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)
When You Get to Know Me Better
Prefab Sprout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you haven't known me long
And you don't yet know the ways I'll find
To hurt and do you wrong
I'm a man with one small weakness,
Any woman in a dress
When you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
Tonight if I'm your angel
And I've flown before you wake
Well it's just that I would hate to let you see my wings are fake
Tonight if I'm your angel
One that God forgot to bless
When you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
If I sing you, 'Love me Tender'
In a way that you believe
Remember that I'll mean it
Till the moment that I leave
What I have to tell you,
I know in time you'll guess
When you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
When you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
The lyrics of Prefab Sprout's song, "When You Get to Know Me Better," explore the idea of self-doubt and the fear of revealing one's true self in a new relationship. The song's narrator admits that he longs for love, but is cautious about revealing himself because he knows that he is flawed and may hurt the woman he desires. He acknowledges his weakness for women and the way he can be hurtful, which is why he believes that as she discovers more about him, she will come to love him less.
The metaphor of the angel with fake wings highlights the fear of being exposed as someone who is not perfect. The line "One that God forgot to bless" emphasizes the singer's sense of unworthiness and suggests that he may be prone to making mistakes. The repeated verse "When you get to know me better, you'll learn to love me less" emphasizes the fear of rejection and the belief that others will inevitably see the flaws and negativity in him.
The song captures the vulnerability of falling in love and the fear of being unlovable. The singer recognizes that he wants love but understands the risks that come with it. The ending line suggests that the person may still cling onto the hope that someone will still love them, even with all their flaws and difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
I can tell you'd like to love me,
I am aware that you desire to love me
But you haven't known me long
However, we haven't spent enough time together
And you don't yet know the ways I'll find
You are unaware of the methods I may find
To hurt and do you wrong
That could potentially cause harm to you
I'm a man with one small weakness,
My only vulnerability is with a woman who wears a dress
Any woman in a dress
I find any woman wearing a dress irresistible
When you get to know me better
As you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
It is probable that you will begin to love me less
Tonight if I'm your angel
This evening, If I am the one you cherish
And I've flown before you wake
And I leave before you wake up
Well it's just that I would hate to let you see my wings are fake
This is because, I do not want to reveal my insincerity
One that God forgot to bless
I consider myself undeserving of divine grace
If I sing you, 'Love me Tender'
In a case where I serenade you with 'Love Me Tender'
In a way that you believe
In a manner that convinces you
Remember that I'll mean it
Be mindful that I am sincere
Till the moment that I leave
For the duration of my stay
What I have to tell you,
What I am to reveal to you,
I know in time you'll guess
You will eventually discover on your own
When you get to know me better
As you get to know me better
You'll learn to love me less
It is likely that you will develop less affection for me
When you get to know me better
At a point when you know me more intimately
You'll learn to love me less
You may possibly lose some of your love for me
Contributed by Jayce C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edvard Couto
Quando penso conhecer sou surpreendido por mais uma fantástica e espetacular composição. Obrigado Paddy por mais essa. Prefab Sprout Forever!
Diego Roman
Muy buen tema e interprete. Tienen muy buenas canciones este grupo!!
Rita Oliveira
Maravilhosa