Graham Parker - 'Hey Lord Don't Ask Me Questions'

[@TheSharkyoz]

still got my vinyl of Parkerilla, proud possession

[@bertus161057]

Me too

[@abcasurname1544]

Love his voice and this song

[@anderslundqvist5771]

1982 på 'Draken' vid Fridhemasplan, numera en sorglig Pantbank! Sorgligt!

[@sophdog1678]

This was so great at the time, and still now, and I wondered back then why that was all we ever heard. How do they put out a song this good and this is all I ever hear from them? Commercial radio eh?

[@tracyhall6195]

..Huh. 🤔 .."Comm.📻", perhaps. 🤷‍♂️ I hear you. All I know is, their *entire* 1979 breakthrough album "Squeezing Out Sparks" 🔥 was played to near 🤮dom back then, when I lived in Philly. Radio stations like WMMR and WYSP had it Covered. College radio stations, also. No complaints here ! 🤘😎👍

[@leighcochran7303]

Up Escalator was Squeezing Out Sparks Pt. 2! 🎙🎸

[@JulieandMichaelManey]

Brilliant song, brilliant man👍

[@iesus68]

I do believe Graham Parker is the most underrated singer and writer in rock history, he has written and sung so many incredible songs. Such a brilliant artist supported by one of the greatest bunch of musicians ever seen on a stage.

[@Enigmatism415]

+iesus68 I began as a big fan of Joe Jackson, moved on to Elvis Costello, and then heard that this bloke was a bit of alright. Can you recommend a few of his best albums?

[@iesus68]

Enigmatism415 His double live lp set called Parkerilla is one of the best live album I've ever heard, on studio side I'd suggest you Stick to Me (his early period) and Squeezing Out Sparks. There's a great triple CD anthology done by Rhino Records called "Passion Is no Ordinary Word" which is really well done too

[@Daniel-dz2ie]

+iesus68 I personally love his album Heat Treatment

[@iesus68]

Heat Treatment, another must to have

[@TheGodParticle]

Maybe underrated but I'm sure he made good money and don't forget the royalties

[@Saffronelle]

Never heard this song before hearing it on the BBC sitcom "Here We Go".

[@blitz21]

I was born in 68 and have never heard of Graham but for the film This is 40. I’ve missed out.

[@mottthehoople693]

you have

[@leighcochran7303]

Every song on his early LPs is terrific! Don't wait to check 'em out!

[@kazieeedee5532]

Woo hoo fabulous..still love it after all these years ..still sounds amazing 👌🔥

[@ronrubendra5005]

Great song

[@paulsutherland3278]

Saw them live in the Auckland town hall in the 70s .Left an impression with me to this day.Just great

[@stevekennedy8264]

Found an autographed NZD 1 dollar note in Costello LP maybe from that show?

[@stevekennedy8264]

Weird that it had GPS autograph on it

[@okgo8315]

I had the pleasure of working with him on the 1982 tour as stage sound engineer and have a great recording of the Birmingham gig. Great gig, absolutely great band and possibly his best line up ever, great bloke, great tour and great fun. Thanks Graham. 👍🏽👍🏽🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@operatingwithoutinstructions]

You must have known Raynor ?

[@okgo8315]

@@operatingwithoutinstructions ....Raynor.... mmm🤔🤔..... was he a backline tech? I can hardly remember🤣🤣👍🇬🇧

[@filldoddsy1]

saw him at Newcastle in '79. was tripping at the time and i still reckon it was the best concert i have ever been too

[@tomgrooms4046]

Dig it...thinking is the best way to travel...kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5-blqmfd62dn80

[@braddabrowski1108]

Hahah good on ya buddy wish I could of seen them live as well 😂😂

[@rippi37]

Woohoo ! We saw them in Sydney , also tripping....what a night !!!! ;)

[@luciusmichael]

The song that converted me. Just straight up rock.

[@flyingfishsurf]

I've seen tons of acts starting in '62 and see no end in sight. I've experienced the surf rock explosion, the English invasion, folk, psychedelia, prog rock, metal, funk, punk, reggae, new wave, indie, rap, and everything in between. My last live show was last weekend. Seeing these guys around '77 with this lineup was still one of the finest shows I've ever witnessed. Parker, Schwartz and the horn section were absolutely on fire. This video only captures half of it.

[@markstenzler271]

Graham is the man. One of the greatest songs of all time.

[@leighcochran7303]

Gives me chills every time! The depth of emotion.

[@tracyhall6195]

I was blessed to attend the TKO-Graham Parker & the Rumour-Cheap Trick show at Philadelphia's old "Spectrum" 🌈 arena in May of 1979. 😃 🙏 GP played this jam, and pretty much All of his 1979 smash album "Squeezing Out Sparks". 🏆 In a word: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G !! 👍😎👍

[@edwardbrandriff5801]

We saw him last night at the Sellersville Theater....at age 73, Mr. Parker is still the legend that he always was! Great show! It was just him and his acoustic guitar, his "electrical guitar", and his bottle of water. :-)

[@tracyhall6195]

@@edwardbrandriff5801 ..Well Done ! 👏 Nice, "intimate" opportunity. 👍 My sister from North Wales, PA. goes there, occasionally. Great to hear GP is *still* out there Doing It ! 🎸🎤 🕶 ... Thanks for the response ! Keep Rockin' !! 🤘😎👍

[@philwearmouth1102]

Right on the cusp of pub rock / punk --- brilliant

[@bodensick]

Great song and delivery. Parker is too cool.

[@stuart7245]

If I could go back in time and see a band again this would be it.

[@iancraig6070]

Every time I listen to this I just think absolute underated musical genius.

[@simonmccauley8187]

Ratings are overrated

[@rippi37]

These guys were NEVER underrated ----probably just overlooked or underappreciated by you and your world.

[@Andolini99]

This guy should have been HUGE. But I guess he's now a hidden gem.

[@peterscully4961]

He was huge - one of the great pioneers of punk.

[@lewisc215]

He was huge, fool.

[@rippi37]

He was huge

[@peterscully4961]

@Coogan I gather you think YOU are? 🤣

[@Tcat506]

Heard this on the radio today!!!! I'd forgotten how freakin much I loved this !!!!! Still sounding epic in Nov 2020

[@nickmcgivern2791]

And 3years later...Go the cool 80's

[@markcripps5448]

Great act. In the late 70s he was on par with Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson & Ian Dury.

[@bertus161057]

Exacctly❤

[@rikfoster2167]

Graham wouldn't agree. 😅😊❤🎶🎶

[@leighcochran7303]

Liked Graham far better than Elvis C. who got all the publicity! 😡🎸 I think Graham is a lot deeper and all his early LPs are brilliant. But maybe it's just taste. You can like Elvis if you like....

[@andymaclellan4945]

Easily 😁😇😁😁

[@DavidTransformer]

First saw GP in 1977 when Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes supported. One of the best gigs I ever saw. Got tickets to see Graham later in the year in Glasgow. Great talent and delighted he is still touring.

[@kkoo3247]

Wow, Southside Johnny, The Fever

[@davieshu]

Music played with passion and intent! A Great song ..... if you don’t like this you really don’t like rock music!

[@ashleymuxworthy5388]

Great memories from growing up in the 70's. He should have been a bigger star , great live performer.

[@dannygriffiths7484]

Saw Graham Parker and the Rumour supported by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes at Guildford Civic Hall back in the day. What a top night that was.

[@rippi37]

Saw Graham Parker in concert in Sydney , and they were UNREAL !!!!!!!! Went to 2 gigs...both exceptional !! Great band

[@gordonfoy5217]

I was there, at the State ,many moons back. Fantastic gig!

[@rippi37]

@@gordonfoy5217 Yes Gordon !!! Many many moons ago , and it was brilliant !! xxx

[@Roberto9722]

One of the best songs of the 70's!

[@nzstrawman]

Howlin' Wind should be in every music collection, it's a stella LP

[@rdrrr]

@Coogan Howlin' Wind and Squeezing Out Sparks are absolutely incredible; they're both so damn good it's like divine inspiration was involved. Heat Treatment and Stick to Me are very good albums, they're just not _masterpieces_ like Wind/Sparks. The Up Escalator is frustrating because GP was still writing killer tunes, but the production's so flat it strangles the life out of The Rumour.

[@tonybates7870]

​@@rdrrr I particularly like Empty Lives from that album.

[@rdrrr]

@@tonybates7870 Yeah, it's the standout track on that album. Endless Night is also pretty good - some people can't stand Springsteen's backing vocals, I think it's an interesting change of pace.

[@stuart7245]

Saw then twice in the seventies. Once at uni gig before they were big. Shivers

[@carolinecochrane4872]

I just love this cant believe it wasnt huge.

[@stevecooper6563]

Remember hearing this masterpiece on Caroline in the 1970's. BRILLIANT!

[@annetessari1004]

Saw them live in Adelaide when they toured Australia ...no idea of the year. Im guessing 1980?? Brilliant concert. still remember it. The encore was a Jacksons song "I want you Back" from memory. That was sensational What happened to him and the group ?

[@danpetitpas]

Graham is still out there. COVID has knocked him off touring in 2020, but Martin Belmont from The Rumour is still with him and in 2016 Brinsley Schwarz from The Rumour played with Parker on tour. So Parker and The Rumour continue on!

[@gleyshull]

I saw Graham Parker & the Rumour headline a show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in the summer of '79. Still one of the best rock shows I've ever seen.

[@michaelbarghusen9721]

Geiles Ding! 🎈😇

[@FSquid]

I've never heard of Graham Parker before. I looked this up because of Adam Carolla. I gotta say, this is tight, insightful, aggressive, strong, intelligent, passionate, meaningful and just damn GOOD. Looks like I found who to data mine next :)

[@festerization]

Saw them the other night outside DC. They were genius. You will be greatly pleased.

[@tangotom61]

I bought this on 7" single , I never understood why it wasnt a massive hit , a fantastic song x

[@dennispicone6801]

Too many religious groups at the time, with their own agendas of course, which is fair enough, not agreeing to Parkers' lyrics wouldn't have helped. Not that he cared. Still one of the best singles of any era. A talented enigma who was misunderstood by far too many people. 😁👍

[@pgnz77]

Man o man, haven't heard this for some years, what a massive song!

[@pinehawk9600]

Saw Graham open for Cheap Trick in the late 70s... Became a fan that night

[@carbon4me]

A fantastic song that continues to sound fresh. I look forward to seeing Graham and his band at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. A fan since the late 70's in Cupertino, CA.

[@leighcochran7303]

Graham and Warren Zevon kept me going through the seventies. Equally brilliant songwriters AND singers. 🤩🤩

[@TheBham54]

Howling Wind was one of the best albums from the 70's, bar none.....yeah, definately underappreciated...

[@MalTheBear64]

Is this about chatting-up shelias in a 2/4 notation

[@rippi37]

Underappreciated by whom ? Certainly not by anyone I have known

[@williamaitken4544]

Saw him once with his excellent band at the now defunct Marquee Club, Soho. A hugely underrated talent who should not be forgotten.

[@stoofbuis]

everytime i hear this great track,i am 18 again(now 53).had a great time with my brother in law,who sadly passed away,only 45 years old.

[@sharonmelanie]

Saw this just by chance on TV. Never heard it before but very catchy so decided to look it up. Great song.

[@kevinlee1807]

Most underrated classic rock song ever.

[@keithjones6023]

I agree wholeheartedly!

[@sharonyoung9496]

Brilliant but seriously underrated band. God knows why.

[@rippi37]

Never underrated !! Maybe in your world....

[@jacksons1950]

Great voice the mighty Graham Parker thanks for the posting magic stuff

[@caughtinatrapelvis]

Driving beat and lyrics perfectly delivered by the maestro...xx

[@Stevecollin28]

Magnificent

[@kymanbedford-brown1323]

Graham Parker gem, hell yeah!😎🎶💎

[@davidmosey6634]

A massively underrated talent

[@bruceintas]

Graham did 30 odd albums & would not play the the record companies game for air play. Without doubt a legend in music & a great stage show!

[@621retsamz]

This song was on cassette called Hitwave 78. At age 10 it blew my mind, and still does now!

[@mataform]

One of my old time favourites.

[@randyfrakes6667]

His band kicks ass!!

[@willzavala6379]

Just last night I saw him close wtih this song on his solo tour. Made my cry.

[@myxdeplyx]

Just love this! Thanks for posting. Listened a lot to Graham Parker in the late 70s and early 80s. Definitely one of the best of that fantastic era! The Parkerilla and Squeezing out Sparks are true masterpieces. Graham, I'd just love to hear you live and also to introduce your fantastic music to my kids (now in their upper teens). Please come to Sweden and play for us!

[@theresamackey3516]

Went to so many of Graham and the Rumours gigs. ❤ So good

[@rodneyhone2220]

One of the best

[@Elitist20]

Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Blondie - my heroes in Year 12 of school in 1978.

[@michelvdzande2687]

Really great !!!

[@brianprice5152]

He was New wave, Joe Jackson was similar, great songs

[@braddabrowski1108]

Unbelievable band ,listening to these guys in the 70s

[@Vedder1992]

Best version of this classic.

[@bevanbuckwheatshea5520]

Incredible singer

[@janicemcgovern1787]

great live version of this song!

[@rodneyhone2220]

Great music

[@luciusmichael]

The song that converted me.

[@johnbooth2005]

… Crimson autograph Is what we leave behind Everywhere, where that man set foot, yeah A warmonger's laughin' loud Behind a painted face Throwing titbits to the crowd then Blowin' up the place … Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Please (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, ain't no answer in me … Well, I stand up for liberty But I can't liberate, uh And pent up agony I see you take first place Well, who does this treachery I shout with bleedin' hands Is it you or is it me, well I never will understand … Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Please, no, no, no, no, no, no (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, ain't no answer in me … Who waves his mighty hands And breaks the precious rules Well the same one got to understand Who wasted all these fools … Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Hey Lord, don't ask me questions Please, no, no, no, no, no, no (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, don't ask me questions (Hey Lord) Hey Lord, ain't no answer in me, yeah … Ain't no answer in me, no Ain't no answer in me Oh no, oh no Ain't no answer, ain't no answer, no answer in me Ain't no answer, ain't no answer, no answer in me Ain't no answer, ain't no answer, no answer in me

[@walesfan1]

Takes me back a bit. Killer tune.

[@sachabinky2915]

in a league of it's own....

[@napoleonauckland]

Amazing music!

[@davidwaterhouse2552]

Always loved this tune since 1978! dx

[@maninblack1313]

Immer noch soooooo geiiiil

[@stevemccart9109]

glad to see i wasn't the only person that liked him.

[@magnificentmuttley2084]

This song was in my head today and would not leave!! For the life of me I could not recall the man’s name!! It’s a pain being 64 yrs old, my memory is fading. And then, after a search I found it. I saw him in the Whitla Hall in Belfast, 1978 I think. Fantastic band, very tight. Great live. Thank you Graham. 😄👍🎸☘️

[@shortnotekerrie]

I love this songgggggg :))) Gotta have it turned right up!!!!

[@bertus161057]

A sense of urgency

[@MyDannywilson]

seen him once xx

[@grahammccready2647]

Bruce Springsteen called this guy "the only singer he'd pay money to see" He probably got on the guest list tho

[@boogiewehrkamp]

My friend Stewart F.steered me towards this vid/song... GREAT...

[@jeffreystevens5137]

This is it. There is nothing else.

[@annessex9883]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@mJoN3s-w6l]

He was good in movie this is 40

[@luciussorrentino9403]

43 years I've been a fan. I think that GP and the Rumor never got the airplay and fame of Elvis Costello or any of his contemporaries is that these guys were just too intense.

[@marcrollins]

I agree with you on that for sure, I love all of his albums and I think every song is a gem (I even have a few extra copies of his records hanging on my walls next to Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson). He sold records, he always sold records but he didn't meet a lot of the labels ideas of what a good number should be, and he took a lot of warranted liberties with his own music and made sure the suits never got to change it to what it wasn't; because of that he had to change labels constantly.

[@richiereverb]

Always loved this , reminds me of Elvis Costello but maybe earlier . Have a listen to ' New York Shuffle' too.

[@annetessari1004]

and loved loved The Heat in Harlem

[@krisscanlon4051]

True but always remember Parker came 1st Followed quite closely by Elvis. No one's really sure where the vocal comes from maybe Van Morrison maybe Bob Dylan hard to say

[@someonesomewhere1600]

10 points for the sunglasses flip!!!

[@redkola]

fantastic, cheers!

[@braddabrowski1108]

Good old graham 👌👌

[@emmabluecaboose6898]

Wow…GP and friends more than stand the test of time.

[@barnessutcliffe]

this is on bbc 4 right atm, i'm sat singing along with it and decided it'd be great to share it with my mates on usenet. its the first time i've heard it in, probably, over 25 years!

[@iraklisploumis4340]

I like this very much, since I was young, teenager

[@braddabrowski1108]

Oh wow how good is this man 👌👌

[@marcrollins]

There's no doubt I'll be seeing him... I'm actually gonna hit up all three of his CA shows he's doing this tour. But I definitely agree, there has to be something keeping him from England... A lot of his fans are there and I know he appreciates ALL of his fans.

[@allon33]

So good.

[@allon33]

Yes, underrated.

[@richardkelltoolmaker]

fabulous ... now that IS musicianship ....