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 Murdered The Clown
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A em g d
The ringmaster looked a bit pasty and down dying as he was to get out of town
A em
The lions and the tigers had gnawed at his feet
G d
But the lion tamer's whip hurt much more than their teeth
A em g d
A em
The ritzo brothers cancelled at the last minute
G d
But no one missed their act there wasn't much in it
Chorus
A em d a
And after the show that night the clowns had the makeup wiped from their faces
A em d a
When somebody pulled a knife and cut off coco's bright red braces
A d a e a d a e
They murdered the clown they wiped that grin right off his face
A d a e a d a e
They murdered the clown still the world's not a funnier place
Em gm
Funnier place (first and last time only)
The kids rode the elephant heavy as lead
I think he'd much rather have sat on their heads
They're ripping the horn from the rhino tonight
So some fat sheik can fuck all night
And watch out for coco when he's had a drink
He'll tickle the children right where they're pink
You might run away with the circus for fun
But it looks more like somewhere that you'd run from (repeat chorus)
You should see the fear on the dancing bears' faces
Take off their muzzles and check out the view
The gypsy boys seem such colourful characters
But you wouldn't want them moving in next to you
And after the whole lot has pulled out of town
The ringmaster still looks like he's going to drown
He pulls out a long knife that bears his initials
And buries it deep before he blows the whistle
A em
She looked at him sideways she looked at him dark
G d
She pulled at her beard and she started to bark
A em
He told her before not to mess with the staff
G
But she fell for the clown because she said he made her laugh (repeat chorus) /pre>
The lyrics to Graham Parker’s song “They Murdered the Clown” shed light on the dark and disturbing reality that lies beneath the glitz and glamour of circuses. The song describes the brutal treatment and exploitation of circus animals, the dangerous and sometimes life-threatening performances that the artists have to endure, and the despair and hopelessness of circus life. The lyrics talk about a dying ringmaster who wants to leave town, the injuries inflicted on the ringmaster and other performers by vicious animals, the holes in the safety net that put performers at risk, and the unimpressive shows put up by some performers. The chorus talks about the brutal murder of the clown Coco, wiping the smile off his face and permanently robbing the world of some joy and laughter.
The song paints a stark picture of how circuses were often filled with cruelty, danger, exploitation, and misery. Despite being presented as a fun and exciting experience for audiences, to those in the circus, it was a place of despair and suffering. The song suggests that the circus isn't something to be celebrated or romanticized, but rather a place to flee from.
Line by Line Meaning
The ringmaster looked a bit pasty and down dying as he was to get out of town
The ringmaster was sickly and sad because he wanted to leave town.
The lions and the tigers had gnawed at his feet
The animals had attacked the ringmaster.
But the lion tamer's whip hurt much more than their teeth
The lion tamer hurt the ringmaster more than the animals did.
The giovanni sisters performed in a sweat someone cut holes in the safety net
The performers were nervous and someone sabotaged their safety measures.
The ritzo brothers cancelled at the last minute
The Ritzo brothers decided not to perform.
But no one missed their act there wasn't much in it
Nobody cared that the Ritzo brothers weren't performing because their act wasn't very good.
And after the show that night the clowns had the makeup wiped from their faces
After the show, the clowns' identities were revealed when their makeup was wiped off.
When somebody pulled a knife and cut off coco's bright red braces
Someone cut off Coco's suspenders with a knife.
They murdered the clown they wiped that grin right off his face
The clowns were killed and no longer had their happy demeanor.
They murdered the clown still the world's not a funnier place
Despite the clowns' deaths, the world wasn't any funnier.
The kids rode the elephant heavy as lead
The kids were heavy and the elephant didn't enjoy carrying them.
I think he'd much rather have sat on their heads
The elephant would have preferred to sit on the kids' heads rather than carry them.
They're ripping the horn from the rhino tonight
Someone is taking the rhino's horn for their own personal gain.
So some fat sheik can fuck all night
The horn is being taken so that a rich man can have sex all night.
And watch out for coco when he's had a drink
Coco is dangerous when drunk and should be avoided.
He'll tickle the children right where they're pink
Coco will touch the children inappropriately.
You might run away with the circus for fun
Running away with the circus could be seen as a fun adventure.
But it looks more like somewhere that you'd run from
In reality, the circus is not a fun place to be.
You should see the fear on the dancing bears' faces
The dancing bears are afraid and it's noticeable.
Take off their muzzles and check out the view
If the bears' muzzles were removed, it would be clear how they feel.
The gypsy boys seem such colourful characters
The gypsy boys are unique and interesting people.
But you wouldn't want them moving in next to you
Despite being interesting, one wouldn't want them as neighbors.
And after the whole lot has pulled out of town
After the circus left town.
The ringmaster still looks like he's going to drown
The ringmaster is still distressed even after the circus left town.
He pulls out a long knife that bears his initials
The ringmaster reveals that he has a knife with his initials on it.
And buries it deep before he blows the whistle
The ringmaster hides the knife before signaling for the circus to begin.
She looked at him sideways she looked at him dark
A woman looks at a man with suspicion and anger.
She pulled at her beard and she started to bark
The woman pulled her hair and began to insult the man.
He told her before not to mess with the staff
The man warned the woman not to interfere with the workers.
But she fell for the clown because she said he made her laugh
The woman disregarded the man's warning and fell in love with a clown.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: GRAHAM THOMAS PARKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rob Turner
One of the best albums. Still got my autographed cd!
Joshua
This really has a Bob Dylan vibe to it, I love it.
Scorpio
Clever, funny song from a GREAT album!
Karl Stuber
What a cool song. 4 people don't like murder being mentioned.
Lord Funface The Atomic Toaster
This has a bit of an Elvis Costello feel to it, I like it.
Karl Stuber
"And After the Show that night the clowns had the makeup wiped from their faces, somebody pulled a knife, cut off Koko's bright red braces." This part of the Chorus sounds Elvis Costello to me. The second time through he sings " Somebody pulled a knife and cut off one of them bright red braces".
coochie.mp4
Me at my funeral
Steve Barton
I loved that clown!
uomoerrante
I found this in a little shop in Rimini..Italy..vinyl..2 records..45..with ''children and dogs''..and others.
steadfastcoward
Good find!