“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”
Introduction
“Name of the Game” is a spirited boogie-rock track by Status Quo, released on 17 October 1980 as part of their Just Supposin’ album. Clocking in at 4 minutes and 29 seconds, it showcases Francis Rossi’s fluid vocals and guitar work, Alan Lancaster’s driving bass, Andy Bown’s subtle keyboard accents, and the unshakable groove of Rick Parfitt and John Coghlan on guitar and drums. This song may not have been issued as a single, but it’s become a fan favorite for its raw energy and sing-along chorus.
Co-written by Rossi, Lancaster, and Bown, “Name of the Game” sits as track 7 on the second side of Just Supposin’. The album was recorded earlier that year at Dublin’s famed Windmill Lane Studios, a prolific period that also yielded enough material for the follow-up Never Too Late. Though overshadowed by the album’s lead singles (“What You’re Proposing” and “Lies”/“Don’t Drive My Car”), this tune captures Status Quo in full boogie-rock flight.
Right from the opening riff, you can feel the band’s tight chemistry: Rossi’s finger-picked guitar weaving around Parfitt’s chugging chords, underpinned by Lancaster’s punchy bassline and Coghlan’s crisp backbeat. Bown’s keyboard flourishes add just the right color, giving the song an extra lift without distracting from its rock-and-roll core. The chorus—“Oh, you know the name of the game”—is simple but irresistibly catchy, inviting everyone in the crowd to join in.
While “Name of the Game” never charted on its own, it became a staple in Status Quo’s live sets throughout the early ’80s, often slotted between hits to keep the energy high. Fans today still talk about hearing its riff spill out over arena speakers, a moment when the band’s boogie-rock ethos shone brightest.
Video
Lyrics
She drank my money then she blew me out
When I was mad for her she blew me out
She’s in the club and she’s accusing me
Of all the men she is accusing me
Oh, I didn’t do it, I did not do it
She never let me get round to it
I didn’t do it, I did not do it
We never even got down to it
It’s the name of the game for me
It’s always the same for me
It’s the name of the game for me
Can Trinity set me free ?
‘Cause taking the blame
Is the name of the game for me
They know it’s a shame
They never explain, oh taking the blame
Is the name of the game for me
Somebody pour another glass of champagne
Before they come to t-t-take me away
The F.B.I. and C.I.A. they say
I shot the sheriff and I shot him today
Oh, but I didn’t do it, I did not do it
They know they’re making too much of it
I didn’t do it, I did not do it
I didn’t even do the deputy in
Here comes the judge outside a bottle of gin
He ain’t too happy with the way that I’ve been
They locked me down, down in a hole in the ground
And then they swallowed ev’ry key in the town
Oh, I didn’t do it, I did not do it
I think they’re making too much of it
I didn’t do it, I did not do it
I say they’re making too much of it