Their biggest commercial and critical success came with 1990's Jordan: The Comeback (one of two albums produced by Thomas Dolby), which was a hit in the UK and nominated for a BRIT award. The band also had a UK Top 10 hit with their 1988 song The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Perhaps their finest album, Steve McQueen (originally released in June 1985) was re-released in August 2007 as a 2-CD deluxe edition, with a bonus disc of eight acoustic reinterpretations of some of the original tracks. Of the release, the record company said: "Digitally remastered by original producer Thomas Dolby, the album is sounding even better than ever. As if that weren't enough it is complemented here with a second disc containing eight sublime acoustic versions, which have been specially re-recorded for this release by Paddy McAloon."
Steve McQueen was released in the US under the title Two Wheels Good following pressure from the late actor's estate.
Prefab Sprout released Let's Change the World With Music - The Blueprint in 2009 on the Kitchenware Records label (website). See also Sprout Trivia below.
Discography:
Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone) / Radio Love - Feb 25, 1982 (their first record, released on their own label Candle)
The Devil Has All the Best Tunes / Walk On - Oct 1983 (Kitchenware) (feat. Wendy Smith and Fiona Attwood)
Swoon - Mar 1984
Steve McQueen aka Two Wheels Good (US) - Jun 1985
From Langley Park to Memphis - Mar 1988
Protest Songs - Jun 1989
Jordan: The Comeback - Aug 1990
The Best of Prefab Sprout: A Life of Surprises - Jul 1992 (compilation; exit Conti hereafter)
Andromeda Heights - May 1997
38 Carat Collection (disc 1) - Oct 1999 (compilation)
38 Carat Collection (disc 2) - Oct 1999 (compilation)
The Gunman And Other Stories - Jun 18, 2001 (sans Smith)
Chronology of Bandmembers:
Paddy McAloon (born Patrick Joseph McAloon, Jun 7, 1957, Durham); vocals / guitars / keyboards
Martin McAloon (born Jan 4, 1962, Durham); bass guitar
Michael Salmon; drums / percussion
Wendy Smith (born May 31, 1963, Middlesbrough); vocals / guitars / keyboards
Neil Conti (born Feb 12, 1959, Luton); drums / percussion
Fiona Attwood (Chester-le-Street); backing vocals
Sprout Trivia:
Paddy conceived the name "Prefab Sprout" when he was just 14 back in 1972, he revealed in an interview with French magazine BEST. It was his attempt at creating an unusual name like groups that were popular at the time (eg Tyrannosaurus Rex, Moby Grape, Grand Funk Railroad, etc.).
The band has had as many as 11 drummers (including Paddy McAloon himself on programmed percussion!) in its lineup. Of these, Conti was the most closely identified with the group. (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sproutfacts.html)
Paddy had apparently conceived of an album named Let's Change The World With Music (the working title of the band's forthcoming album, due February 2009) as far back as the early 1990's:
"I actually wrote a Gulf War album called Let's Change The World With Music, and I've got a couple of beauties, but there are right and wrong times to do things, and it came after another album I wrote which is much lighter... it's called Billy Midnight, very romantic. So the Gulf War album was a more serious response to that. I keep junking things all the time." - NME June 20, 1992 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
"And I have an album called Let's Change The World With Music; lots of songs about music, playing on that horrible thing where you listen to a song like "We Are The World" and the sentiment is great but it's such a cliché that it sticks in your throat. It plays on that edge between that kind of thing and real sincerity." - NME April 15, 1995 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
"Look, since 1990 I've written what I think of as my best music. You can hear some of it on Andromeda Heights. But I have also - in detailed demo form - an album called Let's Change The World With Music. It was written as the follow up to Jordan." - BEST magazine (France) July 1997 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
He'll Have To Go
Prefab Sprout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
You can't say the words I want to hear
While you're with another man,
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
Darling, I will understand.
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
The song "He'll Have To Go" by Prefab Sprout is a cover of the original song by Jim Reeves. The lyrics are about a man who is on the phone with a woman he loves, but she is with another man. He wants to know if she loves him or the other man. He asks her to tell the other man that he has to go, so they can be together. The man is willing to wait for her if she wants him, but he needs to know if she wants him or not.
The lyrics use imagery and metaphors to express the emotions of the singer. The line "Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone" is a metaphor for the intimacy the singer wants with the woman. The line "Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true" expresses the vulnerability of the singer's emotions. He is willing to risk rejection to know what she feels.
The singer expresses his frustration and sadness that the woman is with another man. He knows that he cannot compete with the other man unless she chooses him. The line "You can't say the words I want to hear while you're with another man" shows his longing for her but also his acceptance that he cannot force her to choose him. The singer wants to know if she will choose him, but he is also willing to walk away if she does not.
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of love and longing. The singer is willing to take a risk and put his heart on the line, but he also recognizes that he cannot control the woman's feelings. The song has a melancholy tone, but it is also a beautiful expression of human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Come closer to the phone so that we can have an intimate conversation.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
Imagine as if we are together, alone in each other's company.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
I will request the person in charge of the music to lower the volume of the jukebox equipment.
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
You can ask your friend, who is with you, to leave us alone so that we can have our conversation.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Speak softly and confess if you genuinely love me.
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Do you feel embraced and taken care of the way I do, or is he better than me?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
Even if love is irrational, still make a decision, I need to know where I stand.
Should I hang up, or will you tell him he'll have to go?
Should I end this call, or do I need to ask you to leave your current company?
You can't say the words I want to hear
You cannot utter the phrases I want to listen to.
While you're with another man,
When you are with another guy.
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
Respond whether you want me or not, with a clear 'yes' or 'no'.
Darling, I will understand.
My love, I will comprehend whatever you choose.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joe Allison, Audrey Allison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind