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.
Tough On Clothes
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's gettin'thin near threadbare
That ribbon in your hair
Made outta lace and it's bound to tear
Those ice-blue jeans you got
With the hole in the back
And the sunflower swatch
People are startin'to stare
With your underwear
Chorus
You're tough on clothes
It's gonna cost me a fortune
To keep you in 'em
You're tough on clothes
I'm gonna have to get a job and
Make a decent livin' now
You're tough on you're tough on
Go easy now, go easy child
Those shoes like a blast from the past
The heels are lookin'wobbly now
They can't last
That sweater with the maple leaf
Went and lost it's shape
In the very first week
That jacket with the nice green piping
Got hit with a tomato that was
Really ripe and
Those brand new joggin' pants
Are covered with flies and crushed ants
Chorus
Your mother spends so much
Time on stitchin'
You'll have us all eatin' at the
Soup kitchen
You got a pair of pants for every day
But none of them fit did you buy 'em that way
You tried on everything at the local mall
But it's either too big or too small
And that little black dress we bought ya
It looks like it's been through some
Kind of torture
Those socks if they had half a chance
Would walk on their own or
Learn to dance
And those brand new sweat pants
Now is that dead flies or crushed ants
Chorus
In this song, Graham Parker is singing about his partner's worn-out clothing and odd fashion choices. He sings about her crazy shirt that is getting thin and threadbare, the ribbon in her hair that is made out of lace and bound to tear, and her ice-blue jeans with a hole in the back and a sunflower swatch. Parker notes that people are starting to stare at her because of her clothing. He even wonders what is going on with her underwear. Parker then moves on to talk about his partner's shoes with wobbly heels, a sweater with a maple leaf that has lost its shape, a jacket with nice green piping that got hit with a ripe tomato, and brand new jogging pants that are already covered in flies and crushed ants. He notes that his partner has many pairs of pants, but none of them seem to fit correctly.
In the chorus, Parker exclaims that his partner is tough on clothes and that it will cost him a fortune to keep her clothed. He says he will have to get a job and make a decent living now that he is with her. Parker then goes on to sing about his partner's mother who spends a lot of time stitching, implying that she has to fix his partner's clothing often. He notes that his partner tried on everything in the local mall, but nothing seems to fit correctly. Even the little black dress they bought seems like it has been through some kind of torture. In the end, Parker sings about the socks that would walk on their own if given the chance and the brand new sweatpants that are covered in dead flies or crushed ants.
Line by Line Meaning
That crazy shirt you wear
Your shirt is eccentric and unconventional
It's gettin' thin near threadbare
It has become worn out due to heavy use
That ribbon in your hair
Hair accessory used to tie and adorn your hair
Made outta lace and it's bound to tear
The ribbon made of delicate lace material is likely to rip
Those ice-blue jeans you got
Refers to your jeans which are light blue in color
With the hole in the back
There is a tear or an opening at the back of your jeans
And the sunflower swatch
A patch with the image of a sunflower sewn onto the jeans
People are startin' to stare
Others are looking at you and your clothes because of their oddity
God knows what's goin' on
An expression of confusion or bewilderment
With your underwear
Even your undergarments are causing concern and confusion
You're tough on clothes
Your clothes get worn out quickly due to excessive use
It's gonna cost me a fortune
It will be expensive to replace your clothes frequently
To keep you in 'em
To keep you properly clothed and presentable
I'm gonna have to get a job and
The cost of constantly replacing your clothes will require additional income
Make a decent livin' now
Earning enough money to support our lifestyle sustainably
Go easy now, go easy child
Please try not to be so hard on your clothes
Those shoes like a blast from the past
Your shoes have a vintage or retro look about them
The heels are lookin' wobbly now
The heels of your shoes are becoming unstable
They can't last
The shoes will not continue to be usable for much longer
That sweater with the maple leaf
Refers to a sweater embellished with a maple leaf design
Went and lost its shape
The sweater no longer retains its original form
In the very first week
The sweater lost its shape immediately after it was purchased
That jacket with the nice green piping
Refers to a jacket that has attractive green trim
Got hit with a tomato that was really ripe
The jacket was hit with a very ripe tomato, causing a stain
And those brand new joggin' pants
Refers to recently bought sweatpants
Are covered with flies and crushed ants
The sweatpants have become soiled with dead insects
Your mother spends so much
Your mother devotes a lot of time and effort
Time on stitchin'
Sewing and mending your clothes
You'll have us all eatin' at the soup kitchen
Your excessive wear and tear of clothes will ruin our finances
You got a pair of pants for every day
You have a large number of trousers to choose from
But none of them fit did you buy 'em that way
Your pants do not fit well or flatter your body shape. Did you deliberately buy them that way?
You tried on everything at the local mall
You went shopping and tried on clothes at the nearby mall
But it's either too big or too small
The clothes available to you are either too big or too small, often not the right fit
And that little black dress we bought ya
You already own a black dress that we gave you as a gift
It looks like it's been through some kind of torture
The dress appears to have been through rough usage
Those socks if they had half a chance
If given the opportunity, the socks would move or dance on their own
Would walk on their own or learn to dance
The socks are in a worn-out, sorry state
And those brand new sweat pants
New sweatpants that were recently bought
Now is that dead flies or crushed ants
The sweatpants have become contaminated with insect remains
Contributed by Elliot P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.