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.
More Questions Than Answers
Graham Parker Lyrics
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Pictures in my mind that will not show
There are more questions than answers
And the more I find out the less I know
Yeah, the more I find out the less I know
I've asked the question time and time again
Why is there so little of a moment
What should we take and how much should we give
There are more questions than answers
There are pictures in my mind that will not show
There are more questions than answers
And the more I find out the less I know
Yeah, the more I find out the less I know
But what is life, how do we live
What should we take and how much should we give
There are more questions than answers
Pictures in my mind that will not show
There are more questions than answers
And the more I find out the less I know
Yeah, the more I find out … the less I know
Graham Parker's song "More Questions Than Answers" is a reflective and philosophical piece that touches on profound questions about life and existence. The opening line, "There are more questions than answers," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It seems to suggest that despite our attempts to understand the world and make sense of our experiences, there will always be more questions that arise, leaving us with a sense of uncertainty and confusion.
The second line, "Pictures in my mind that will not show," evokes the idea of fleeting thoughts and intuitions that we struggle to capture or put into words. The next few lines of the song also touch on the theme of uncertainty, and the struggle to make sense of our existence. The lines "Why is there so little of a moment / But what is life, how do we live / What should we take and how much should we give" all seem to touch on the fleeting nature of time and the challenge of determining how to live a meaningful life.
The repetition of the title line throughout the song emphasizes the idea that there will always be more questions than answers, and that our understanding of life and the world will always be incomplete. In the end, the song seems to suggest that perhaps the most important thing is to keep asking questions, to keep seeking knowledge and understanding, even if we never find all the answers.
Line by Line Meaning
There are more questions than answers
Life presents us with countless doubts that are not easy to solve.
Pictures in my mind that will not show
Some images or ideas are unclear and difficult to articulate, even though they are present in our consciousness.
And the more I find out the less I know
As I attempt to gather knowledge, I realize that there is much more uncertainty than it previously appeared.
I’ve asked the question time and time again
I’ve attempted to obtain an answer multiple times, but to no avail.
Why is there so little of a moment
Why does time seem to pass so quickly, with each moment slipping away from our grasp?
But what is life, how do we live
What is the fundamental nature of existence, and how ought we to spend our days?
What should we take and how much should we give
What should we hold onto as we travel through life, and what should we offer to others?
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.