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.
You've Got To Be Kidding
Graham Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey hey yeah la la la la
Oh oh la la la la la la la la la la.la la
E / F#m7 / B/ A E F#m7 be A be E
You got to be kidding when you say your line is cast
You got to be kidding when you say that this will last.
E / F#m7 / B/ A F#m7 A be F#m7 A be
You got to be putting me on you got to be stringing me along
A F#m7 be A E
You got to be kidding any way to feel you belong.
You got to be joking when you shrug off any doubt.
You got to be joking telling me you have worked this out.
You got to be building a wall inside that endless empty hall
You got to be joking anyway to be here at all
Yeah you got to be kidding.
be A E
A F#m7 A F#m7
You got to be kidding baby and there ain't no doubt
A F#m7 A F#m7
Fooling yeah when the truth comes out.
A F#m7 A F#m7
Hoaxing honey and it just ain't fair
A F#m7 A be
Playing baby when there's no one there oh yeah!
You got to be kidding putting prices on yourself
You got to be kidding telling me there's no one else.
You got to be putting me on you got to be stringing me alone
You got to be kidding anyway to feel you belong yeah.
You got to be building a wall inside that endless empty hall
You got to be kidding anyway to be here at all yeah
You got to be kidding hmm you got to be kidding yeah
You got to be kidding.
The song "You've Got to Be Kidding" by Graham Parker is a critique of someone who is not being truthful with themselves or others. The chorus repeats the title statement, as Parker questions the validity of the person's position. The first two verses focus on the person's confidence in a particular situation, presumably a romantic relationship. While they believe that their line is cast and that this will last, Parker believes that they are kidding themselves. The third verse continues to question their honesty, suggesting that they are joking, building walls, and putting a price tag on themselves.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the danger of self-delusion and the need for self-awareness. Parker suggests that the person he is addressing is not in touch with reality and that they are ultimately harming themselves and others by their inability to be honest. The song is a reminder that we all need to be honest with ourselves and others to live fulfilling lives.
Line by Line Meaning
You got to be kidding when you say your line is cast
You're not serious if you think your path is certain.
You got to be kidding when you say that this will last.
It's a joke if you think this will endure.
You got to be putting me on you got to be stringing me along
You must be joking to lead me on like this.
You got to be kidding any way to feel you belong.
It's laughable to do anything just to fit in.
You got to be joking when you shrug off any doubt.
It's absurd to dismiss any uncertainty.
You got to be joking telling me you have worked this out.
You're joking if you think you have it all figured out.
You got to be building a wall inside that endless empty hall
You're building barriers in a place that's already empty.
You got to be joking anyway to be here at all
It's ridiculous that you're even here in the first place.
You got to be kidding baby and there ain't no doubt
You're not serious, and there's no question about it.
Fooling yeah when the truth comes out.
You'll be exposed when the truth finally comes out.
Hoaxing honey and it just ain't fair
It's not right to deceive like this.
Playing baby when there's no one there oh yeah!
Pretending when nobody's even watching.
You got to be putting prices on yourself
You're devaluing yourself by putting a price on your worth.
You got to be kidding telling me there's no one else.
You can't be serious if you think there's nobody else out there for you.
You got to be putting me on you got to be stringing me alone
It's a joke to keep me hanging on like this.
You got to be kidding anyway to feel you belong yeah.
You're delusional if you're doing anything to belong.
You got to be kidding anyway to be here at all yeah
It's ridiculous that you're even here in the first place.
You got to be kidding hmm you got to be kidding yeah
You must be joking, there's no doubt about it.
You got to be kidding.
It's all just a big joke to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Graham Parker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phil Baird
One of my favourites from one of the best debut albums of the 70s; boy didn't we need this back in 1975. Graham's vocal just soars in on the fade-in, the Rumour sound fantastic, and it's just such a great song too. What an album, and I played this and Heat Treatment to death. Great to see the reunion too.
gkctex
One of the great albums of the Seventies and it was unjustly ignored.
I found out about it from reading an article in Rolling Stone.
Graham came so close to breaking out big time, but he never had that one single that catapulted him into the mainstream.
Oppothumbs M
Let's face it that some great artists can't be appreciated by the masses because they don't fit some nice popular musical genre and Graham just sounds angry. Record came out just before disco hit. Graham may not be tall enough for women to adore and his message too sharp for dainty ears.
jjsudlow
One of my all-time favourite albums, breathtaking songwriting and musicianship.
jorge palacios
I don't think I would have liked this when I was 16. It is so weird to notice how my musical taste has changed over the years.
Just for the record, this is a really great sounding song.
y brent
I loved it at 19
Andy Boerger
thoroughly underappreciated song.
thejurassicpunk
On his early recordings with the Rumour, Graham Parker established himself as the missing link between Rock 'n' Roll and New Wave. I can't think of anyone else who fully bridged that gap.
Andy Boerger
I absolutely adore this song! Thanks for posting it!
Factivist
Graham Parker was punk rock meets country meets something else awesome.