Living on an Island

Last updated
"Living on an Island"
Single by Status Quo
from the album Whatever You Want
Released16 November 1979 (1979-11-16)
Genre Rock
Length
  • 4:48 (album version)
  • 3:47 (single version)
Label Vertigo
Songwriter(s) Parfitt/Young
Producer(s) Pip Williams
Status Quo singles chronology
"Whatever You Want"
(1979)		"Living on an Island"
(1979)		"What You're Proposing"
(1980)

"Living on an Island" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1979. It was included on the album Whatever You Want [1] and featured Rick Parfitt on lead vocals.

Contents

Lyrically, the song is about band member Rick Parfitt having to take a "tax year" outside of the United Kingdom and the boredom and isolation he felt living on the Isle of Jersey; however he is also excited about a pending visit from a friend ("Cruxie") who is arriving shortly. [2]

-The first verse deals with fame and the public's perception v. the reality and the resulting depression, due to loneliness.

-The second verse is more optimistic, with Parfitt, not sounding depressed, but bored.

-The third verse however, is positive; talking about the fun the two men are currently having. Although the storyteller indicates that he knows that this will be short lived, as his friend won't stay long.

The themes of the song are isolation, friendship, partying and drugs, specifically cocaine. Every verse ends with the 'line' (also referenced multiple times and further proof of drug theme) "and we'll get high". [3] Despite the very obvious drug references, the single doesn't appear to have been banned by the BBC and became a top 20 hit single in the UK; making it to no. 16. [4]

As with the 'penguin' theme started with the previous "Whatever You Want" single, the first 100,000 copies of "Living on an Island" were issued with a picture sleeve featuring several penguins enjoying Antarctic conditions. In addition, the music video features footage of penguins interspersed with footage of the band miming the song on a soundstage.

Track listing

  1. "Living on an Island" (Parfitt/Young) (3.47)
  2. "Runaway" (Rossi/Frost) (4.32)

Charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australian Singles (Kent Music Report) [5] 62
Germany (Official German Charts) [6] 38
Ireland (IRMA) [7] 12
UK Singles (OCC) [8] 16

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Status Quo (band)</span> British rock band

Status Quo are a British rock band. The group originated in London and was founded in 1962 by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster while they were still schoolboys. After a number of name and lineup changes, which included the introduction of John Coghlan in 1963 and Rick Parfitt in 1967, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969. As of 2022, the group have been active for 60 consecutive years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Rossi</span> British rock musician

Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Parfitt</span> British rock musician (1948–2016)

Richard John Parfitt, was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo.

<i>Whatever You Want</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Status Quo

Whatever You Want is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Status Quo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatever You Want (Status Quo song)</span> 1979 single by Status Quo

"Whatever You Want" is a rock song by the British rock band Status Quo. Written by Rick Parfitt and Andy Bown, it was released on the album of the same name in 1979 and has become one of the band's better-known works. The track peaked at number 4 on the UK charts on 30 September 1979. It originally appeared on the band's 1979 album Whatever You Want and was later re-recorded for their 2003 album Riffs.

<i>Quo</i> (Status Quo album) 1974 studio album by Status Quo

Quo is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Status Quo. Issued in May 1974, it features Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan, and reached #2 in the UK. Like its predecessor Hello!, it consisted entirely of songs written or cowritten by the group. The only guest musicians were Bob Young and Tom Parker, who played harmonica and piano respectively on "Break the Rules".

<i>Piledriver</i> (album) 1972 album by Status Quo

Piledriver is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in 1972. It was the first to be produced by the group themselves, and their first on the Vertigo label. It peaked at number five in the UK and included several favourites that would be featured frequently in live concerts.

"You're in the Army Now" is a song by the South African-born Dutch duo Bolland & Bolland, released in 1982. The song spent six consecutive weeks on the top of the Norwegian singles chart. A cover by British rock band Status Quo, simplified as "In the Army Now", was internationally successful in 1986.

<i>Aint Complaining</i> 1988 studio album by Status Quo

Ain't Complaining is the eighteenth studio album by British rock band Status Quo. Initially released on the Vertigo label on 6 June 1988, it was the group's first album on that label to fall short of the UK Top 10, breaking a streak of 12 studio albums in the process. It reached no higher than its entry position of No. 12. The band, however, reentered the Top 10 just three years later with Rock 'Til You Drop in 1991.

<i>Live Alive Quo</i> 1992 live album by Status Quo

Live Alive Quo was the third live album by English rock band Status Quo and was broadcast live on BBC Radio 1 as part of the station's 25th Anniversary 'Party in the Park' celebrations in Birmingham, England. The concert was watched by nearly 125,000 fans.

"I Didn't Mean It" is a song by British rock band Status Quo, released in July 1994. It was included on the album Thirsty Work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Bridges (Status Quo song)</span> 1988 single by Status Quo

"Burning Bridges (On and Off and On Again)" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1988. It was included on the album Ain't Complaining. The tune is based on the traditional English folk song "Darby Kelly".

"Again and Again" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1978. The song was written by Rick Parfitt, Andy Bown and Jackie Lynton and was issued to coincide with the band's headline appearance at the Reading Festival on 26 August 1978.

"Ol' Rag Blues" is a song recorded by the British rock band Status Quo. It was included on the album Back to Back in 1983, and also released as a single. As of 2023, "Ol' Rag Blues" remains the only one of the band's 22 UK top ten singles to have never been performed live.

"Red Sky" is a single released by the British Rock band Status Quo in 1986. It was included on the album In the Army Now.

"Dreamin'" is a song and single released by the British Rock band Status Quo in 1986. It was included on the album In the Army Now.

"Roadhouse Medley " is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1992. It was included on the album Live Alive Quo.

<i>Quid Pro Quo</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Status Quo

Quid Pro Quo is the twenty-ninth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in May 2011. The album debuted at number 10 in the UK charts and features 14 new songs, as well as the 2010 version of their 1986 hit "In the Army Now" which was re-recorded in support of the Help for Heroes and British Forces Foundation charities. The accompanying Official Live Bootleg album features 12 older songs recorded by the band in concert in Amsterdam and Melbourne in 2010. In the UK the album was only available at branches of Tesco stores for its first week before being released conventionally on the band's Fourth Chord label on 6 June 2011.

<i>Bula Quo!</i> (album) 2013 soundtrack album by Status Quo

Bula Quo is the thirtieth studio album and the first soundtrack album by English rock band Status Quo, it was released on Monday 10 June 2013. It is the last Status Quo album recorded with drummer Matt Letley, who announced his departure from the band before the album had been released.

References

  1. ↑ "Status Quo discography". statusquo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  2. ↑ "Living on an Island - Status Quo Lyrics".
  3. ↑ "Living on an Island - Status Quo Lyrics".
  4. ↑ "Status Quo | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Status Quo – Living on an Island" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living on an Island". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.