John Parr's first entrance in to music was when he was 12-years-old and devised a band with two fellow schoolmates, which they named The Silence. The band enjoyed considerable success in the U.K. as the years went on. They eventually became professional and started to tour Europe. When Parr left the band, he joined a group called Ponders End. The progressive rock outfit picked up praise in the 70s as the 'best live act around' in Newcastle, along with the Dire Straits. In the end, however, they did not make a record deal, and the band's chapter in history closed, despite their local fame, without much fanfare.
Parr secured a publishing deal with Carlin Music in 1983, and American rocker and performer Meat Loaf asked him to write some songs for his new album in the same year. That led to the fateful meeting with John Wolfe (manager of The Who). Foreseeing the demise of The Who, a band that had been adrift upon the death of drummer Keith Moon, Wolfe was looking for a new venture and Parr seemed to be the one. The year of 1984 was Parr's first trip to America. He worked with Meat Loaf on the album 'Bad Attitude' while Wolfe was putting finishing touches on Parr's recording deal in New York.
The spirited arena rock track "Naughty Naughty" became Parr's first U.S. top 40 hit record, the single pushing his 1984 debut album, titled simply 'John Parr', up to #48 on the prestigious Billboard 200 chart. The song built his career up very quickly by achieving top three positions on rock station after rock station in America for up to six weeks. Then, 1985 saw him on the road with the band "The Business" (not to be confused with the British punk outfit of the same name), supporting fellow progressive rockers Toto and playing 10,000-seater venues across America. Though lightening didn't quite strike twice, Parr's tune "Magical" hit a respectable #28 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, giving him some momentum. By the end of the tour, Parr had a call from one of the world's most successful producers, David Foster, that would be a key moment in his career
Foster requested Parr help with the soundtrack for the movie 'St. Elmo's Fire', a film featuring the popular 'brat pack' group of performers such as Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was the result, a song that fit in well with the movie yet also had an important history as it was also written on behalf of Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen (the 'man in motion'). The song became a #1 hit for Parr in the United States while additionally reaching the top 40 in over six different nations. Though Parr would create many songs later on, over the years, the tune has become his 'signature song'.
Parr notably co-wrote "Under a Raging Moon" for Roger Daltrey, a song that paid tribute to the late Keith Moon while also telling the general story of The Who. The parent album became Roger Daltrey's biggest solo success in America. In 1986, Parr joined up with Marilyn Martin to sing the duet "Through the Night (Love Song from Quicksilver)", a part of the soundtrack to the cycling-themed Kevin Bacon movie of the same name. Though earning some critical praise, the album was only moderately successful commercially.
Parr additionally wrote and produced further tracks for Marylin's debut album, including her popular tune "Night Moves". After the success of Meat Loaf's mid-80s work, Parr got out in front once again with the song "Rock & Roll Mercenaries". From there, he began work with Albert Magnili (director of the film 'Purple Rain') on the movie 'American Anthem'; Parr wrote and performed the main theme, a number titled "Two Hearts". Though he maintained his own supportive fan base, he found mainstream commercial success to the degree of "St. Elmo's Fire" elusive.
The Pepsi Company and Jack Calmes Satellite TV Corporation wanted to try something new, specifically a gig from London beamed live across America, Japan & Australia on the college Satellite Network, in the late 1980s. Parr ended up serving as the featured act, having done two similar shows before (one from the Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles where the flame was lit for a special performance of St. Elmo's Fire and was beamed live for Japan as well as the New Year Christmas Show from London). The special ended up being a great success, reaching almost 50-million people and making broadcast history for the network.
Another dream came true for John Parr in 1988 when he was offered to collaborate with one of the most successful record producers ever. Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had assisted with hard rock mega-hit albums such as AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' and Def Leppard's 'Hysteria', agreed with work with Parr. Lange and Parr produced the self-titled debut album for the British blues rock outfit Romeo's Daughter, a work that earned mixed popular success yet had strong critical acclaim.
Nonetheless, when the 80s began to come to a close, Parr's fortunes declined as the arena-ready pop rock and progressive rock that he had produced fell out of style in favor of alternative rock and grunge music. Parr soldiered on, even trying his hand at commercial jingle writing in the 90s. Though saddled with the 'two hit wonder' label due to the outside success of his "Naughty Naughty" and "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" singles commercially, Parr has kept on touring over the years, and he more recently joined the musical project known as Acoustic Fever alongside Herman Rarebell (from Scorpions), Bobby Kimball (from Toto), and others, touring in locations such as Hannover, Germany in 2014.
Website: http://www.johnparr.net/
Do It Again
John Parr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can say anything you wanna say, so talk in my direction
Don't tell me "I want to", don't lead me on
'Cause when we dance, see our bodies synchronise, moving close together
Pretty words, pouring from those pretty lips
Tasting sweet, and telling me surrender
Don't touch me so tender, don't lead me on
You're givin' me some of my own medicine, won't ya do it again
'Cause I can't wait till when we do it again
Tellin' me, ya gonna do everything, even things I can't believe
There's a plan, written in the prophecy, spellin' out our destiny
Don't touch me so tender, don't lead me on
You're givin' me some of my own medicine, won't ya do it again
My kinda needs are strictly physical, won't ya do it again
Ya givin' me, givin' me some of my own medicine, and I like it
You're a one night miracle, I'm an animal man
I can't wait till when we do it again
Smoke is rising in the air
You're givin' me some of my own medicine, won't ya do it again
My kinda needs are strictly physical, won't ya do it again
Ya givin' me, givin' me some of my own medicine, and I like it
You're a one night miracle, I'm an animal man
Do it again, won't ya do it again, won't ya do it again, do it again
Workin' all night, sleepin' all day, for all that money I'm never gonna spend
Keep it up straight, never let it bend, come on honey, do it again
Do it again, won't ya do it again
Do it again, whoa-oh do it again, and I like it
The lyrics to John Parr's song Do It Again talk about the singer's desire for physical intimacy with someone, but with a lack of emotional connection. The singer warns the other person not to play with their emotions, but to instead satisfy their physical needs. The singer specifically points out their attraction to the other person's physical appearance, with "pretty words pouring from those pretty lips" and "moving close together".
The singer also mentions a sense of destiny or prophecy, spelling out their future actions. However, the focus remains on the physical aspect of the relationship. The overall tone of the song is sultry, with mentions of smoke rising in the air and a desire for the other person to "do it again".
Overall, the lyrics emphasize the importance of fulfilling one's physical desires without concerning oneself with emotional connections. It is up to the listener to determine whether this theme is empowering or problematic.
Line by Line Meaning
You can play any game you wanna play, don't play with my affection
You have the freedom to do as you please, but please do not mess with my emotions
You can say anything you wanna say, so talk in my direction
Your words are your own to speak, but please communicate with me directly
Don't tell me "I want to", don't lead me on
Do not give me false hope by expressing desires without intent to take action
'Cause when we dance, see our bodies synchronise, moving close together
When we engage, our physical connection becomes intense and in sync
Pretty words, pouring from those pretty lips
You speak with beauty and appeal
Tasting sweet, and telling me surrender
Your words are tempting and call for a complete submission
Don't touch me so tender, don't lead me on
Do not arouse my feelings with tender touches if you do not intent to follow through
You're givin' me some of my own medicine, won't ya do it again
You are treating me the way I treat others, and I'd like to experience that again
My kinda needs are strictly physical, won't ya do it again
I am only looking for a physical connection, can we engage again?
'Cause I can't wait till when we do it again
I am excited at the prospect of engaging in physical activity with you again
Tellin' me, ya gonna do everything, even things I can't believe
You are promising me everything, even things that seem impossible
There's a plan, written in the prophecy, spellin' out our destiny
There is a predetermined fate, as if written in destiny, for us
You're givin' me, givin' me some of my own medicine, and I like it
I am enjoying the fact that you are treating me the way I treat others
You're a one night miracle, I'm an animal man
You are a remarkable experience that lasts only one night, while I am overcome with animalistic instinct
Smoke is rising in the air
There is activity or excitement unfolding
Workin' all night, sleepin' all day, for all that money I'm never gonna spend
I work tirelessly, but do not have the chance to use my earned wealth
Keep it up straight, never let it bend, come on honey, do it again
Stay on course and never falter, let's repeat this experience
Do it again, won't ya do it again, won't ya do it again, do it again
Let's repeat this experience
Do it again, whoa-oh do it again, and I like it
I enjoyed that, let's do it again
Contributed by Alexis N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.