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.
Ten Girls Ago
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E a e
Buster turned round to me and said hey kid you must be joking
E a c#m
You got an attitude you think you're funny but you're choking hey hey
A e
Back every word that comes out of your mouth (ten girls ago)
You thought you had something to laugh about
Chorus
E a e a
But it was just a crazy thing the wrong act in the wrong circus ring
E a e a
The sweet pain of a needle's sting ten girls ago, ten girls ago
Eddie and burt sneaked out the back and threw up before every scene
The camera rolled and my life flashed before me just as if in a dream
A dog was leading me round on a chain ten girls ago
I kicked it but I ended up in pain
Chorus 2
But it was just a crazy thing flying an airplane made of string
Sweet pain of a needle's sting ten girls ago
Bridge
C#m a be c#m7
Wrap it up in a paper cup put it in a bag for me
C#m a be b7
Get yourself another dog ah you're barking up the wrong tree
Guitar break same as intro modulated to f# be f#
And now I stand a hope in hell
Of not ending up in the bottom of a well
A place where all lost souls must go
When they don't know where their life is going
And now life glows with a life of it's own ten girls ago
I would have told you my chances were blown
(then) chorus I (then) chorus 2 /pre>
The song “Ten Girls Ago” by Graham Parker tells a story about a young man who seems to be taking life too lightly. The singer, Buster, points out that the young man believes he is funny and has a great attitude but is, in reality, choking with his words. The lyrics suggest that the young man was recently in a situation where he thought he had something to laugh about, but ultimately it was a “crazy thing,” the wrong act, in the wrong circus ring. The lines, “The sweet pain of a needle's sting, ten girls ago, ten girls ago” can be interpreted as a reference to a wild party or an event that took place years ago. The story shifts to when Eddie and Burt sneaked out the back and threw up before every scene as if they were uncomfortable with what was happening in front of the camera.
The bridge “Wrap it up in a paper cup, put it in a bag for me. Get yourself another dog, ah, you're barking up the wrong tree” could be interpreted as part of someone giving the singer advice. The lyricist is telling the singer to end things in his life that are not meaningful or essential because he has been pursuing the wrong thing. The song's overall theme suggests that the young man’s life is not going in the right direction and that he should start looking inward to find his way.
Line by Line Meaning
Buster turned round to me and said hey kid you must be joking
Buster confronted me and accused me of not being serious.
You got an attitude you think you're funny but you're choking hey hey
You're trying to come across as confident but it's not working out for you.
Back every word that comes out of your mouth (ten girls ago)
You used to be a smooth talker, but that's not the case anymore.
You thought you had something to laugh about
You thought you had a clever quip, but it fell flat.
But it was just a crazy thing the wrong act in the wrong circus ring
The situation was ridiculous and doomed to fail from the start.
The sweet pain of a needle's sting ten girls ago, ten girls ago
The memory of a past love still causes a twinge of pain.
Eddie and burt sneaked out the back and threw up before every scene
The other performers were nervous and nauseous before going onstage.
The camera rolled and my life flashed before me just as if in a dream
The pressure was on and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
A dog was leading me round on a chain ten girls ago
Feeling powerless and trapped reminded him of something that happened ten girls ago.
I kicked it but I ended up in pain
He tried to assert himself, but it only made things worse for him.
But it was just a crazy thing flying an airplane made of string
It was a silly and unrealistic endeavor that is not worth revisiting.
Wrap it up in a paper cup put it in a bag for me
Just give me something simple to take away from this.
Get yourself another dog ah you're barking up the wrong tree
Find someone else to bother with your misguided attempts to assert dominance.
And now I stand a hope in hell
Despite the difficult past, there is a glimmer of hope for the future.
Of not ending up in the bottom of a well
He doesn't want to fall into despair.
A place where all lost souls must go
The well represents a place of hopelessness.
When they don't know where their life is going
It's easy to get lost when you don't know where you're headed.
And now life glows with a life of it's own ten girls ago
Life is vibrant and full of possibility, in contrast to ten girls ago.
I would have told you my chances were blown
In the past, he didn't think he had good prospects.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind