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.
Turned Up Too Late
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verse
G see g g see d g
When you get inside my head it just goes emp ty
G see g g see d g
With all that junk I've been fed you'd think I'd make you get me
Hey baby what are you blind? how long you been gone?
I'm not the returning kind I don't need you to lean on
Chorus
See g d see see g d
You come to me with eyes all watery, do you believe I'm falling?
See g d see
Poor little thing so out of date
G d see d g
Now I can say your love has turned up too late
G see d g
Oooh oooh ooh ooooooh
Verse
If you were the sun and the moon I'd still cloud over
Rain would still fall down too soon and we would just grow colder
Hey baby I ain't ashamed of being turned down
I hope you've got the same strength you're going to need it now
Repeat chorus
Bridge
See g see d see g d
Love takes a toll on everyone baby, you're going to find out some day
See g see d
It don't feel too good it don't feel too great
See d
To tell you it's turned up too late
G see g see g see g see d g
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mm turned up too late
Final chorus
You come to me with eyes all watery, do you believe I'm falling?
Poor little thing so out of date
Now I can say your love has turned up too late
Now I can say your love has turned up too late
Now I can say your love has turned up too late
Turned up too late
Turned up too late oh yeah /pre>
The lyrics of Graham Parker & The Rumour’s “Turned Up Too Late” deal with the aftermath of a failed romantic relationship. Parker describes feeling empty and fed up with all the “junk” he’s been fed, and it’s clear that he’s not interested in trying to reconcile with his former partner. He expresses a sense of resignation towards the situation, noting that even if his ex were the sun and the moon, they would still “cloud over” and “grow colder” together.
The chorus of the song shifts to Parker’s ex, who apparently has come back to him asking for another chance. He describes her as a “poor little thing so out of date” - perhaps indicating that he has moved on in his life and no longer feels a connection to her. The song’s bridge touches on the universal toll that love can take on all of us, and how it doesn’t always feel good to have to turn someone away. However, Parker ultimately affirms that his former lover’s love has come too late and there is no point in trying to start things up again.
Overall, “Turned Up Too Late” is a song about acceptance and moving on from a past relationship. Parker’s lyrics capture the sense of finality that can come with the end of a romance, even as his former partner tries to make another go of it.
Line by Line Meaning
When you get inside my head it just goes emp ty
My mind is blank and empty when I try to think about you
With all that junk I've been fed you'd think I'd make you get me
Despite all the lies I was told, I still couldn't get you
Hey baby what are you blind? how long you been gone?
Are you not seeing what's in front of you? Have you been away for too long?
I'm not the returning kind I don't need you to lean on
I am not the type to come back, and I don't need you to rely on me
You come to me with eyes all watery, do you believe I'm falling?
Do you think I will fall for your tears? Do you think I will give in?
Poor little thing so out of date
You are outdated and irrelevant to me now
Now I can say your love has turned up too late
Your love is too late - I am no longer interested
If you were the sun and the moon I'd still cloud over
Even if you were perfect, I would still be unhappy
Rain would still fall down too soon and we would just grow colder
Bad things would still happen and our relationship would deteriorate
Hey baby I ain't ashamed of being turned down
I am not embarrassed by rejection
I hope you've got the same strength you're going to need it now
I hope you are strong enough to handle being rejected
Love takes a toll on everyone baby, you're going to find out some day
Love is hard, and someday you will understand that
It don't feel too good it don't feel too great
Being rejected is painful and uncomfortable
To tell you it's turned up too late
I have to tell you that it is too late now
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mm turned up too late
It's too late, plain and simple
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Graham Parker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ezra fatcat
I love these albums from him since the seventies! I recall seeing him I believe it was the Guthrie theater in Minneapolis in 1979. In 2007 after mother died she kept a small box of odds and ends newspaper clippings etc and there were my ticket stubs from a very Graham Parker concert!
Mike Houser
Between Graham , Frankie Miller , John Hiatt , Elvis C , Nick Lowe ............. , I will always be surprised at how great they are , and how great for their times . Dave Edmunds , Jeff Lynne , Roy Wood , Ray Davies , Arthur Lee ...... love em all . I know I left a bunch ( Zappa , Beefheart ,Bowie , Iggy , John Cale , Lou Reed .) All I am saying is thanks .
Bob Castro
I will be totally honest, I've only heard of him a few minutes ago when I was looking up TV interview web sites and podcasts, but already, I love his songs and style.
Harry Marchiani
Bob Castro hey Bob keep listening,I have all Graham parkers albums from the very beginning I'm 63 now must listen to Don't ask me questions, three great albums heat treatment howling wind and stick to me 3 of the best record ever recorded Hi Sam Grand Park or 3 times unbelievable concerts I'm glad you like them they're one of my favorites another Bob Seger
Scott Briggs
Bob, go buy Squeezing Out Sparks (deluxe reissue if possible), all the early Rumour LPs, and The Mona Lisa's Sister and you have a good headstart on the best of GP. If you can find it, the Passion is No Ordinary Word box set from 1994 or so is also a must-own. The early to mid80s GP is hit or miss, of course, although later albums like Struck By Lightning and Human Soul, Acid Bubblegum have their moments. I also highly recommend the Live Alone in America and Japan albums, totally great, and a lot of the early Rumour live bootlegs and such that are available. I think one was put out as a massive live archives box set by GP and the Rumour officially a few years ago, it's expensive but I'm sure it's essential. I'll buy that at some point soon. It's about as close as we're gonna come to hearing what they sounded like in the early days. (I was a young child). I did see Parker with an acoustic band
in 1995 and then two years ago here in Pt. Washington LI, with Brinsley, but I never got to see Parker with
the Rumour, unfortunately, having missed the recent reunion tour.
Mr. Gracian
My favorite GP track (and Black Honey)
F**** GREAT!!!
Oppothumbs M
I like White Honey and You've got to be kidding and Between you and Me.
Simon James
@greanep ..couldn't agree more .. albums like Howlin' Wind, Heat Treatment & to a lesser extent Stick to Me, obviously deserves exponentionally more credit & attention than they get. Eventually that will come,I should imagine..would be nice if the old ---- is around to see it happen! I wonder what the story is with those old Vertigo/Mercury recordings..would have thought they'd be ripe for re-release, but seem to have sunk without a trace...
neil McLachlan
fucking great.
Andrew Johnston
The story of my life