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.
Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele
Peter Frampton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for me and a rainy day
Trying to cross road, they all look like candy
Guitars behind glass that I wanted to play
I beg for one, oh, but dad's just a teacher
Could barely afford to buy me such things
I woke him up at 3 in the morning
They're the best days of my life
I can never get back
What will never be again
But I can close my eyes
And I can see them, ooh
My dear old mom, frustrated actress
Reluctant victory, writing with me
My first attempt at filling the pages
She was the angel, the angel you see
They're the best days of my life
I can never get back
What will never be again
But I can close my eyes
And I can see them, see them
I have this dream, we're all at the table
Sharing verses, stories and song
Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele
She hands it to me and I play along
The best days of my life
Are somewhere up the road
With my family and friends
I can close my eyes
And I can see them, see them
The lyrics of the song "Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele" by Peter Frampton speak of nostalgia and looking back at the best days of one's life. The song starts with the singer remembering a rainy day when he was waiting for someone with a banjolele. He then speaks of guitars that are behind glass and which he wanted to play, but his father, being a teacher, couldn't afford to buy such things for him. So, he woke his father up in the middle of the night at 3 AM, and asked him to tune the extra two strings of his instrument.
The second verse of the song talks about the singer's mother, who was a frustrated actress but wrote songs with him. She was his angel in life, and they spent many happy moments together, trying to fill the pages with their words. The chorus of the song talks about how the singer can never get back those days of his life, but he can still close his eyes and see them. The song ends with the singer dreaming of a table where he and his family and friends are sharing verses, stories, and songs, and Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele hand him their instrument, and he plays along.
Line by Line Meaning
Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele
The people and things that inspire and bring joy to the singer.
Waiting for me and a rainy day
The singer eagerly looks forward to spending time with Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele when the weather is less than ideal.
Trying to cross road, they all look like candy
The singer finds everything in the world to be colorful, interesting and enticing when Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele are with him/her.
Guitars behind glass that I wanted to play
The artist had a desire to play guitars, but due to financial constraints, was unable to afford them.
I beg for one, oh, but dad's just a teacher
The artist’s father, a teacher, wasn’t very wealthy and couldn’t afford to buy the artist any musical instruments.
Could barely afford to buy me such things
The singer’s family didn't have enough money to spend on buying expensive things.
I woke him up at 3 in the morning
The singer woke their father up early in the morning to help tune their instrument to make its sound better.
Asked him to tune the extra two strings
The artist asked their father for assistance to tune two additional strings on their instrument.
They're the best days of my life
The moments spent with Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele have been the happiest and most memorable days of the artist’s life.
I can never get back
The artist realizes that time has passed and the past moments cannot be relived.
What will never be again
The past days with Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele were unique and can't be replicated.
But I can close my eyes
The artist can relive the memories by imagining them with closed eyes.
And I can see them, ooh
The singer has vivid memories of the moments spent with Vaudeville Nanna and The Banjolele that can be revisited in their imagination.
My dear old mom, frustrated actress
The singer’s mother was an actress who was unable to fulfill her aspirations and dreams.
Reluctant victory, writing with me
Despite being reluctant to write, the singer's mother helped and supported their writing efforts.
My first attempt at filling the pages
The artist's first attempts at writing were with the help and encouragement of their mother.
She was the angel, the angel you see
The artist refers to their mother as an angel because of her unselfish love and support.
I have this dream, we're all at the table
The singer has a recurring dream where everyone is gathered around a table to enjoy each other's company and share songs and stories.
Sharing verses, stories and song
In the dream, everyone present shares their experiences and creative work with one another.
She hands it to me and I play along
In the dream, Vaudeville Nanna hands the Banjolele to the artist, who then begins to play music along with them.
The best days of my life
Memories of the past spent with beloved people and joyful events are the happiest and most valuable moments that one could ever experience in their life.
Are somewhere up the road
The artist believes that there are still more happy moments and exciting experiences to come in their life.
With my family and friends
The singer expects to have more enjoyable moments with their loved ones in future events and activities.
And I can see them, see them
The artist's imagination and memory help them recall and relive the happy moments they have shared with the people they love.
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER KENNETH FRAMPTON, GORDON SCOTT KENNEDY
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