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.
It
Peter Frampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you took my love for granted
I tried so hard to please you
Every way I could
Every time I think of you
But all I have to say is
But to me it's a sad affair
Knowing you as I do
I think you will survive
It can take a year or more
But just let's be alive
Everyday and now I think of you
But all I've got to say
To me it's a sad, sad affair
To me it's a sad, sad affair
When you know it's over
And love goes out the door
Peaking up those pieces
Will hurt so much more
You know I can wish
And you can hope
All I have, all I have to say
But to me it's a sad, sad affair
Yes to me it's a sad affair
Yes to me it's a sad affair
You can wish
And I can hope
There's nothing that we can do
Cause to me and to you
It's a sad affair
To me it's a sad affair
Yes to me it's a sad affair, sad affair
The song "It" by Peter Frampton tells the story of a failed love affair where one person took the other for granted, causing heartbreak and sadness. The lyrics convey a sense of deep disappointment and resignation, as the singer tries to come to terms with the end of the relationship. Despite their efforts to please their partner, it was not enough, and they are left to pick up the pieces and move on, even though it hurts so much more. The chorus of "to me it's a sad affair" is repeated several times, driving home the point that the singer is truly devastated by the loss of love.
The verses are filled with poignant imagery and reflections on the nature of love and loss. The line "When you know it's over and love goes out the door" is particularly striking, as it captures the sense of finality and despair when a relationship ends. The final lines of the song, "There's nothing that we can do, cause to me and to you it's a sad affair," further emphasize the inevitability of the situation, as both parties are powerless to change the outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought it was forever
At one point, I believed our love would last for an eternity.
Then you took my love for granted
However, you began to assume my love was a given, without giving back or putting effort in.
I tried so hard to please you
Despite this, I continued to make an effort in trying to make you happy.
Every way I could
I did this in all possible ways.
Every time I think of you
Whenever you cross my mind,
But all I have to say is
I can only say this one thing:
But to me it's a sad affair
In my opinion, the situation is a somber one.
To me it's a sad, sad affair
In fact, it's a very sad situation to me.
Knowing you as I do
Based on my existing knowledge of you,
I think you will survive
I think you will recover from this heartbreak.
It can take a year or more
However, it may take a significant amount of time before that happens.
But just let's be alive
In the meantime, let's just focus on living and making the most of our lives.
Everyday and now I think of you
Still, you frequently cross my mind every day.
When you know it's over
When we're both aware that our relationship has ended,
And love goes out the door
And our love and affection for each other dissipates,
Peaking up those pieces
The process of attempting to pick up the fragments from the broken relationship,
Will hurt so much more
Can be so much more painful.
You know I can wish
I can hope or dream about the future.
And you can hope
And you can do the same.
All I have, all I have to say
Despite all of this, the only thing I can say is still just one thing.
Yes to me it's a sad affair
Yes, it's still a very sad situation to me.
You can wish
You can hope or dream.
And I can hope
And I can do the same.
There's nothing that we can do
Sadly, at this point in time, we can't do anything to change what has happened.
Cause to me and to you
This is because we both feel the same way about our current situation.
It's a sad affair
It's just a very sad situation.
Yes to me it's a sad affair, sad affair
Yes, it's still a very sad and unfortunate situation to me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER KENNETH FRAMPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martin Boere
I would't object if Peter Frampton would fill a complete album with stuff like this.
Bruce Hanson
Check out his album "fingerprints" amazing instrumental work!
mic jam
Me too.. that was awesome!
Jerry Nowacki
Martin, oh, you wouldn't object LOL
Rateye Smertz
I feel like you do too.
Cross Link
Great idea, I'd be in line for a copy or two.
Joe Schwab
Thank you for this Mr Frampton. Your are loved by so many people of all races, religions and gender for your bright smile, positive attitude, unmatched musical talent.
Roger Sadowsky
The Absolute “Joy!” That Peter exudes when he plays cannot be denied!
For so many years a Blessing to us all!!
😎🤘🤘🤘
Paul Spacco
One the all time greatest songs ever!
ANSC
George Harrison