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.
The Crying Clown
Peter Frampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It wasn't meant to be
Keep on till you die
When lying down
We kick the crying clown
And there's never a thought
Of how he lifts a frown
The longer you live
The stronger you feel
The more you can give
It's dying like sand, sand in a sieve
Where is the time to remain?
Well don't forget
The day you ever met
Trying to believe
It wasn't wasted time
You sipping gin and wry
You had to walk away
It haunts you every day
The longer you love
The longer you live
The stronger you feel
The more you can give
Floating away, day in the rain
The lady you love can't sustain
The longer you love
The longer you live
The stronger you feel
The more you can give
We're dying like sand, sand in a sieve
Where is the time to remain?
The longer you love
The longer you live
The stronger you feel
The more you can give
Floating away, day in the rain
The lady you love can't sustain
The longer you love
The longer you live
The stronger you feel
The more you can give
You're floating away, day in the rain
The lady you love will sustain
The lyrics to Peter Frampton's song "The Crying Clown" are a reflection on the fragility of life and love. The opening lines of the song ("Don't you see? It wasn't meant to be / Keep on till you die") suggest a resigned acceptance of the inevitable, but the subsequent lines convey a sense of hope and purpose. The singer suggests that the longer you love, the longer you live, and the more you can give, but that love is like sand in a sieve, slipping away all too quickly. Despite the transience of love, the singer still feels haunted by past relationships and choices, and wonders if it was all just wasted time.
The song's imagery of a crying clown is particularly poignant, as clowns are typically associated with joy and laughter. The juxtaposition of a crying clown with the idea of love slipping away emphasizes the emotional pain that comes with lost love. The refrain of "the longer you love, the longer you live, the stronger you feel, the more you can give" is a reminder that love is worth pursuing despite the inevitable heartache.
Overall, "The Crying Clown" is a melancholy yet hopeful song about the importance of loving and giving despite life's impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you see?
Can't you understand?
It wasn't meant to be
Our relationship wasn't meant to work out.
Keep on till you die
Continue living your life until the end.
When lying down
When we are passive or inactive.
We kick the crying clown
We harm those who are vulnerable or weak.
And there's never a thought
We don't consider the consequences of our actions.
Of how he lifts a frown
We don't acknowledge the positive impact he may have had on others.
The longer you love
The more time you spend in a committed relationship,
The longer you live
The more time you spend alive,
The stronger you feel
The more powerful your emotions become,
The more you can give
The more you are able to offer to others.
It's dying like sand, sand in a sieve
Our time together is slipping away like sand through a sieve.
Where is the time to remain?
There is very little time left for us to stay together.
Well don't forget
Let's remember
The day you ever met
The day we first encountered each other,
Trying to believe
Attempting to convince ourselves
It wasn't wasted time
Our time together was not a waste,
You sipping gin and wry
You're drinking gin with a sense of sarcasm or irony,
You had to walk away
You made the decision to leave,
It haunts you every day
You are still affected by the aftermath of that decision.
Floating away, day in the rain
Slowly drifting apart, lost in the midst of difficulties.
The lady you love can't sustain
The woman you love is unable to cope with the challenges we are facing.
You're floating away, day in the rain
You are also drifting away in our relationship.
The lady you love will sustain
The woman you love will endure the difficulties and sustain through our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER KENNETH 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