Beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Parker sang in small-time amateur English bands such as the Black Rockers and Deep Cut Three, while working in dead-end jobs at a glove factory and a petrol station. In late 1974 he placed an ad in Britain’s "Melody Maker" music mag seeking like-minded musicians and he began performing professionally. In 1975, he recorded a few demo tracks in London with Dave Robinson, who would shortly found Stiff Records and who connected Parker with his first backing band of note.
Graham Parker & the Rumour (with Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont on guitar, Bob Andrews on keyboards, Andrew Bodnar on bass and Steve Goulding on drums) formed in the summer of 1975 and began doing the rounds of the British pub rock scene. Their first album, Howlin' Wind, was released to acclaim in 1976 and rapidly followed by the stylistically similar Heat Treatment. A mixture of rock, ballads, and reggae-influenced numbers, these albums reflected Parker's early influences (Motown, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and contained the songs which formed the core of Parker's live shows -- "White Honey", "Soul Shoes", "Lady Doctor", "Fool's Gold", and his early signature tune "Don't Ask Me Questions", which hit the top 40 in the UK. Like the pub rock scene he was loosely tied to, the singer's class-conscious lyrics and passionate vocals signaled a renewal of rock music as punk rock began to flower in Britain.
Parker preceded the other "new wave" English singer-songwriters, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. Early in his career his work was often compared favorably to theirs, and for decades journalists would continue to categorize them together, long after the artists' work had diverged. Characteristically, Parker would not hesitate to criticize this habit with caustic wit.
The first two albums' critical acclaim was generally not matched with LP sales. Graham Parker and the Rumour appeared on BBC television's Top of the Pops in 1976, performing their top 30 hit version of The Trammps' "Hold Back the Night".
At this point, Parker began to change his songwriting style, reflecting his desire to break into the American market. The first fruits of this new direction appeared on Stick To Me (1977). The album broke the top 20 on the UK charts but divided critical opinions.
Energized by his new label, Arista, and the presence of legendary producer Jack Nitzsche, Parker followed with Squeezing Out Sparks (1979), widely held to be the best album of his career. For this album, The Rumour's brass section, prominent on all previous albums, was jettisoned, resulting in a spare, intense rock backing for some of Parker's most brilliant songs. Of particular note was "You Can't Be Too Strong", one of rock music's rare songs to confront the topic of abortion, however ambivalently.
Squeezing out Sparks is still ranked by fans and critics alike as one of the finest rock albums ever made. Rolling Stone named it #335 [1] on their 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In an early 1987 Rolling Stone list of their top 100 albums from 1967-1987, Squeezing Out Sparks was ranked at #45, while Howlin' Wind came in at #54 [2].
Although marginally less intense than its predecessor, 1980's The Up Escalator was Parker's highest-charting album in the UK and featured glossy production by Jimmy Iovine and guest vocals from Bruce Springsteen. Nevertheless it was Parker's last album with the Rumour, although guitarist Brinsley Schwarz would join most of the singer's albums through the decade's end.
The 1980s were Parker's most commercially successful years, with well-financed recordings and radio and video play. Over the decade, the British press turned unkind to him, but he continued to tour the world with top backing bands, and his 1985 release Steady Nerves included his only US Top 40 hit, "Wake Up (Next to You)". The singer began living mostly in the United States during this time.
In early 2011, Parker reunited with all five original members of The Rumour to record a new album. The record, titled Three Chords Good, was released in November 2012.
Beancounter
Graham Parker Lyrics
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Has come a long way
Out of the mud where chitinous bugs
Eat each other all day
Now we're in the clouds working overtime for our pay
Countin' the numbers and being the bugs that eat each other today
Or in a big company working a computer clicking a mouse
Pulling up your file checking your sales
Meeting those quotas and accommodating voters that's the holy grail
Chorus
Cos it's a bean counter and if that don't fill you with terr or
Bean counter. takin' the human out of the human err or
In a glass tower uptown or downtown
She's workin' every hour runnin' through your contract writing your deficit down
She's downsizing everything including her brain
Snackin' on potato chips smackin' her lips lickin' her pencil again
Chorus repeat
From wall street to hong kong. chinee to chancery lane
You're being rubber stamped your style is being cramped. it all comes out the same
They're not being paid to think. that's not the idea
And they never run out of red ink, get that particularly clear
Chorus repeat
Snackin' on potato chips givin' you a scan
Deleting your account phasing you out in the trash can
Now if you don't meet projections. if there ain't enough zeroes involved
You'll get stamped rejections and then that problem is solved /pre>
The opening lyrics to Graham Parker's song Beancounter describes how civilization has come a long way, moving out of the mud where chitinous bugs eat each other all day. This means that humans have advanced from being primitive creatures to a more sophisticated and civilized society. However, the subsequent lyrics paint a different picture, one where people are now being compared to bugs as they sit in offices counting numbers all day. They work tirelessly, checking their sales, meeting quotas and accommodating voters, losing the human touch in the process. Parker then repeats the chorus, emphasizing the idea of bean counters, who take the human out of human error. We then hear about a lady, sitting in a glass tower working every hour, running through contracts and downsizing everything, including her brain. She's snacking on potato chips, licking her pencil, and smacking her lips as she does her job. The song ends by warning about the consequences of not meeting projections and having enough zeroes, as well as the humiliation that comes with rejected work.
The song describes the modern workforce as a dehumanizing process, leaving people disconnected from their work, affecting the quality of work they produce. The lyrics portray civilisation’s evolution in a negating light, considering that humans have evolved to the point of creating a space to perform tasks that are robotic, repetitive and don't require much engagement with the product. Parker's description of work as a place where workers are reduced to algorithms, who have to make sure that they provide the appropriate number of zeroes in their work, highlights the absurdity of modern civilization's work process. He emphasizes the need to value a human touch to produce exceptional work and to refrain from reducing work to an algorithm or machines.
Line by Line Meaning
Civilisation has come a long way
Human society has progressed to advanced levels
Out of the mud where chitinous bugs eat each other all day
Out of primitive, savage times where survival of the fittest was the norm
Now we're in the clouds working overtime for our pay
Now we're working hard in skyscrapers, trying to make ends meet
Countin' the numbers and being the bugs that eat each other today
Focusing solely on financial success, becoming like the savage bugs of the past
Sitting in an office in a publishing house
Working in a white-collar job at a company that produces books
Or in a big company working a computer clicking a mouse
Or working at a large corporation on a computer
Pulling up your file checking your sales
Reviewing your records and examining your sales numbers
Meeting those quotas and accommodating voters that's the holy grail
Trying to meet your work quotas and gaining customer support is the ultimate goal
Cos it's a bean counter and if that don't fill you with terr or
The focus is solely on finances, and that could be terrifying
Bean counter. takin' the human out of the human err or
Counting only numbers, removing the human factor from decision making
In a glass tower uptown or downtown
Working in a high-rise building in the city center
She's workin' every hour runnin' through your contract writing your deficit down
Working long hours to go over your contract and figure out your financial losses
She's downsizing everything including her brain
Reducing everything, including her level of creativity and critical thinking skills
Snackin' on potato chips smackin' her lips lickin' her pencil again
Eating junk food and indulging in bad habits while working
From wall street to hong kong. chinee to chancery lane
From New York to Hong Kong, everyone is focused on making money at all costs
You're being rubber stamped your style is being cramped. it all comes out the same
Your work is being mass-produced and creativity is being stifled, leading to uniformity
They're not being paid to think. that's not the idea
Employees are not being paid to engage in critical thinking or creativity
And they never run out of red ink, get that particularly clear
They never run out of losses, making it essential to focus on making more money
Snackin' on potato chips givin' you a scan
Eating junk food while watching over your work
Deleting your account phasing you out in the trash can
Deleting your work and removing you from consideration for future projects
Now if you don't meet projections. if there ain't enough zeroes involved
If you don't meet your financial goals or make enough money
You'll get stamped rejections and then that problem is solved
You'll be fired, and the company will no longer have to deal with your inadequacies
Contributed by Bella T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.