diff --git a/expr/parse.go b/expr/parse.go
index 8c3e379a8e..ce6bc59675 100644
--- a/expr/parse.go
+++ b/expr/parse.go
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ type MetricRequest struct {
 func ParseMany(targets []string) ([]*expr, error) {
 	var out []*expr
 	for _, target := range targets {
-		e, leftover, err := Parse(target)
+		e, leftover, err := Parse(target, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func ParseMany(targets []string) ([]*expr, error) {
 
 // Parses an expression string and turns it into an expression
 // also returns any leftover data that could not be parsed
-func Parse(e string) (*expr, string, error) {
+func Parse(e string, keyvalue bool) (*expr, string, error) {
 	// skip whitespace
 	for len(e) > 1 && e[0] == ' ' {
 		e = e[1:]
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ func Parse(e string) (*expr, string, error) {
 		return &expr{str: val, etype: etString}, e, err
 	}
 
-	name, e := parseName(e)
+	name, e := parseName(e, keyvalue)
 
 	if name == "" {
 		return nil, e, ErrMissingArg
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ func parseArgList(e string) (string, []*expr, map[string]*expr, string, error) {
 	for {
 		var arg *expr
 		var err error
-		arg, e, err = Parse(e)
+		arg, e, err = Parse(e, true)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", nil, nil, e, err
 		}
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ func parseArgList(e string) (string, []*expr, map[string]*expr, string, error) {
 		// we now know we're parsing a key-value pair
 		if arg.etype == etName && e[0] == '=' {
 			e = e[1:]
-			argCont, eCont, errCont := Parse(e)
+			argCont, eCont, errCont := Parse(e, true)
 			if errCont != nil {
 				return "", nil, nil, eCont, errCont
 			}
@@ -261,14 +261,14 @@ func parseConst(s string) (*expr, string, error) {
 	return &expr{int: v, str: s[:i], etype: etInt}, s[i:], err
 }
 
-func parseName(s string) (string, string) {
+func parseName(s string, keyvalue bool) (string, string) {
 
 	var i int
 
 FOR:
 	for braces := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
 
-		if isNameChar(s[i]) {
+		if isNameChar(s[i]) || (!keyvalue && s[i] == 61) {
 			continue
 		}
 
diff --git a/expr/parse_test.go b/expr/parse_test.go
index b4bf6d7935..f5519ce941 100644
--- a/expr/parse_test.go
+++ b/expr/parse_test.go
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 			&expr{str: "metric.*.foo"},
 			nil,
 		},
+		{
+			"a.b.c;tagkey1=tagvalue1;tagkey2=tagvalue2",
+			&expr{str: "a.b.c;tagkey1=tagvalue1;tagkey2=tagvalue2"},
+			nil,
+		},
 		{
 			"func(metric)",
 			&expr{
@@ -330,7 +335,7 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
-		e, _, err := Parse(tt.s)
+		e, _, err := Parse(tt.s, false)
 		if err != tt.err {
 			t.Errorf("case %+v expected err %v, got %v", tt.s, tt.err, err)
 			continue