and round will come together again
Despite the ups and downs, everything will eventually fall back into place
I dream all day, she tells me I'm lazy
The artist spends their daydreaming and someone might accuse them of being lazy
I think she'd better go now
The artist is annoyed by the other person's judgment and wants them to leave
She doesn't understand, she's an airhead baby
The singer doesn't believe the other person is capable of understanding them, possibly due to a perceived lack of intelligence
I'm a legend in my own town
The artist has a high opinion of themselves but may not be well-known outside their own community
On the cars it's a definite maybe
It's unclear what the singer is referring to here, but the phrase could imply uncertainty or indecisiveness
there's gonna be a showdown
Something is going to come to a head, and there may be a confrontation or conflict
Sometimes cool, sometimes crazy
The singer experiences a range of emotions and actions
I never have a bad day
The artist is generally positive and does not allow setbacks to ruin their day
I stay clear when everything's hazy
The artist can see things more clearly than others during difficult or confusing times
I never have a mad day
The singer is generally level-headed and doesn't get angry easily
Do my best, nothing can change me
The singer is confident in their abilities and believes that they cannot be swayed
I gotta do it my way
The artist is independent and determined to do things their own way
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JAMES LEONARD, RONNY CARLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ross Murtagh
Best song on this album in my opinion!
Jeff Whitham
Freakin awesome :)
Frank Grail
sounds a bit like Nick Lowe.