John Parr
John Parr (born November 18, 1954, Worksop, Nottinghamshire) is a British rock musician who had considerable success in the 80s, having two chart topping hits in the United States. His 'signature song', "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", reached the top 40 in over six different nations and continues to be played worldwide, particularly in support of disabled athletes (the song being written on behalf of Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen, the 'man in motion'). Read Full BioJohn Parr (born November 18, 1954, Worksop, Nottinghamshire) is a British rock musician who had considerable success in the 80s, having two chart topping hits in the United States. His 'signature song', "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", reached the top 40 in over six different nations and continues to be played worldwide, particularly in support of disabled athletes (the song being written on behalf of Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen, the 'man in motion').
John Parr's first entrance in to music was when he was 12-years-old and devised a band with two fellow schoolmates, which they named The Silence. The band enjoyed considerable success in the U.K. as the years went on. They eventually became professional and started to tour Europe. When Parr left the band, he joined a group called Ponders End. The progressive rock outfit picked up praise in the 70s as the 'best live act around' in Newcastle, along with the Dire Straits. In the end, however, they did not make a record deal, and the band's chapter in history closed, despite their local fame, without much fanfare.
Parr secured a publishing deal with Carlin Music in 1983, and American rocker and performer Meat Loaf asked him to write some songs for his new album in the same year. That led to the fateful meeting with John Wolfe (manager of The Who). Foreseeing the demise of The Who, a band that had been adrift upon the death of drummer Keith Moon, Wolfe was looking for a new venture and Parr seemed to be the one. The year of 1984 was Parr's first trip to America. He worked with Meat Loaf on the album 'Bad Attitude' while Wolfe was putting finishing touches on Parr's recording deal in New York.
The spirited arena rock track "Naughty Naughty" became Parr's first U.S. top 40 hit record, the single pushing his 1984 debut album, titled simply 'John Parr', up to #48 on the prestigious Billboard 200 chart. The song built his career up very quickly by achieving top three positions on rock station after rock station in America for up to six weeks. Then, 1985 saw him on the road with the band "The Business" (not to be confused with the British punk outfit of the same name), supporting fellow progressive rockers Toto and playing 10,000-seater venues across America. Though lightening didn't quite strike twice, Parr's tune "Magical" hit a respectable #28 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, giving him some momentum. By the end of the tour, Parr had a call from one of the world's most successful producers, David Foster, that would be a key moment in his career
Foster requested Parr help with the soundtrack for the movie 'St. Elmo's Fire', a film featuring the popular 'brat pack' group of performers such as Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was the result, a song that fit in well with the movie yet also had an important history as it was also written on behalf of Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen (the 'man in motion'). The song became a #1 hit for Parr in the United States while additionally reaching the top 40 in over six different nations. Though Parr would create many songs later on, over the years, the tune has become his 'signature song'.
Parr notably co-wrote "Under a Raging Moon" for Roger Daltrey, a song that paid tribute to the late Keith Moon while also telling the general story of The Who. The parent album became Roger Daltrey's biggest solo success in America. In 1986, Parr joined up with Marilyn Martin to sing the duet "Through the Night (Love Song from Quicksilver)", a part of the soundtrack to the cycling-themed Kevin Bacon movie of the same name. Though earning some critical praise, the album was only moderately successful commercially.
Parr additionally wrote and produced further tracks for Marylin's debut album, including her popular tune "Night Moves". After the success of Meat Loaf's mid-80s work, Parr got out in front once again with the song "Rock & Roll Mercenaries". From there, he began work with Albert Magnili (director of the film 'Purple Rain') on the movie 'American Anthem'; Parr wrote and performed the main theme, a number titled "Two Hearts". Though he maintained his own supportive fan base, he found mainstream commercial success to the degree of "St. Elmo's Fire" elusive.
The Pepsi Company and Jack Calmes Satellite TV Corporation wanted to try something new, specifically a gig from London beamed live across America, Japan & Australia on the college Satellite Network, in the late 1980s. Parr ended up serving as the featured act, having done two similar shows before (one from the Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles where the flame was lit for a special performance of St. Elmo's Fire and was beamed live for Japan as well as the New Year Christmas Show from London). The special ended up being a great success, reaching almost 50-million people and making broadcast history for the network.
Another dream came true for John Parr in 1988 when he was offered to collaborate with one of the most successful record producers ever. Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had assisted with hard rock mega-hit albums such as AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' and Def Leppard's 'Hysteria', agreed with work with Parr. Lange and Parr produced the self-titled debut album for the British blues rock outfit Romeo's Daughter, a work that earned mixed popular success yet had strong critical acclaim.
Nonetheless, when the 80s began to come to a close, Parr's fortunes declined as the arena-ready pop rock and progressive rock that he had produced fell out of style in favor of alternative rock and grunge music. Parr soldiered on, even trying his hand at commercial jingle writing in the 90s. Though saddled with the 'two hit wonder' label due to the outside success of his "Naughty Naughty" and "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" singles commercially, Parr has kept on touring over the years, and he more recently joined the musical project known as Acoustic Fever alongside Herman Rarebell (from Scorpions), Bobby Kimball (from Toto), and others, touring in locations such as Hannover, Germany in 2014.
Website: http://www.johnparr.net/
John Parr's first entrance in to music was when he was 12-years-old and devised a band with two fellow schoolmates, which they named The Silence. The band enjoyed considerable success in the U.K. as the years went on. They eventually became professional and started to tour Europe. When Parr left the band, he joined a group called Ponders End. The progressive rock outfit picked up praise in the 70s as the 'best live act around' in Newcastle, along with the Dire Straits. In the end, however, they did not make a record deal, and the band's chapter in history closed, despite their local fame, without much fanfare.
Parr secured a publishing deal with Carlin Music in 1983, and American rocker and performer Meat Loaf asked him to write some songs for his new album in the same year. That led to the fateful meeting with John Wolfe (manager of The Who). Foreseeing the demise of The Who, a band that had been adrift upon the death of drummer Keith Moon, Wolfe was looking for a new venture and Parr seemed to be the one. The year of 1984 was Parr's first trip to America. He worked with Meat Loaf on the album 'Bad Attitude' while Wolfe was putting finishing touches on Parr's recording deal in New York.
The spirited arena rock track "Naughty Naughty" became Parr's first U.S. top 40 hit record, the single pushing his 1984 debut album, titled simply 'John Parr', up to #48 on the prestigious Billboard 200 chart. The song built his career up very quickly by achieving top three positions on rock station after rock station in America for up to six weeks. Then, 1985 saw him on the road with the band "The Business" (not to be confused with the British punk outfit of the same name), supporting fellow progressive rockers Toto and playing 10,000-seater venues across America. Though lightening didn't quite strike twice, Parr's tune "Magical" hit a respectable #28 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, giving him some momentum. By the end of the tour, Parr had a call from one of the world's most successful producers, David Foster, that would be a key moment in his career
Foster requested Parr help with the soundtrack for the movie 'St. Elmo's Fire', a film featuring the popular 'brat pack' group of performers such as Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was the result, a song that fit in well with the movie yet also had an important history as it was also written on behalf of Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen (the 'man in motion'). The song became a #1 hit for Parr in the United States while additionally reaching the top 40 in over six different nations. Though Parr would create many songs later on, over the years, the tune has become his 'signature song'.
Parr notably co-wrote "Under a Raging Moon" for Roger Daltrey, a song that paid tribute to the late Keith Moon while also telling the general story of The Who. The parent album became Roger Daltrey's biggest solo success in America. In 1986, Parr joined up with Marilyn Martin to sing the duet "Through the Night (Love Song from Quicksilver)", a part of the soundtrack to the cycling-themed Kevin Bacon movie of the same name. Though earning some critical praise, the album was only moderately successful commercially.
Parr additionally wrote and produced further tracks for Marylin's debut album, including her popular tune "Night Moves". After the success of Meat Loaf's mid-80s work, Parr got out in front once again with the song "Rock & Roll Mercenaries". From there, he began work with Albert Magnili (director of the film 'Purple Rain') on the movie 'American Anthem'; Parr wrote and performed the main theme, a number titled "Two Hearts". Though he maintained his own supportive fan base, he found mainstream commercial success to the degree of "St. Elmo's Fire" elusive.
The Pepsi Company and Jack Calmes Satellite TV Corporation wanted to try something new, specifically a gig from London beamed live across America, Japan & Australia on the college Satellite Network, in the late 1980s. Parr ended up serving as the featured act, having done two similar shows before (one from the Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles where the flame was lit for a special performance of St. Elmo's Fire and was beamed live for Japan as well as the New Year Christmas Show from London). The special ended up being a great success, reaching almost 50-million people and making broadcast history for the network.
Another dream came true for John Parr in 1988 when he was offered to collaborate with one of the most successful record producers ever. Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had assisted with hard rock mega-hit albums such as AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' and Def Leppard's 'Hysteria', agreed with work with Parr. Lange and Parr produced the self-titled debut album for the British blues rock outfit Romeo's Daughter, a work that earned mixed popular success yet had strong critical acclaim.
Nonetheless, when the 80s began to come to a close, Parr's fortunes declined as the arena-ready pop rock and progressive rock that he had produced fell out of style in favor of alternative rock and grunge music. Parr soldiered on, even trying his hand at commercial jingle writing in the 90s. Though saddled with the 'two hit wonder' label due to the outside success of his "Naughty Naughty" and "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" singles commercially, Parr has kept on touring over the years, and he more recently joined the musical project known as Acoustic Fever alongside Herman Rarebell (from Scorpions), Bobby Kimball (from Toto), and others, touring in locations such as Hannover, Germany in 2014.
Website: http://www.johnparr.net/
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St. Elmo's Fire
John Parr Lyrics
Growin' up you don't see the writing on the wall
Passin' by, movin' straight ahead you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone everything has changed
Play the game you know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on, only you can do what must be done
You know, in some ways you're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner, and you're tryin' to break free
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be a man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where the future's lying St. Elmo's fire, ooh
Burning up don't know just how far that I can go
Soon be home, only just a few miles down the road
I can make it, I know I can
You broke the boy in me, but you won't break the man
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be a man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where the future's lying St. Elmo's fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's fire burning in me, burning in me
Just once in his life, a man has his time
And my time is now I'm comin' alive
I can hear the music playin' I can see the banners fly
Feel like a man again
I'll hold my head high
Gonna be a man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where the future's lying St. Elmo's fire
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazing sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be a man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where the future's lying St. Elmo's fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's fire burning in me
Burning, burning in me
I can feel it burning, ooh burning inside of me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David Foster, John Stephen Parr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Veronica
Growin' up, you don't see the writing on the wall
Passin' by, movin' straight ahead, you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone, everything has changed
Play the game, you know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on, only you can do what must be done
You know in some way you're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner and you're tryin' to break free
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
Burning up, don't know just how far that I can go (just how far I go)
Soon be home, only just a few miles down the road
I can make it, I know I can
You broke the boy in me, but you won't break the man
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me, burnin' in me
Just once in his life a man has his time, and my time is now, I'm coming alive
I can hear the music playin', I can see the banners fly
Feel like you're back again, and hope ridin' high
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin', burnin' in me, I can feel it burnin'
Oooh, burnin' inside of me
Troy Rogers
This song just made tonight (Tuesday) feel like the greatest Friday night of my life. These 3-4 minute video visits back to my youth are therapy.
I saw this movie on opening day in June 1985...I was 16 years old and just about to start my junior year of high school. A bunch of us friends went, and we kept talking about how we couldn't wait to grow up and experience college like this.
It's funny how I want so badly to go back to that time now...we were all so happy and did not know it. There were problems, yes, but politics did not end friendships, people generally got along, and movies were larger than life. We didn't have a lot of money, and it did not matter. My parents gave me their 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis after my mom got a new car, and it was everything to me. Mom and Dad were still alive too... I can see them now, waiting for me to get back home by midnight on the weekend so they could ask me about my day.
Who agrees with me that the 1980s was an INCREDIBLE time to grow up?
Love you, Mama and Dad...I miss you so much.
Pickles
Growin' up
You don't see the writin' on the wall
Passin' by
Movin' straight ahead you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone
Everything has changed
Play the game
You know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on
Only you can do what must be done
You know in some way
You're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner
And you're tryin' to break free
CHORUS:
I can see a new horizon
Underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's
Flyin' higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin'
St. Elmo's Fire
Oooh...
Burnin' up
Don't know just how far that I can go
(Just how far I go)
Soon be home
Only just a few miles down the road
I can make it
I know I can
You broke the boy in me
But you won't break the man
(CHORUS)
I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin' in me
Just once in his life
A man has his time
And my time is now
And I'm comin' alive
I can hear the music playin'
I can see the banners fly
Feel like you're back again
And hope ridin' high
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin'
St. Elmo's Fire
(CHORUS)
I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin'
Burnin' in me
I can feel it burnin'
Oooh, burnin' inside of me
Chris Saindon
What a song. 1980-1989 was the best time on this planet.
Redmist 78
I always tell people the last time i was happy? 12/31/1989.
TrashCanMan
@Chris Saindon honestly you seem like the soyboy, you're so wrapped up in your own world you dont even see the outer world which has actual problems
jeffrey fitts
@Mike Benko BWAHAHAHA you are a SOYBOY!! liberal douche..LOL
Stuart Branson - Theme Composer
agree
Guy Burgess
@JPMcFly1985 Retro Videos True...
CRiSTiAN
When we were happy and didn't know it
Veronica
Growin' up, you don't see the writing on the wall
Passin' by, movin' straight ahead, you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone, everything has changed
Play the game, you know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on, only you can do what must be done
You know in some way you're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner and you're tryin' to break free
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
Burning up, don't know just how far that I can go (just how far I go)
Soon be home, only just a few miles down the road
I can make it, I know I can
You broke the boy in me, but you won't break the man
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me, burnin' in me
Just once in his life a man has his time, and my time is now, I'm coming alive
I can hear the music playin', I can see the banners fly
Feel like you're back again, and hope ridin' high
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can see a new horizon underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin', burnin' in me, I can feel it burnin'
Oooh, burnin' inside of me
49100CHP
So true. Life was simple and we didn’t know it.
My first love was in 1982. She was a shy , beautiful and didn’t know it , school dux brunette who thought I was cute and a little goofy in a surfer dude way. Now in 2021 she is not so shy and still thinks she is not beautiful but says our daughter is. Good times.
The Sharktocrab
@Meg Mucklebones the 50s