After touring the US and Europe for two years, he left Humble Pie as the group was gaining popularity because of disdain for Marriott's hard living lifestyle and screaming boogie rock direction. Aside from his work with Humble Pie, other recordings of this era that feature Frampton include albums by Harry Nilsson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and George Harrison. His solo debut was 1972's Wind of Change, which did not fare well on the charts though receiving critical praise. It also featured appearances by musicians such as Ringo Starr and Mick Jones.
Two more efforts by Frampton also struggled commercially, one released under the moniker Frampton's Camel. Constant touring began to create awareness of his talents, however, and 1974's Frampton LP went gold. It also peaked #32 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S., showing his growing international appeal.
He finally gained lasting international fame by 1976 when his much-loved live album, Frampton Comes Alive! was released. Having built up his reputation on the road, the LP debuted at No. 1 on the charts in January 1976. It was long considered the best-selling live album of all time, moving over 16 million copies worldwide.
In 1978, Peter suffered a near fatal car crash in the Bahamas, which left him with a concussion, muscle damage and broken bones. But in 1979, he released the album 'Where I Should Be', which went gold and produced the hit 'I Can't Stand It No More'.
His extensive use of the Talk Box effect was and still is an integral part of the Peter Frampton experience.
His albums never regained the high chart placements of the 70's era but he has continued his musical career none the less. Among the gimmicks he's employed to maintain interest have been releasing Frampton Comes Alive II, as well as joining Ringo Starr's touring revue, recording two CDs with ex-Stone Bill Wyman and unsucessfully attempting to reunite with Steve Marriott before his death in 1991. Other notable occasions include starring with the Bee Gees in a film version of The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and playing with David Bowie on his Never Let Me Down album and tour.
In 2006, Frampton released Fingerprints, a completely instrumental guitar showcase album.
In 2013, two of the ballet’s spring production segments were choreographed to Frampton and his band. A third section featured these new compositions. As Frampton says about the experience: “Writing for dance was a wonderfully freeing experience, There were no boundaries…Songwriters and musicians create music to move people. This was beautiful, graceful, and instantly gratifying!”
“The Promenade’s Retreat” features Frampton laying down some light picking. The verses are few, so we don’t get all that much singing, though Frampton’s voice is very distinctive. There is an easy backbeat provided by drummer Chad Cromwell and Frampton manages his trills, pulls-offs and clean intricate leading.
The title track is a poppy acoustic guitar number. Frampton sings at the high end of his range, we get very Beatlesque sing-able choruses, a tickle of Dobro guitar slide in the bridge, and harmony vocals from Gordon Kennedy. Erik Darken’s congas keep everything slipping along as Frampton leads on top of the concoction, showing his mastery on acoustic as much as he ever has on electric.
“The One in 901” is the first real rock mover and probably the heaviest. There is a chunky Chad Cromwell drumming and Frampton double octave riffing. Over the top, he delivers slightly distorted simple yet effective leads. We even hear some softly sung “ooh’s” before the break out at the end.
“Heart To My Chest” is a delicate tune. Frampton offers up his acoustic yet again for the main voicing and some poignant lyric, his voice breaking even slightly on top of it all. When Blair Master’s piano, Gordon Kennedy’s bass and Cromwell’s drums come in for the choruses, we are in latter-day John Lennon-sounding territory. This tune features guitar and piano descending lines at its end with Frampton offering up clean leads over it. This is the best tune here.
A shuffling mid-tempo beat pushes “Norman Wisdom.” Frampton leads all over the tune on acoustic, offering a fun lyric and Steely Dan-like backing vocals from Kennedy and Frampton. Hummingbird In A Box: Songs For A Ballet is clean, simple, not overly stylized playing from Peter Frampton. The songs are strong enough to stand on their own, ballet or not. We get another example of what Peter Frampton is capable of after five decades.
Peter now resides in Cincinnati, Ohio and can still be found playing concerts around the world.
Fig Tree Bay
Peter Frampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To find peace
And seek tranquility
Started to drive
Finding nothing but warmth
At Fig Tree Bay
Stop the clock at half-past nine
Take out some cheese and laze around
One day not Sunday
I found us a beach to hide away
Whispering waves
Shapes in the sand
Dream of centuries past
But who can tell
Sea shells and dog's tails surround me now
The sun beats down
Give me the strength to speak my mind
All that we have clicking by
For your eyes and mine alone
Maybe your hey-day
I glanced at the private movie star
Brown skin girl
Please take us back to where the sun beats down
Give me the time and peace of mind
The lyrics of Peter Frampton's song Fig Tree Bay describe the search for inner peace and tranquility on a beautiful island, and finding it at Fig Tree Bay. The literal search for peace is conveyed in the first line, "Came to the island to find peace and seek tranquility", and the metaphorical search for inner peace and escape from the chaos of everyday life is portrayed through the desire for "warmth" and relaxation at Fig Tree Bay. The lyrics suggest that there is no need for time, with the line "There's no time, who needs time? Stop the clock at half-past nine". The singer is urging the listener to take a break, to unwind and to just "laze around".
The imagery of the lyrics intensifies as the song progresses, with the description of the beach and the waves as being "whispering" and "shapes in the sand... dream of centuries past". However, the singer also acknowledges the fragility and impermanence of this moment, questioning the certainty of the future and the fate of the past with the line "But who can tell". The recognition of the transience of this moment is captured in the final lines of the song, with "All that we have clicking by, for your eyes and mine alone. Give me the time and peace of mind".
Line by Line Meaning
Came to the island
I came to this island
To find peace
To find inner calm and quietness
And seek tranquility
And search for a state of calmness and relaxation
Started to drive
Began to explore the island by car
Finding nothing but warmth
Only discovering warm weather
At Fig Tree Bay
At the beach called Fig Tree Bay
There's no time, who needs time?
We don't need to worry about time
Stop the clock at half-past nine
Imagine time stopping at 9:30 PM
Take out some cheese and laze around
Get some cheese and relax by doing nothing
One day not Sunday
On a day that's not Sunday
I found us a beach to hide away
I discovered a secluded beach to retreat to
Whispering waves
Sound of waves rolling smoothly
Shapes in the sand
Various shapes created by the sand
Dream of centuries past
Wonder about events that happened in the past
But who can tell
But no one can say for sure what happened then
Sea shells and dog's tails surround me now
All I see now are sea shells and dog tails
The sun beats down
The sun shines intensely
Give me the strength to speak my mind
I want the courage to express my thoughts
All that we have clicking by
All our moments passing like ticking sounds
For your eyes and mine alone
Only for us to cherish
Maybe your hey-day
When you were most successful and famous
I glanced at the private movie star
I caught a glimpse of a famous person in hiding
Brown skin girl
A girl with brown skin
Please take us back to where the sun beats down
Please take us to a place where the sun shines
Give me the time and peace of mind
Give me time to relax and clear my thoughts
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER FRAMPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Beverly Esparaguera
on Apple Of Your Eye
Good Day Heritage Singers!!!
I am an avid of your singing group. I always listen to your songs because i feel more happy everytime i play your music everyday. I want to ask a lyrics of your song "The Apple of your Eye". I really love this music. Looking forward to receive a response from you, Thanks a lot. More Power and God Bless. Kindly send the lyrics to bhevscasida@gmail.com