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.
Museum Piece
Graham Parker Lyrics
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Elvis p. and jerry lee, .. (? ). perfect three (? )
Gather dust, an undercrust in cleveland
Everybody bows down to them
No one looks and says "hey, screw them,
Who cares what they did? let's kill a new band"
Please don't let me be a museum piece
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
I don't think there's any chance of that
John prine sings outside the door but
People going in ignore him
Ahmet forgot that he'd ever signed him
Lowell george was out of luck
He's much too good to be inducted
Sam the sham with one hit doesn't make it either
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
Please don't let me be a museum piece
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
I don't think there's any chance of that
An inch of dust lies on my shoulders
In my head's a touch of mould and
Half my foot has crumbled in my shoe
No one ever visits this wing
It's just like the cut-out bin
Little milton ended up here too
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
Please don't let me be a museum piece
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
I don't think there's any chance of that
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
Please don't let me be a museum piece
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
I don't think there's any chance of that
The lyrics of Graham Parker's song "Museum Piece" describe a melancholic message about the fate of legendary artists who were once significant figures in the music industry, but now have been forgotten and neglected. The song starts with a reference to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and another artist who is not mentioned by name, but is possibly a reference to Chuck Berry, another Rock and Roll pioneer. The lyrics suggest that these artists' legacies have been reduced to dust, while no one pays attention to the new talents that are emerging in the Cleveland music scene. The singer expresses his discontent with this situation and his fear of ending up being a "museum piece," forgotten by time and history.
In the second verse, the song mentions other artists like John Prine, Lowell George, and Sam the Sham, who have suffered the same fate as the earlier mentioned artists. The lyrics suggest that despite their talent and contribution to the music industry, some of them were never inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or recognized in the museum. In the final verse, the singer turns his attention to himself, describing his current state as neglected and forgotten. The museum piece he refers to is himself and his legacy.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the fleeting nature of fame and the melancholy that comes with it. The lyrics suggest that being a part of a museum exhibit might be the only way to preserve a legacy but that it is a fate that many music legends would not have wanted.
Line by Line Meaning
Elvis p. and jerry lee, .. (? ). perfect three (? )
Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, two of rock and roll's greatest legends, in addition to someone else, come to mind.
Gather dust, an undercrust in cleveland
Being out of the limelight for too long, their records are collecting dust in the city of Cleveland.
Everybody bows down to them
The public reveres them, but it doesn't necessarily mean they deserve it anymore.
No one looks and says "hey, screw them, Who cares what they did? let's kill a new band"
Nobody wants to recognize new talent because of the unwavering loyalty to these music legends.
Well I don't wanna be a museum piece
The singer does not want to be a forgotten relic of the past.
Please don't let me be a museum piece
The singer begs not to be a forgotten relic of the past.
I don't think there's any chance of that
The singer does not believe that he'll ever become a museum piece.
John prine sings outside the door but People going in ignore him
John Prine, a famous musician, is in the same position as the singer and is also forgotten and no longer appreciated.
Ahmet forgot that he'd ever signed him
Ahmet Ertegun, a music business executive, has forgotten about the artist's existence after signing him to a recording contract.
Lowell george was out of luck He's much too good to be inducted
Lowell George, another musician, is too talented to be relegated to the status of a museum piece, but is still left out.
Sam the sham with one hit doesn't make it either
Sam the Sham, a one-hit-wonder, in a similar position to that of the other abandoned musicians.
An inch of dust lies on my shoulders In my head's a touch of mould and Half my foot has crumbled in my shoe
Just like the other relics, the singer and his music are ancient, and no one pays much attention to him.
No one ever visits this wing It's just like the cut-out bin Little milton ended up here too
Like a discount record bin, the singer has been forgotten and cast aside with all of the other relics of the past, such as Little Milton.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind