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.
Disney's America
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verse
A amaj7 d a
I knew virginia once she was a pretty girl
D a d e
She walked in the wild fields and swam the wild streams
A amaj7 d a
D a d e
Way down in manassas where I told her my dreams
Chorus
A amaj7 d a
But now it's disney's america a long way from anywhere
D a d e
With a brand new coat to wear with a brand name on the seams
A amaj7 d a
Just disney's america virginia she chose to stay
D a e a
And we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
Verse
Then I had a family virginia, I guess she forgot about me
She lives near the concrete sea or so people say
I don't remember much about her gentle touch
My skin just turned so hard and my feet turned to clay
Chorus
It was in disney's america a long long way from anywhere
You get what you pay for there man you get it in spades
Just disney's america virginia she chose to stay
And we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
Bridge
D f#m a e
You can't get too excited you can't get too enthused
D f#m a e
From dismal land to the tragic mountain we are not amused
Yeah I knew virginia once she, she was a pretty thing
She walked in the wild fields and swam in the wild streams
Chorus
But now it's disney's america that's where we collect our pay
Where we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
A
Yeah we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
Amaj7 d a e a /pre>
The song "Disney's America" by Graham Parker is a reflection on the changing face of Virginia, told through the experience of the singer's relationship with a woman named Virginia. In the first verse, the singer remembers a time when Virginia was a beautiful and carefree girl, but as the years went by, she changed along with the landscape around her. The chorus speaks to the commercialization of America and the impact it has on people's lives. The second verse reveals that the singer has a family now and Virginia's whereabouts are unknown to him. The bridge underscores the sense of disillusionment the singer feels about the state of things, culminating in a final chorus that echoes the earlier sentiment about drifting apart like runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.
The song uses Virginia as a symbol of a lost era, a time before the corporatization of America corrupted the beauty and simplicity of its natural landscape. Disney's America represents the ultimate manifestation of this corporate takeover, a sanitized and sanitized version of history that erases the gritty, complicated reality of the past in favor of a more palatable, family-friendly version. The song suggests that this kind of "progress" comes at a steep cost, both in terms of personal relationships and the integrity of the land.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew virginia once she was a pretty girl
The singer once knew a girl called Virginia who was beautiful.
She walked in the wild fields and swam the wild streams
Virginia loved nature and spent time outdoors exploring the wild fields and streams.
I took her out one day to the civil war battlefield
The singer took Virginia to visit a battlefield where they talked about their dreams.
Way down in manassas where I told her my dreams
The battlefield they visited was in Manassas, where the artist confided his ambitions to her.
But now it's disney's america a long way from anywhere
The artist laments that Virginia lives far away in Disney's America, which seems detached from reality.
With a brand new coat to wear with a brand name on the seams
Disney's America is superficial, emphasizing materialism over authenticity.
Just disney's america virginia she chose to stay
Virginia chose to live in Disney's America, leaving the singer behind.
And we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
The distance between them grew until they were no longer close, like water flowing apart into a bay.
Then I had a family virginia, I guess she forgot about me
The artist started a family and Virginia seemed to forget about him.
She lives near the concrete sea or so people say
Virginia lives in an urban area, which the artist calls the 'concrete sea.'
I don't remember much about her gentle touch
The singer has forgotten many details about Virginia, including her affectionate touch.
My skin just turned so hard and my feet turned to clay
The artist feels emotionally numb and physically sluggish.
You can't get too excited you can't get too enthused
The singer warns against getting overly enthusiastic, as life has its ups and downs.
From dismal land to the tragic mountain we are not amused
The singer has not been entertained by the various landscapes he's encountered.
That's where we collect our pay
The singer works at Disney's America to earn a living.
Yeah we drifted apart like runoff into the chesapeake bay
The song concludes with the same phrase from earlier, emphasizing how the distance between the artist and Virginia has become insurmountable.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elton Costello
Song gave me the chills.... twice... once at the first chorus.. and again at the final one... I've loved Graham Parker for a long time... I've always felt privileged to know about him... and be able to share his music with my friends...
Chris Batchelor
Thanks for posting. Still the best lyricist, evoking emotional responses.
Jimmy Tomasello
GP as good as it gets in any universe!
ed.morvitz
probably one of the most under rated singer songwriters around. I just saw him with the Rumour and it was fantastic, however the solo albums he has been putting out for the last 15 years have been wonderful also.
Pierre-Yves LEVÊQUE
Wonderful song!
FloydFactor
Graham Parker is smarter than the entire cast & studio audience of the Grammy awards... and a better songwriter than just about anyone.
TheDeaconBlues
A gem that hardly anyone knows. Very close to being the perfect song.
7777srd
Is this song any less pertinent Now than it was 13 years ago when it was written? This guy is a genius!!! Weep the lost country.
nev 3539
One of a kind!
Tom Freund
genius!!!!!!!