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.
Passive Resistance
Graham Parker Lyrics
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Capo at 2 see f see am see f am g
See f am see f am g
Nothing can be further removed, not everybody wants to be soothed ooooh
D see am d g see
They're out there now in their padded cells and armchairs
Am d g
Waiting for the nervous twitch that signals fear
Hooked up to a cardiogram set up so it cuts out when you cry or laugh
D see am d g see
Worked by those who if you screw up treat you to a broken nose
Am d g
If you tap your toes
See g f
Passive resistance! if it's not for them then it's not for you
See g f
Passive resistance! where the only view is the right view
See g f g see f
Passive resistance! and it breaks my heart to know there's no heart involved
Put the demographics away, the directors and consultants have the final say
Hired in, take home all the ones who missed for souvenirs, for their kids to play
Passive resistance! it's all programmed by programmers
Passive resistance! you're just a nail underneath their hammers
Passive resistance! and it breaks my heart to know there's no heart in them
Instrumental verse
Nothing can be further removed, not everybody wants to be soothed
Oooh they must be real, people that you never meet and never feel
And they don't feel you
Passive resistance! you get surveyed out of existence
Passive resistance! just one in a million silent listeners
Passive resistance! it's all programmed by programmers
Passive resistance! you're just a nail underneath their hammers
Passive resistance! and it breaks your heart
To know there's no heart involved, involved, involved
/pre>
In "Passive Resistance," Graham Parker addresses the modern-day issues of consumerism, conformity, and loss of individuality. The song paints a picture of a society controlled by media and technology, where people are reduced to mere statistics and their emotions are muted. Parker criticizes the greedy corporations that profit from people's insecurities and their willingness to give up their personal freedom for the sake of convenience. He sings about the disturbing realities of modern medicine and how people are turned into lab rats hooked up to machines that monitor their every move. The chorus emphasizes the idea of passive resistance, that it's up to individuals not to comply with the status quo and to fight back against the forces that seek to control them.
The instrumental verse of the song suggests a bleak and desolate world where people are isolated, and their experiences are falsified through technology. The song's final verse focuses on the dehumanization of the individual and the loss of identity in a society where everything is preprogrammed. Parker laments the fact that there seems to be no genuine concern or empathy in the world for those undergoing these changes.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing can be further removed, not everybody wants to be soothed ooooh
Some people don't want to be comforted and are distant from the rest of society
They're out there now in their padded cells and armchairs
Disconnected individuals are isolated in their own world
Waiting for the nervous twitch that signals fear
Those who control society are waiting to exploit the vulnerable
Hooked up to a cardiogram set up so it cuts out when you cry or laugh
Society is controlled by those who want to suppress emotion
Worked by those who if you screw up treat you to a broken nose
Those who maintain control will use violence against those who resist
If you tap your toes
Even small acts of rebellion will be met with violence
Passive resistance! if it's not for them then it's not for you
Those controlling society don't want anyone to resist their control
Passive resistance! where the only view is the right view
Society is controlled and there is no dissenting opinion allowed
Passive resistance! and it breaks my heart to know there's no heart involved
The lack of empathy and genuine care in society is disheartening
Put the demographics away, the directors and consultants have the final say
Those in power ignore the needs of those they claim to serve
Hired in, take home all the ones who missed for souvenirs, for their kids to play
The wealthy take advantage of the less fortunate and exploit them for their own gain
Passive resistance! it's all programmed by programmers
Society is controlled by technology and those who manipulate it
Passive resistance! you're just a nail underneath their hammers
Individuals are powerless and at the mercy of those in control
Passive resistance! and it breaks your heart To know there's no heart involved, involved, involved
The cruelty and heartlessness of those in power is devastating
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Digital Assets
Heard this for the 1st time today-- his snark, his wordplay, his conceits --made my day!
unRompecabezas
Great song, and one of the best descriptions of the corporate music industry's conservatism. Whereas "Mercury Poisoning" was just a slap at his lame record company, in this song Parker shows how the entire recording and broadcast industries profit by conditioning the audience to expect less and less.
Sady Maher
Brillant