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 Girl Isn't Ready
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A f#m
The girl isn't ready (twice)
A f#m
The girl isn't ready is what her mother says
A f#m
We just put her toys away it seems like yesterday
She has seen something better through the window
E d
She will reach for it even though she doesn't know if she's
Chorus
A f#m
Ready, the girl isn't ready
A f#m
We can never tell her how to take it steady
A e d a
She'll be re a dy one day I know
A f#m
The girl isn't ready (twice)
The girl isn't ready to do what she wants to do
We think that her boyfriend's like something from a zoo
She thinks that she understands what she's feeling
She's going to leave us make no mistake the wounds won't be healing
Chorus then instrumental over e d e d f#m f#m
The girl isn't ready sure she thinks she is
She walks like a grownup but talks just like a kid
She wants to take on the world and his brother
Next thing you know she'll be telling us that she's a mother
Outro - as intro w/ more repeats /pre>
In Graham Parker's song The Girl Isn't Ready, the singer discusses the struggles of a young girl who is going through a transitional phase in life. The girl's mother tells him that she isn't ready, but the girl is determined to seek out something better. She is unsure of what that means, but she is determined to find it. The chorus repeats that the girl isn't ready, but they cannot tell her how to take it steady. Despite this, the singer knows that one day she will be ready.
The second verse discusses how the girl wants to do what she wants to do, but her family does not approve of her boyfriend. The girl thinks she understands what she's feeling, but she's about to leave them all behind. The wounds will not heal. The chorus repeats once again, emphasizing that the girl is not ready, and the instrumental section that follows drives this point home.
The final verse talks about how the girl is sure she's ready, but she still talks like a kid. She is eager to take on the world and everything in it, but the singer predicts that she will soon be telling them that she's a mother. The song's outro repeats the starting line; both the singer and the girl's mother know she isn't ready, but she believes she is.
Line by Line Meaning
The girl isn't ready
The girl is not yet prepared to face the challenges of life, according to her mother.
The girl isn't ready is what her mother says
The mother states that her daughter is not yet ready to take on the world.
We just put her toys away it seems like yesterday
It feels like yesterday when she was just a child, and now her mother is putting her toys away as she enters adulthood.
She has seen something better through the window
The girl has caught a glimpse of something better in life than what she currently has.
She will reach for it even though she doesn't know if she's
She is willing to go after what she wants, despite her uncertainty about whether or not she is ready for it.
Ready, the girl isn't ready
Once again, the girl is not yet ready for what life has in store.
We can never tell her how to take it steady
Even if we want to calm her down and advise her to take things slow and steady, she won't listen.
She'll be re a dy one day I know
Although she may not be ready now, someday she will be.
The girl isn't ready to do what she wants to do
She wants to do something but is not yet capable of doing it.
We think that her boyfriend's like something from a zoo
Her boyfriend is not liked by her mother and is seen as wild and uncivilized.
She thinks that she understands what she's feeling
The girl believes she knows what she wants and understands her emotions.
She's going to leave us make no mistake the wounds won't be healing
The girl is planning to leave home, and it will leave a lasting wound on her parents.
The girl isn't ready sure she thinks she is
The girl is confident that she is ready, but her mother still sees her as unprepared.
She walks like a grownup but talks just like a kid
She may look like an adult, but her behavior is still that of a child.
She wants to take on the world and his brother
She is eager and ready to take on any challenge.
Next thing you know she'll be telling us that she's a mother
It won't be long before she becomes a mother herself.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Timm Humphreys
This song brings back such great memories...luvin' it!
alien9000555
The girl isn't ready
The girl isn't ready
The girl isn't ready is what her mother says
We just put her toys away it seems like yesterday
She has seen something better through the window
She will reach for it even though she doesn't know if she's
CHORUS
Ready, the girl isn't ready
We can never tell her how to take it steady
She'll be re a dy one day I know
The girl isn't ready
The girl isn't ready to do what she wants to do
We think that her boyfriend's like something from a zoo
She thinks that she understands what she's feeling
She's going to leave us make no mistake the wounds won't be healing
The girl isn't ready sure she thinks she is
She walks like a grownup but talks just like a kid
She wants to take on the world and his brother
Next thing you know she'll be telling us that she's a mother
Marcos
5.000 ******'' .... Para este discazo del amigo G. P. AUTENTICO MUSICAZO DE LA NEW WAVE U. K.. LE DA lecciones a otro famosillo que no quiero mencionar. Lleva 30 años componiendo TRABAJOS 5 * * * * *. ... acustico en Madriz, en concierto,. Le saludé.... Sus canciones me alimentaron / alimentan ...
Steve NoSpinningEarth
nice
Fp Maggio
big with people in the know all those years ago.
Vivek Wally
The Girl's always Red ee