Top 10 Status Quo Songs

Photo: KevM at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Status Quo songs list looks at the ten best songs from a band that has been doing its thing for literally half a century. With thirty-three albums under their belt, making a Status Quo list is no mean feat. However, this list will hopefully be comprehensive, listing all the best songs from “the Quo.”

Whilst Status Quo certainly have their detractors who say they are a band for old men and are musically irrelevant, they also have one of the most loyal fanbases in the world who couldn’t care less what the often snobby music press think of them. Status Quo’s early work actually transcended several different areas of rock music. Starting off in the late sixties as a psychedelic band, they released several records throughout the seventies that could even be considered early heavy metal.

Also, their cult status has never prevented them from achieving massive success, albeit more in Britain than anywhere else. They have had over 60 hits in the UK, more than any other band, and when you consider that the country is also home to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, that is a pretty amazing accomplishment.

# 10 – Mean Girl

Kicking off our top ten Status Quo songs list is a single released in 1973. It was included on the album Dog of Two Head, which had been released two years earlier. Released by Pye Records, it was a top twenty hit in the UK, making it the third of ten previous singles by this label to reach the top twenty. This record marked a point when they left their early psychedelic sound behind and went in a more hard-rock direction.

# 9 – Caroline

Next up is a single released in 1973, taken from the album of the same year titled Hello. It was written by band leader Francis Rossi and Bob Young, who was the band’s roadie and was considered to be something of an unofficial fifth member. It was a massive hit, reaching number five in the UK.

# 8 – Again and Again

Up next, we have a single taken from 1978’s If You Can’t Stand The Heat. It was written by the late rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, along with multi-instrumentalist Andy Brown and Jackie Lyton. They issued it as a single to specifically coincide with their headlining appearance at the Reading Festival that year. Reaching number thirteen in the UK, it would be re-recorded in 2014 for their acoustic album Acoustic (Stripped Bare).

# 7 – Pictures of Matchstick Men

Here we go back to Status Quo’s first single, released in 1968. For a debut single it was very successful, getting to number seven in the UK and number twelve on the US Billboard 100, where it would be their only hit single in the US. It is one of the early Status Quo numbers that has a psychedelic sound and was also re-recorded for the acoustic album.

# 6 – Down Down

Ending the first half of this list, we have the track that was Status Quo’s only number one single in the UK, released in 1974 and taken from the album On the Level. The song was influenced by the T. Rex track “Debor” and was originally titled “Get Down,” but the title was changed to avoid confusion with the Gilbert O ‘Sullivan song.

# 5- Ice In The Sun

Here is another early track from the Quo’s late sixties psychedelic years, released in 1968 and included on their debut album, Picturesque Matchstickable Message From The Status Quo. It reached number eight on the UK charts and, in the US, reached number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, which to this day is the band’s last appearance on the US charts.

# 4 – In The Army Now

Here is a cover of a song by Dutch band Bolland and Bolland, which was the title track of Status Quo’s seventeenth album, released in 1986. It was a big hit in the UK where it reached number two. In addition, it was a big hit in several other European countries. In 2010, the Quo released a new version of the song with the Corps of Army Choir, which reached number 31 in the UK.

# 3 – Whatever You Want

At number three, we have one of Status Quo’s best-known songs, which is the title track of their 1979 album. Upon its release, it got to number four in the United Kingdom. In Britain, the song has gained cultural significance due to its use in several television shows by retail chains such as Argos, and it was also the theme tune and namesake of a short-lived Saturday Night game show.

# 2 – What You’re Proposing

Just off the top spot is a single that the band released in 1980, taken from the album Just Supposing. Its B-side was an instrumental that was not featured on the album titled “A B Blues” for which Andy Brown was incorrectly credited as the producer on initial pressings of the single. It was another song that was re-recorded in 2014 for Acoustic.

# 1 – Rocking All Over The World

At the top spot, we have a track that some readers may not be aware is not actually originally by Status Quo, but was originally performed and written by John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival. However, Status Quo’s version is probably better known to most people and is superior, being much more of a rocker than the original. It was a big hit for the band in the UK, where it reached number. It is also known as the opening song of Live Aid, with Status Quo as the opening band. Anyone from the UK reading this may also remember when the band played it during their cameo appearance in the British soap opera “Coronation Street” when they performed at the wedding reception of the character Les Battersby, who is well known as a massive Quo fan. It is the title track of their 1977 album.