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.
So Ends Another Life
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life's a fire, never ending, bringing pain and then befriending
And like a fire that burns no light
And drifts to heaven, so ends another life
Is there time to care, it's only fair that life goes on
And on and on and on ‘til in the end you can't go on
Don't cry for pity my friend, you never gave none
There's a hunter with his gun pointing upwards to the sun
Thinks a bird can feel no pain, if it can it won't again
And like a fire that burns no light
And drifts to heaven, so ends another life
Is there time to care, it's only fair that life goes on
And on and on and on ‘til in the end you can't go on
So ends another life to let this world go on
Don't cry for pity my friend, you never gave none
So ends another life to let this world go on
Don't cry for pity my friend, you never gave none
So ends another life to let this world go on
Don't cry for pity my friend...
The lyrics of "So Ends Another Life" by Status Quo explore the harsh realities of life and death, and the lack of compassion in a world focused on education and progress. The first stanza suggests that in this world, there is no time for compassion, and life is a never-ending cycle of pain and loss. The chorus emphasizes the idea that life goes on regardless of the individual tragedies that occur, and that we must accept this fact. The repeated phrase "So ends another life to let this world go on" highlights the indifference of the world to individual suffering.
The second stanza introduces the idea of a hunter and his disregard for the pain of the bird he is shooting. The hunter believes that the bird cannot feel pain, but even if it can, it won't matter because it is just one life among many. This underscores the theme of the song - that in a world focused on progress, individual lives are often devalued and ignored. The final chorus reinforces this message, stating again that we must accept the loss of life as a necessary part of the ongoing cycle of the world.
Overall, "So Ends Another Life" is a bleak meditation on the inevitability of death, and the ways in which society can devalue and ignore the suffering of individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
In a world of education there's no time for compassion
The demands of education leave no time for empathy or kindness.
Life's a fire, never ending, bringing pain and then befriending
Life is an unpredictable flame that alternates between hurting and comforting.
And like a fire that burns no light
Life can be chaotic and devoid of clear direction or guidance.
And drifts to heaven, so ends another life
Death is always looming and inevitable, like a flame eventually fizzling out.
Is there time to care, it's only fair that life goes on
Despite the hardships of life, it's important to make time for compassion and compassion for others, because life will keep marching on regardless.
And on and on and on ‘til in the end you can't go on
Life is a long, relentless journey that will continue until it is no longer possible to continue.
So ends another life to let this world go on
Death is necessary for the world to keep moving forward and evolving.
Don't cry for pity my friend, you never gave none
There is no sense in mourning someone who was never compassionate or sympathetic themselves.
There's a hunter with his gun pointing upwards to the sun
There are those who see themselves as superior to other creatures, believing that they have the right to take life.
Thinks a bird can feel no pain, if it can it won't again
The hunter assumes that birds are incapable of feeling pain, ignorant of the harm they cause.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALAN CHARLES LANCASTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cargumdeu
stunningly good, timeless even. Bit messy with the strings and brass but a top-notch modern producer could do a lot with this. I'm constantly surprised by music.
uno annalon
a great song by the Quo
Hallgeir Hellan
Rick on lead vocal.