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.
Something You
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verse
Be a a e f#
Take your money and take your time
Be a a e f#
You already taken mine
The shoes on the other foot now bet you're wondering how ... but
Chorus
Be e
It's just something you're going through
Be e
Just something you're going through
Be e
Just something you're going through
F# be be e
You better keep your eyes open keep your eyes open
F# be e f#
You better keep your eyes open
Verse
What kind of prizes you going to heap on me?
What kind of love lay at my door?
What kind of mercy you going to show to me?
When I'm lying on the floor ... come on baby
Repeat chorus
Bridge
F#m7 be a
All this praise it's just a passing phase
F#m7 be a
Pretty soon you'll change your tune
F#m7 be a
You build me up, like a while to knock me down?
E a be e be a e
I don't trust you baby it's something to see through
Hammond plays over chorus chords
Come on baby yeah uh uh you better keep your eyes open
Verse
Come on down out of the stratosphere
You don't need to look for clues
Because I've been up there and it still ain't clear
It's just like jumping at the moon ... jumping
Repeat chorus, then
Just something you're going through ju ju ju ju ju ju
Just something you're going through you better keep your eyes open
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you better keep your eyes open
Hey hey oh oh oh oh oh mmmm mmm mm hey hey (ends on b) /pre>
The lyrics of the song "Something You're Going Through" by Graham Parker & The Rumour are about a person who has taken advantage of the singer in some unspecified way, making them feel betrayed and wondering how things have turned out this way. The song warns this person that they better keep their eyes open, implying that karma will eventually catch up with them. The chorus of the song repeats the lyric "just something you're going through," emphasizing the idea that the situation is temporary and that the person will eventually have to face the consequences of their actions.
The verses of the song suggest that the singer's trust has been violated in some way, as they ask what kind of love, mercy, or prizes will be offered to them when they are down on the floor. The bridge of the song adds a cynical note, suggesting that any praise or positive attention given to the singer is temporary and insincere, intended only to build them up before knocking them back down. The final verse of the song suggests that the person who has wronged the singer may be living in some kind of fantasy world or bubble, and that they need to come back down to earth and face reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Take your money and take your time
You're a selfish person who takes from others and wastes their time.
You already taken mine
You've already taken from me personally.
I bet your wondering how it's gone this way
You're probably wondering how things turned out like this for you.
It's just something you're going through
Your struggles are just a temporary phase.
You better keep your eyes open keep your eyes open
You need to stay alert and be mindful of your surroundings.
What kind of prizes you going to heap on me?
What kind of rewards do you think I'll get for putting up with your mistreatment?
When I'm lying on the floor ... come on baby
When you've beaten me down and left me helpless, you'll still demand my affection.
All this praise it's just a passing phase
Your compliments and flattery are temporary and insincere.
Pretty soon you'll change your tune
Soon enough, your attitude towards me will sour.
You build me up, like a while to knock me down?
You raise my hopes only to dash them later on. Do you enjoy this game?
I don't trust you baby it's something to see through
I'm wise to your ways and I'm not going to be fooled by you anymore.
Come on down out of the stratosphere
Stop acting superior and come back to reality.
It's just like jumping at the moon ... jumping
Your expectations and demands are impossible and irrational.
Just something you're going through
Your pain and struggles are temporary.
You better keep your eyes open
Stay alert and be wise to the world around you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AllBobsAllTheTime
Good stuff - Parker's first two albums were tremendous!!!
@mclff6926
Keep your eyes open!
@tomchalkley3387
This guy could rock! A tight band, great hooks, always had a snap and a swing. The lyrics don't matter for much -- a lotta percussive attitude -- but it never bothered me. (I could do without "Hotel Chambermaid" but it has a good bridge.)