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)
Prisoner Of The Past
Prefab Sprout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a ghost to you now, a shadow since you turned your back on me
Maybe you'll learn why it was I shook
Baby your turn to wear the haunted look
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
I'm taking you at last -
A prisoner of the past
This ghost is here to stay
He survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to say
"I've found my niche at last -
A prisoner of the past"
Anywhere that you go, I'm going to be the welcome there for you
Everywhere that you go - be certain that the table's set for two !
Maybe you'll learn - there's nowhere you can go
Baby you'll turn - as white, as white as snow
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get Ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last -
A prisoner of the past
This ghost is here to stay
He survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to say
"I've found my niche at last -
A prisoner of the past"
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get Ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last -
A prisoner of the past
The lyrics to Prefab Sprout’s song A Prisoner of the Past are sung from the perspective of a ghost or a memory of someone who has been left behind. The singer is someone who was once close to the person they are addressing, but has been effectively shut out of their life. The repetition of the line “I’m a ghost to you now” emphasizes this point and suggests a sense of loss and longing. The line “Maybe you’ll learn why it was I shook” hints at some sort of betrayal or wrongdoing that led to the fractured relationship, but the exact nature of the transgression is never made explicit.
The chorus of the song shifts tone slightly, with the singer taking on a more sinister edge. The repeated line “This ghost is here to stay” and the ominous lines “Get ready, get ready to pay / I’m taking you at last” suggest that the singer is seeking vengeance for the wrong that was done to them. The use of the phrase “prisoner of the past” is particularly evocative, implying that the person the singer is addressing will never be free from the memories of their past actions. The final verse is a continuation of the second, with the singer promising to be a constant presence in the person’s life, haunting them with reminders of what they have done.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a ghost to you now, I'm someone you don't really wish to see
I am now invisible to you, someone you would rather avoid
I'm a ghost to you now, a shadow since you turned your back on me
I am now like a shadow to you since you abandoned me
Maybe you'll learn why it was I shook
Perhaps you will understand why I was scared
Baby your turn to wear the haunted look
Now it's your turn to be haunted
Anywhere that you go, I'm going to be the welcome there for you
I will always be ready to welcome you wherever you go
Everywhere that you go - be certain that the table's set for two !
When you go anywhere, always know that there will be a table set for both of us
Maybe you'll learn - there's nowhere you can go
Perhaps you will realize that there is nowhere to run to
Baby you'll turn - as white, as white as snow
And you will turn as white as snow
This ghost is here to stay
I am here to stay as a ghost
I survived the blast
I survived the traumatic event
Get Ready, get ready to pay
Be prepared to face the consequences
I'm taking you at last - A prisoner of the past
I am finally taking you as a captive of the past
He survived the blast
He survived the traumatic event
Get ready, get ready to say
Prepare yourself to admit
"I've found my niche at last - A prisoner of the past"
"I have finally found my role - a captive of the past"
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GazingatStars
A Prisoner Of The Past
I'm a ghost to you now, I'm someone you don't really wish to see
I'm a ghost to you now, a shadow since you turned your back on me
Maybe you'll learn why it was I shook
Baby your turn to wear the haunted look
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to say
I've found my niche at last
A prisoner of the past
Anywhere that you go, I'm going to be the welcome there for you
Everywhere that you go, be certain that the table's set for two
Maybe you'll learn, there's nowhere you can go
Baby you'll turn, as white, as white as snow
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
Peter Goodwill
Prefab Sprout - A Prisoner Of The Past
I'm a ghost to you now, I'm someone you don't really wish to see
I'm a ghost to you now, a shadow since you turned your back on me
Maybe you'll learn why it was I shook
Baby your turn to wear the haunted look
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to say
I've found my niche at last
A prisoner of the past
Anywhere that you go, I'm going to be the welcome there for you
Everywhere that you go, be certain that the table's set for two
Maybe you'll learn, there's nowhere you can go
Baby you'll turn, as white, as white as snow
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
kaczorek73
Andromeda heights must be one of the most underrated albums in the history of popular music.
BilisNegra
It might, the thing is that this that type of comment is such a cliché that the few instances where it is true, it fails to make a point.
Bernard Baker
NOT. vacuous rubbish more like.........as per original reviews...........
Ronald Boonstra
@Thomas Aquinas Andromeda........lifetime forever. Ty for your comment...
Thomas Aquinas
Agreed - i think this is their best album, tho i really like Jordan.
Jack F
Yep. Like loads of others.
GazingatStars
A Prisoner Of The Past
I'm a ghost to you now, I'm someone you don't really wish to see
I'm a ghost to you now, a shadow since you turned your back on me
Maybe you'll learn why it was I shook
Baby your turn to wear the haunted look
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to say
I've found my niche at last
A prisoner of the past
Anywhere that you go, I'm going to be the welcome there for you
Everywhere that you go, be certain that the table's set for two
Maybe you'll learn, there's nowhere you can go
Baby you'll turn, as white, as white as snow
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
This ghost is here to stay
I survived the blast
Get ready, get ready to pay
I'm taking you at last
A prisoner of the past
Shane Glackin
Unbelievable song writing, arrangement and voice - please come back Prefab Sprout / Paddy McAloon!
Anna Pink
One of my all time fave bands!
Luis Figueiredo
Me too. Paddy McAloon is simply amazing...