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.
They Got It Wrong
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They made her shadow disappear in the mirror
And called it a shadow of doubt
Then they wanted us to pay up front
For the privilege of watching this go down
Then they painted her eyebrows back on now she's a clown
CHORUS
They got it wrong (as usual)
Am
They got it wrong
They took the boy with the overworked vibrato
and called him a singer of songs
They made him lose his faith on the spotlight
till he started singing 'bout his gun
They shot the wolves in the wild tundra cos man has to be top dog
Then they hauled out an innocent victim and gave him a hearty flog
CHORUS REPEAT
They got it wrong and made it worthless
Got it wrong and made it worthless
As usual. As usual
They took the real things that worked for us and threw them out
They took the only things that really mattered
and said this is not what it's about
They killed the wolves in the wild tundra cos man has to be top dog
Then they elevated the ignorant like they were Gods
CHORUS REPEAT
Graham Parker’s “They Got It Wrong” is a powerful commentary on the manipulation of the entertainment and media industries. The song opens with a reference to a girl with “famous eyebrows” whose unique features were stripped away and then exaggerated for public entertainment. Parker uses this grotesque caricature to represent the media’s tendency to package people as funhouse versions of themselves for cheap amusement. The next verse highlights an artist who is stripped of their talent and turned into a tool for political propaganda. Parker suggests that the art and creativity are often sacrificed in favor of profit and political gain. The final verse discusses the destruction of nature and the elevation of ignorance by those in power. Overall, the song calls attention to the harm done by those who control our cultural landscape and the need to value authenticity and creativity over profit.
The song was released on Parker’s album “Another Grey Area” in 1982 and was produced by Jack Douglas. The album was Parker’s first with the backing band The Rumour since the classic “Squeezing Out Sparks” album in 1979.
Line by Line Meaning
They took the girl with the famous eyebrows and plucked them out
They stripped a unique aspect of her identity, something that made her stand out from the crowd.
They made her shadow disappear in the mirror
They erased her essence, her inner self, so that she was no longer recognizable.
And called it a shadow of doubt
They twisted and distorted the truth to make it more convenient for their purposes.
Then they wanted us to pay up front
They demanded that we pay for something that was never delivered, and that they had no intention of delivering.
For the privilege of watching this go down
They wanted us to bear witness to a travesty, as if it were something worth seeing or experiencing.
Then they painted her eyebrows back on now she's a clown
They tried to restore what they took away, but in doing so, only made a mockery of her and made her the subject of ridicule.
They took the boy with the overworked vibrato
They took someone with talent and skill, but rather than respecting his abilities, they manipulated and misused them.
and called him a singer of songs
They put him in a box, pigeonholing him into a narrow category that only scratched the surface of what he was capable of.
They made him lose his faith on the spotlight
They shook his confidence and made him question his own abilities and worth, diminishing his light.
till he started singing 'bout his gun
They distorted his message, from one of creative expression to one of violence and aggression.
They shot the wolves in the wild tundra cos man has to be top dog
They killed those in their way, simply because of their own selfish desire for dominance and control.
Then they hauled out an innocent victim and gave him a hearty flog
They chose a scapegoat, someone who was not at fault, and made an example of them to appease their own ego.
They took the real things that worked for us and threw them out
They discarded what was genuine and true, replacing it with something fake and superficial.
They took the only things that really mattered
They disregarded what was truly important, instead valuing only material gain and power.
and said this is not what it's about
They twisted the message to suit their own interests and to justify their own corruption.
Then they killed the wolves in the wild tundra cos man has to be top dog
They continued their pattern of violence, even when it was unnecessary and harmful to the greater good.
Then they elevated the ignorant like they were Gods
They put those who were unworthy on a pedestal, exalting them despite their lack of qualifications or merit.
They got it wrong (as usual)
Their actions were misguided and detrimental, as was so often the case.
They got it wrong and made it worthless
Their interventions only served to devalue and degrade what was once valuable and meaningful.
As usual. As usual
Their pattern of behavior was consistent and predictable, always leading to disappointment and failure.
Contributed by Lila V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.