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.
Suspension Bridge
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was no more than ten
They just finished painting the metal and
Then they'd have to start all over again
And i'm still standing there
On that suspension bridge
With the wind blowing through my head
And the daredevil pilots fly over me
And the murderers submit an innocent plea
And the prisoners dream of the free
And i'm still standing there
On that suspension bridge
With the wind screaming through my head
Not in one world or the other
Losing my father like I lost my mother
And the stories that my daddy told me
About the place on the other side
About the dip of the chains
And the height of the piers
And the men who worked there and died
And i'm still standing there
On that suspension bridge
With the wind blowing clear through my head
Not in one world or the other
I got no sister and I got no brother
Suspension bridge
And the daredevil pilots fly over me
And the suicide lovers swim under the sea
And the murderers submit an innocent plea
The lyrics of Graham Parker's "Suspension Bridge" speak to the nostalgia and longing that comes with revisiting a childhood memory. The singer, looking back on a time when his father took him to see the bridge, still stands in the same place he did years ago, staring at the same suspension bridge. The bridge is a symbol of the suspension between worlds, just as the singer is suspended between his childhood and adulthood. He is haunted by memories of his father and stories he told him about the bridge, such as the men who died working on it, and the other side with its dip of the chains and high piers. The bridge represents the divide between life and death, freedom and confinement, and the singer is caught in between.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of different individuals who are also suspended in their own states of being, such as daredevil pilots flying over the bridge, suicide lovers who swim beneath the sea, murderers who submit innocent pleas, and prisoners who dream of freedom. These different characters represent the varied experiences that take place in the world, all happening at once, and the bridge serves as a connector between them. The wind blowing through the singer's head represents the metaphorical winds of change that are constantly affecting and shaping him.
Overall, "Suspension Bridge" is a poignant and evocative song that speaks to the human experience of being caught between worlds, and of the power of memories and childhood nostalgia to shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
My daddy took me to see it
When I was just ten years old, my father took me to see the suspension bridge.
When I was no more than ten
At the time I went to see the bridge, I was only ten years old.
They just finished painting the metal and
The metal of the bridge had just been painted when my father and I visited.
Then they'd have to start all over again
Soon, the painting of the bridge would have to start all over again.
And i'm still standing there
The memory of that visit is still vivid in my mind.
On that suspension bridge
I remember standing on the suspension bridge as my father told me stories.
With the wind blowing through my head
I still remember the wind blowing through my hair on that day.
And the daredevil pilots fly over me
I recall watching daredevil pilots fly over the bridge.
And the suicide lovers swim under the sea
There were even some who chose to end their lives by jumping off the bridge.
And the murderers submit an innocent plea
Others, like murderers, sought to escape the consequences of their actions.
And the prisoners dream of the free
Prisoners likely dreamed of the freedom they could never have while imprisoned.
Not in one world or the other
It was a surreal experience, feeling neither fully present nor fully distant from reality.
Losing my father like I lost my mother
I lost both my mother and father, but the memory of my father's visit to the bridge remains.
And the stories that my daddy told me
My father often shared stories about the bridge and the workers who built it.
About the place on the other side
He described the view of the other side of the bridge and talked about its significance.
About the dip of the chains
He pointed out the slight dip of the chains supporting the bridge.
And the height of the piers
He also talked about the impressive height of the piers supporting the bridge.
And the men who worked there and died
My father spoke of the many workers who lost their lives building the bridge.
I got no sister and I got no brother
I am an only child, with no siblings to share the experience with.
Suspension bridge
The bridge holds a special place in my memory and my heart.
With the wind screaming through my head
Sometimes, even now, I can still feel the wind on the bridge blowing through my mind.
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.