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.
Waiting For The UFOs
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even the skeptics are unsure when they stop to think
People are not worth their life now they are obsolete
We're dying to be invaded and put the blame on something concrete
CHORUS
Waiting for the UFOs Waiting for the UFOs
We are waiting for the UFOs We know that they're there
We're just a joke they sometimes crack, they'll get away with anything
The government is holding back, they won't say a word
Now is that a light in sky or just a spark in my heart?
Can I accept this as evidence or will that tear the whole act apart?
CHORUS
This new obsession is turning us alien too too
Much more resounding my heart just stopped pounding for you
Waiting for the UFOs Waiting for the UFOs
We are waiting for the UFOs Waiting Waiting
REPEAT CHORUS
In "Waiting For The UFOs," Graham Parker presents a commentary on modern society's fascination with the unknown, particularly with the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The lyrics suggest that even the skeptics are beginning to realize that there is something more out there than what we know, and that people are becoming increasingly disillusioned with their own lives. The concept of being invaded by an extraterrestrial force provides a scapegoat for our problems, and Parker implies that we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of something concrete to blame.
Parker also touches on the government's role in this fascination, suggesting that they are aware of the truth but are holding back information from the public. The idea of government secrecy and censorship feeds into the conspiracy theories surrounding the concept of UFOs and fuels the public's fascination even further. Parker wonders whether the sightings that people experience are genuine evidence or simply tricks of the mind, exacerbating the confusion and ambiguity that surrounds the topic.
Overall, "Waiting For The UFOs" is a commentary on the human desire for answers, even if they come in the form of something as far-fetched as an alien invasion. It addresses the anxieties of modern life and the desire for something to shake up the monotony and provide a solution to our problems, even at the cost of our own destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
No-one can hide it anymore we know it's not imagining
The truth about the existence of UFOs is no longer a secret, and it's not just a figment of our imagination.
Even the skeptics are unsure when they stop to think
Even those who doubt the presence of UFOs can't help but question their own beliefs.
People are not worth their life now they are obsolete
Human beings feel insignificant in the face of extraterrestrial life, and question their own worth and existence.
We're dying to be invaded and put the blame on something concrete
There is a desire to be invaded by aliens, so that we can have someone to blame for our problems.
Waiting for the UFOs Waiting for the UFOs
We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of UFOs.
We are waiting for the UFOs We know that they're there
We are certain that UFOs exist and are waiting for them to reveal themselves to us.
We're just a joke they sometimes crack, they'll get away with anything
To extraterrestrial life, humans are nothing more than a source of amusement and can be easily manipulated.
The government is holding back, they won't say a word
The government has information about UFOs but is keeping it from the public.
Now is that a light in sky or just a spark in my heart?
We question whether sightings of strange lights in the sky are real or just a figment of our own desires and beliefs.
Can I accept this as evidence or will that tear the whole act apart?
We struggle to accept sightings of UFOs as actual evidence of their existence, fearing that it may undermine our current understanding of the universe.
This new obsession is turning us alien too too
Our fascination with aliens and UFOs is causing us to feel disconnected from our own humanity.
Much more resounding my heart just stopped pounding for you
The excitement and anticipation of discovering extraterrestrial life is a more profound experience than anything that we have felt before.
Waiting Waiting
Still Waiting
Contributed by Henry D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.