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.
Comfortably Numb
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone home?
Come on now
I hear you're feeling down
I can ease your pain
Relax
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?
There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb
I have become comfortably numb
O.K
Just a little pinprick
There'll be no more ah!
But you may feel a little sick
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go
There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb
The song "Comfortably Numb" by Graham Parker was originally written and performed by Pink Floyd, but Parker's cover of it offers an interesting interpretation of the lyrics. The song opens with a call for connection, asking if anyone is there and signaling that the singer is willing to listen and help alleviate any pain. However, this connection is limited by the ways in which the singer and the person they are talking to are experiencing reality differently. The person they are speaking to may be receding from reality or having trouble communicating, while the singer feels "comfortably numb," at peace with however they are feeling.
The song tells a story of feeling disconnected, both from oneself and from others. In the second verse, the singer remembers a time when they were sick and felt disconnected from their own hands. This memory further emphasizes the theme of disconnection and hints at a deeper issue or trauma that the singer may have experienced. The spoken interlude in the middle of the song highlights the idea that sometimes feeling something, even pain, can be better than feeling nothing at all.
Overall, the song speaks to the human experience of struggling with our own emotions and trying to connect with others, even in the face of obstacles. The lyrics emphasize the importance of empathy and communication, but also acknowledge that it's not always possible to fully put ourselves in someone else's shoes.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello
The singer is trying to establish communication with someone who may be feeling detached from the world around them.
Is there anybody in there?
The singer asks if there is anyone present in the listener's mind and body.
Just nod if you can hear me
The singer is checking if the listener can understand and hear them.
Is there anyone home?
The artist wants to know if the listener's mind is present and attentive.
Come on now
The artist urges the listener to open up and communicate.
I hear you're feeling down
The singer understands that the listener is in a negative state.
I can ease your pain
The singer believes that they can reduce the listener's emotional suffering.
And get you on your feet again
The artist hopes to encourage the listener to become motivated and active once more.
Relax
The artist wants the listener to calm down and take it easy.
I'll need some information first
The artist needs to know more about the listener's situation before they can offer help.
Just the basic facts
The singer requests simple, straightforward information.
Can you show me where it hurts?
The artist wants to know where the listener is experiencing emotional pain.
There is no pain, you are receding
The singer describes how the listener's emotional pain is dissipating.
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
The singer uses a metaphor to describe how the emotional pain is becoming less significant.
You are only coming through in waves
The singer feels like the listener's emotions are unpredictable and intermittent.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
The artist is unable to understand or empathize with the listener due to their emotional detachment.
When I was a child I had a fever
The artist recalls a childhood experience to explain their current emotional state.
My hands felt just like two balloons
The singer describes a physical sensation associated with their childhood fever to convey how they are feeling now.
Now I've got that feeling once again
The singer experiences the same sensation they had as a child and ties it to their present emotional state.
I can't explain, you would not understand
The artist believes that their emotional state is too complicated for the listener to comprehend.
This is not how I am
The artist explains that their current emotional state is different from their usual self.
I have become comfortably numb
The artist has achieved a level of detachment from their emotions, which enables them to feel comfortable despite their pain.
O.K
The singer will now proceed with a medical treatment.
Just a little pinprick
The artist prepares the listener for a small injection.
There'll be no more ah!
The singer promises that the listener will not experience any further pain.
But you may feel a little sick
The singer warns the listener that the treatment may cause some mild nausea.
Can you stand up?
The singer wants to know if the listener is capable of standing on their own.
I do believe it's working, good
The artist observes that the treatment is having a positive effect on the listener.
That'll keep you going through the show
The artist believes that the listener will be able to successfully get through their current situation with the help of the treatment.
Come on it's time to go
The singer encourages the listener to move on from their current state with newfound strength.
When I was a child
The singer returns to describing their childhood, which has had a profound effect on their emotional state.
I caught a fleeting glimpse
The artist recalls briefly seeing something that they were unable to fully process as a child.
Out of the corner of my eye
The artist describes where they saw the fleeting glimpse.
I turned to look but it was gone
The artist was unable to fully process what they saw before it disappeared.
I cannot put my finger on it now
The singer is still unable to fully understand what they saw and how it has affected them.
The child is grown
The artist recognizes that they are no longer a child and must overcome their childhood traumas.
The dream is gone
The singer has accepted that certain childhood dreams and fantasies are unattainable as an adult.
I have become comfortably numb
The singer reiterates that they have reached a state of emotional detachment that allows them to feel comfortable despite their pain.
Writer(s): Roger Waters, David Jon Gilmour
Contributed by Ellie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.