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.
The Beating Of Another Heart
Graham Parker Lyrics
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they build you up to let you down and
leave you with an armour hard as steel
It's not the chaos or the heat
or the noises from the street but
something inside she has to beat that
shoots out a nerve
and makes her feel that something must be wrong
She'll attempt to resist
and pretend it don't exist when it does
But if ever her defence drop
love takes a shot pop
Baby you can't stop
The beating of another heart
The beating of another heart
yeah
Sometimes she needs the beating of another heart
All the steps we seem to take
are sometimes stairways to escape from
All the things that were supposed to come
And there's a threat when letting go
Showing things she'll never show but
I won't give in now I know
as I ask a friend
how on earth can I send
a little bit of me to her
She'll attempt to resist
and pretend I don't exist when I do
But if ever her defence drop
love takes a shot pop
Baby you can't stop
The beating of another heart
The beating of another heart
yeah
Sometimes she needs the beating of another heart
The pounding goes on forever
at night when we are here together
They say that people get too clever for love
but I know
But if ever her defence drop
love takes a shot pop
Baby you can't stop
The beating of another heart
The beating of another heart
yeah
Sometimes she needs the beating of another heart
She needs the beating of another heart
She needs the beating of another heart
The song "The Beating of Another Heart" by Graham Parker is a beautiful expression about a strong, independent woman who is scared of opening up emotionally. She comes from a tough background and has built up a shield around herself to protect her from getting hurt. The shield is so strong that it makes it difficult for her to connect with someone else, but the fear of missing out on a real connection with another person gradually eats away at her.
The lyrics make clear that this woman wants to love and be loved. But her fear of rejection is so strong that she shuts out emotions and never truly lets anyone in. The internal conflict between her tough exterior and emotional vulnerability is what makes her so intriguing. The chorus is the perfect representation of the message of the song, saying that sometimes it is the beating of another heart that is needed to break down someone's defences and let them open up emotionally.
Parker's song is written with sensitivity and captures the complex emotions beautifully. The way the music begins quietly and then builds to a strong beat in the chorus is stunning. It's an emotional journey that takes you from the guarded and distant exterior of the main character to the hope and potential of a loving relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes from the hardest town
She grew up in a town where people are tough and unkind
they build you up to let you down and leave you with an armour hard as steel
The people in her town pretend to care about you, but in reality, they will disappoint you and make you emotionally numb
It's not the chaos or the heat or the noises from the street but something inside she has to beat that shoots out a nerve causes judgements to swerve and makes her feel that something must be wrong
She is not troubled by the external factors of her environment, but rather by an internal feeling of anxiety that messes with her perception and makes her think that something is wrong
She'll attempt to resist and pretend it don't exist when it does
She tries to ignore the feeling, even though it is always there
But if ever her defence drop love takes a shot pop Baby you can't stop The beating of another heart The beating of another heart yeah Sometimes she needs the beating of another heart
When she lets her guard down, she craves the connection of another person's heart beating with hers
All the steps we seem to take are sometimes stairways to escape from All the things that were supposed to come And there's a threat when letting go Showing things she'll never show but I won't give in now I know as I ask a friend how on earth can I send a little bit of me to her
Sometimes we take steps to avoid our problems, but holding back can be dangerous; he won't give up and wonders how he can express his feelings to her more deeply
The pounding goes on forever at night when we are here together They say that people get too clever for love but I know
Their connection is strong and lasts through the night, even though people say that being too smart makes it hard to love
She needs the beating of another heart
At her core, she needs love and deep connection with another person
Contributed by Miles H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.