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 Long and Winding Road
Peter Frampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
In Peter Frampton's song The Long and Winding Road, the lyrics speak of a journey that has been taken before - a journey that always leads the singer back to the door of the person they are addressing. They describe the winding road as unending, one that perpetually leads them to their destination. The singer acknowledges that they have been alone and that their efforts to reach their destination have often caused them pain. Their request of the person addressed is made clear: they ask to be shown the way to the door again, and not to be kept waiting.
The lyrics in this song speak to a feeling of longing for someone else, someone who may have left the singer a long time ago. Despite the difficulties that the singer has faced in reaching their destination, they are still resolute and persistent in their desire to complete the journey. It seems as though the singer is determined to hold on to something in the past, whether it be a physical place (the destination at the end of the long and winding road) or a person who once meant something to them.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road
Life is a journey that is not always straight and narrow
That leads to your door
That ultimately takes us to the people and places that matter most
Will never disappear
It will always be there, as reliable as the sunrise and as constant as the stars
I've seen that road before
Although I've traveled many paths, this one is familiar to me
It always leads me here
Despite the twists and turns, this road brings me to you
Lead me to your door
Take me where I belong, by your side
The wild and windy night
Life can be tumultuous and unpredictable, like a stormy night
That the rain washed away
Which can wash away the sorrows of our hearts
Has left a pool of tears
But the aftermath of a storm can leave us with sadness and regret
Crying for the day
Longing for a brighter tomorrow, when we can start anew
Why leave me standing here?
Why must I be alone and lost, when all I want is to be close to you?
Let me know the way
Show me the path forward, so I can find my way to you
Many times I've been alone
I've faced loneliness and despair on my journey
And many times I've cried
Sometimes the pain and sadness is too much to bear
Anyway you'll never know
But you can never fully understand the depths of my heartache
The many ways I've tried
I've done everything in my power to find my way back to you
And still they lead me back
Despite the challenges, the road always leads me back to you
To the long winding road
That always takes me on a journey to find what I'm looking for
You left me standing here
You were the one who left me alone, waiting for you
A long long time ago
It's been ages since we were together, and I still can't forget you
Don't leave me waiting here
Don't make me wait any longer, I need to be with you now
Lead me to your door
Be the one to show me the way, to the place where we belong
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing the desire to be united and expressing the hopes for that day to come soon.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LovezTunez
I have never heard that he didn’t really want to sing, but this man can write a song about anything! He has one about “I Saved a Bird Today”about a coot who stranded itself on his balcony in Nashville. Another is about a dead bird in a box. (I’m not sure if that song is part of the score he wrote for a Cleveland Ballet production.)
He has said he was attempting to escape the stereotypical image of teen heartthrob that the unexpected and unbelievable success of Frampton Comes Alive brought him. (I’m guilty. I won my FCA 2LP in 8th grade from a radio station.)
He later joined David Bowie “Glass Spider” tour playing lead guitar.. (There are videos available on here.) He directed the music for several motion pictures. “Almost Famous”is one you’re probably familiar with. I don’t know if he did other Cameron Crowe movies.
This Sgt Pepper’s movie was silly, but it was my last “date”with my father. We had to travel over an hour to see it on opening weekend. We had dinner at Victoria’s Station before the movie. I was a kid but wow, I felt so special that night, like a princess.
Many decades later, I began searching for my biological mother. It took many years, lots of patience, determination, imagination, and finally the courage to contact her and then to finally meet her. This song perfectly reflects that journey, no matter who sings it.
If you have the opportunity to see Frampton’s “Raw” show, I highly recommend it. All acoustic, many stories. I was fortunate enough to spend time with him after a show in Florida. Very kind. Like most musicians I’ve met on tour, he seemed a little lonely or homesick despite having his son with him.
Cyrus Nanavati
I love this version of this great song - Peter Frampton's interpretation is brilliant
BackYardSounds
Agreed
Will Dwyer
One of the very few good covers from the film soundtrack. Aerosmith did a good job with Come Together. Sandy Farina sounds good on this soundtrack too. The Bee Gees sucked, and so did Earth Wind & Fire.
Franco Brandares
I love also the instrumental part, so very emotional
Stefanija Krivaja
@BackYardSounds, yes
Stefanija Krivaja
@odz893 , yes
leadchick
Peter does a phenomenal job with this cover. He's got a golden voice, and brings heartfelt guitar riffs to the mix. Thanks for posting this. I loved the movie, too!!
Donna Marcum
Loved the movie with the Bee Gees. He's still rocks love you Peter. A God given talented man
Ashley Marie
I cry during this song. It's just that he's amazing singing this song!
Mark Walker
Every time