Graham Parker - Temporary Beauty (video)

[secessionman]

Having not heard this song for 30 years or so i watched this video about a month ago and have literally not been able to get the song out of my head.

Every time I wake up its there..... then it disappears again..... but keeps coming back..... Its infectious and is such a testament to those that wrote it and performed it.

It may not have made the top 40 here in england (charts wtf) but this is an absolute classic.

[jimmyofaden]

Parkers voice always pulls me in..makes me listen.

I remember when this was cutting edge ..

Still cuts to my heart.

[11xzxzxz]

I think that Graham, with no soul-corruption to speak of, will forgive those who need temporary beauty.  He is just there to lead the way more than Springsteen or Costello. "You think of parties you'll never attend" - a very common human fault and Graham knows that but it's about fighting it a little more than you would before you heard the song.

[fweekstir]

yeah....thanks for posting. Obscure maybe for some. Not us.

[karlitos993]

Uno de esos temas injustamente olvidados(ciertamente,no por mi) Nunca la he vuelto a escuchar desde que salió, y en la radio no la ponen nunca. Solo se oye basura. Este tema se quedó grabado en mi memoria, y agradezco el que alguien lo haya subido. !Gracias!

[dockie1964]

This is when circa MTV played music videos..

[tecnoborg75]

elvis costello call, he wants his voice back

[postingoldtapes]

@tecnoborg75 Huh? They were contemporaries. Graham may well have started in music before Declan. Besides, this isn't Highlander - there can be more than one.

[11xzxzxz]

@tecnoborg75 Nicely done (in)!

[thenamesbondy]

Better voice than Costello, especially live. If you like this you should listen to Every Day I Have To Cry Some on the cd  Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander. Not on iTunes but on Spotify. For a stunning vocal performance of a great song.

[JapaneseMonk]

I never realized before just how much this sounds like Elvis Costello, but I know they were out about the same time so it makes sense the styles would be similar.

[cejannuzi]

@JapaneseMonk Graham Parker appealed to those who like Rockpile and seemed to straddle a musical area between Springsteen and Costello. He got major label support for a bit but it just didn't happen commercially.

[21corn]

Hug that ice!

[erinnx27]

They must have really had to twist his arm to do this video.

[bucky468]

Why isn't Graham's only US Top 40 pop hit "Wake Up (Next To You)" not here at YT? There's not even a live version. Is this the doing of WMG?

[fulltwoincher]

Going to see him at Pat Dinizio's birthday party in October. Can't wait!

[marasu66]

#manimold

[TheHughLundy]

Another instant classic from Greaham Parker brings back every every found memories of finishing secondary school..As much as I'm a fan of both Elvis Costello & Joe Jackson of the three Graham has the best singing voice.

[brinsleysgirl1980]

i never get tired of hearing this beautiful masterpiece of a song. thanks.

[brinsleysgirl1980]

I never get tired of listening to this beautiful masterpiece of a song.

[tvoh01]

yes I do

[11xzxzxz]

Come on Graham's lyrics are far too intelligent, cynical, and subtle for him to be popular with the masses.

[kevhead66]

@11xzxzxz I know. And what does that say about the masses

[11xzxzxz]

@kevhead66 If you know my blogs you know what I think about that. Parker's first two Mercury records had mercury poisoning and I still like his best of was it '89 to 92 .. side two is powerful. Parker really feels under-appreciated and angry about being ignored by the states, I think.

[kevhead66]

@11xzxzxz Yeah I dig Graham. I always loved this tune but didn't particularly like the album it fell on. Besides 60s psychedelia, the british pop from the late 70s and early 80s is my fav.

[11xzxzxz]

@kevhead66 Yeah I didn't like the album that Temp Beauty was on either. Thanks for complimenting my site. I appreciate it because I hardly get any compliments for my site that I think is really good if I do say so myself. And the 3 Replacements CDs you mentioned are my favorite. And don't tell a soul is maligned but I like it a lot. Hope to god it doesn't rain .. Graham really is a great lyricist.

[11xzxzxz]

@kevhead66 Nice site you have. I am a big Bill Hicks fan and then you got The Replacements (do you like Let it Be and later records too?) and Costello and a bit of everything that separates you from the masses. Good move

[kevhead66]

@11xzxzxz yep love your site dude. you got a little bit of everything and then some. I only recently discovered that live Replacements stuff, but am a fan of Let It Be, TIm and Please To Meet Me. Thanks for your complement

[tvoh01]

this warms me so tnxs for posting

[TheMarymc]

a girl I used to love gave this to me on a 45 back in the day. brilliant song. sounds like squeeze or maybe elvis costello...

[rbford]

I rememeber this one on M-TV back in the god old days....

[rbford]

I remember this video, I always like this one and Local Girls...I know he Graham Parker is still touring small venues from time to time..I missed him last year at the Woodbridge NJ show...he played to 150 people...the Woodbridge NJ shows are great !!!

[lol732]

Great performer!!!!! What ever happened to him?????? Got loads of his vinyl, going to have to play it more!!!!!

[utubepplz1]

graham parker is great,I can't believe he is not better known

[PiaggioCenter]

A beautifully composed piece of music, with pretty timeless appeal IMHO. I loved it when it was released, and it still sounds just as slick!

The video was the icing on the cake! (No pun, honest!)

[zelator90004]

A hidden diamond fron the 80s...the ultimate kiss-off to a narcissist...

[daves4mtb1]

@zelator90004 I never thought of it that way, but that makes perfect sense with the lyrics. I have a former girlfriend named Lisa who should listen to it. (snark)

[frankbelfast15]

Always loved this GP song. Can't find it on iTunes or Spotify. Any ideas fellow GP appreciators? Try GPs, "Back To Schooldays" & also covered by Dave Edmunds on his "Get It" album of '77. A minor classic.

[spideyfreak55]

Graham Parker is the BEST and he is still releasing vital important music with yet another CD coming out in april 2010!

[andreaprodan]

G Parker shone in a brief moment before Punk and New wave... and disappeared.

But his temporary beauty helped make my life richer! Thanks GP...

[brinsleysgirl1980]

This song always makes me tear up. The melody and the words are so beautiful.

[crowamonghens]

after the video shoot, he brought the ice scupture to a jewish wedding.

[ArchaicRevivalx2012]

screw you and the jews

[dandeexxxx]

Possibly the best video Ive ever seen

[pretorious700]

Funny, GP hated this album because of the sterile production, but it's one of my favorites. Great songs, even greater lyrics.

[RockC67]

One of his most beautiful songs. One of THE most beautiful songs! Graham and the Rumour were one of the most overlooked artists EVER.

[ecosmart123]

Great lyrics. GP was such a good song writer and greatly under appreciated in my opinion.

[dandeexxxx]

Absolutely-he saw things many of us will never see

[nyrvg]

Yeah.....what he (ecosmart123) said.

[Anet99]

Forgot about this song for a long time.... too long. Brings back such great memories. What a great, classic, dynamic, fantastic song and lyrics. Great days, they were. Temporary beauty.....

[Tahlock]

It looks like he really only had a carburizing flame going.

[carjaxxx]

HOW GREAT IS THiS

[bill3979]

Pretty fucking great, carjaxx.

[aquarius16th]

Thanx for posting the vid. GP is a legend & this song is awesome.

[eddiemetall]

I love this song and the video. I've only seen the video once before. All those years ago and it's stuck in my mind ever since. I loved this song so much I bought ten copies and gave them away to my friends.

[ballsandhoops]

Shit I remember this video saw it in 1982 on MTV!Geez MTV has come a long way since then

ALL DOWN-HILL,that is.

So sad to make the comparisons of today compared to back then.

Sadly,I guess it's a sign of the times-

[exproggo]

Is he still around? His voice has real substance

[wellspout]

cuts like a knife in the surgical tradition, where is gp anyway? we need him now...

[chorizo909]

Great song. I saw this when it first came on MTV(when MTV showed videos) and it represents a time and place..truly an 80s classic. What a blast to see this video again

[PhilFCUM]

Terrific song from an under-rated talent. I was 20 when this was released and the lyrics seem to sum up most girls of the same age that I knew at the time.

[bowiemott]

I agree. Of course the 80s were characterized by self-absorption, ostentation, and general superficiality that were at the foundation of the yuppie scene. Even those who detested that development had to deal with the consequences. Graham wrote this masterpiece that captured that period quite well.

[BlameItOnThePenguin]

the 2000's sadly aren't much different. -.- Everyone seems to think they have to put on a "super star" act and go around in flashy clothes and make a scene in the school halls. And the way the popular kids talk to their "friends is very odd, they either just flirt and talk about essentially nothing, or they just try to pick out each others faults and drop in a few sarcastic remarks while they're at it... It's like they aren't even selfless enough to have true friends. Oh well, good song :D

[priapus56]

Aaaahh! Man, you bring tears to my eyes almost cos I think you might be right...

[BlameItOnThePenguin]

Yeah, but no reason to get bitter over it.

[rudedog1960]

I wonder if Graham is still working on ice sculptures.

[wrjstuka]

good show mate! thanks for post ive got a bunch of old betas from the 80s got to find a machine to down load it all 80s were a good time for me it was my comin g of age i just joined the service

[postingoldtapes]

Are they North American Beta (NTSC)? If so, I have a working Beta deck.

[efnum1]

Awesome - I am so happy I found this. brings me back to my teenage years. Great tune - great video!

[shaqgrass]

This song is truly awesome. One of my all-time greatest early MTV vids. In retrospect, this video does seem semi-creepy although through rose-colored glassed it is a classic.

[cableboner]

This song was written wayyyyy before it's time. This man is a genius. Brings back memories thanks for posting.....I hope Paris & others are watching

[troubleizing121]

Love it! Thanks for putting this on here

[grahampl]

Parker is a God to me but this is after the record company dick-heads tried to turn him into the house wife's choice...

This is a great song but sounds best when heard live and acoustic..

[drobo74]

Thank U 4 posting this. reminds me when I was 8 years old.

[castingtherunes]

I love this video! Thank you for posting it.

[babylon122]

i saw him open for cheap trick in 79/80, and bought his record the next day

[Captlafl69]

i saw him too on that tour

[beefnliver]

Thanks for posting. Brings back memories when MTV was awesome!

[rainhaven]

He's a punk rocker. His lyrics are punk.

He told the truth and America couldn't handle the truth. Way ahead of his time.

[TornadoAnni]

I count Graham among my favourite singers,but...this vid is CREEEEEEEEPY!

[pinetar]

Well, my humble opinion is that Mr. Parker's singing is so fine, the song is first rate, so the video is fine, the music holds the show. Also, a songwriter's trick is to keep the music repetitive if you want to put the focus on the words, and the limited video stock puts the focus on the concept, which is temporary beauty, a play of all of us, because we are all fading out faster than we acknowledge...

[JohnEpi1973]

Graham Parker - Joe Jackson - Elvis Costello

The Clash - What else can anybody ask in music ?

[11xzxzxz]

@JohnEpi1973 I agree but if you are just talkin' English bands. You named the best of the seventies. Psychedelic Furs are good too.

[bucky468]

@JohnEpi1973 You forgot Robyn Hitchcock in addition to Elvis C, Joe Jackson, Clash & Graham. He came out about the same time.

[Fenslodger]

@JohnEpi1973

Not a lot. Perhaps The Undertones, Mr Weller pre millenium, and the mighty Feelgoods.

[bobfenster]

Thanks for posting this. I don't recall ever seeing it before. It's one of my favorite GP songs... though this video is really, really awful. I bet Graham wishes you hadn't posted it! :)

[postingoldtapes]

It's not bad at all compared to other videos of the time. Find a list of videos of the time and have a look at them and watch this one again.

[bobfenster]

Sorry, but I disagree. I can overlook the cheesy, singing-into-the-camera thing... it's basically three minutes of carving an ice statue. Okay, ice is temporary because it melts? I would have preferred even a literal depiction of the story to this.

[jimlaregina]

@bobfenster

I have every Graham Parker album not counting his concert titles. "Temporary Beauty is one of my favorites, too. But I don't agree this video is "really, really awful." It's not even awful. I like the concept but the budget it needs to do justice to the idea ain't there.

[sgm1260]

I see no similarity between Graham and Costello, totally different and great in their own way!

[linmaisun]

Ah..this takes me back to when I was a girl in 1982. I always thought it was about me... Thanks for the posting

[lisargentina]

@linmaisun

Me too. I don't think this is a song about a narcissist at all. I think it's a sad song and I used to cry sometimes hearing it. It's like, without my makeup who or what am I? Even though he sings it as a put down, I've always been amazed at how he could peer into a woman's psyche like that.

[andreaprodan]

Good old Graham P. Saw him in Rome many a year ago... he got caught in the pub´rock to Punk rock transition, or something... sort of tripping between escalators...

bless him and thanx.

[MOTOPAC]

Notice that the blade brakes when he smacks the ice with it.

[MOTOPAC]

What a terrific songwriter.

[rickfdellow]

Yeah, why isn't this guy famous? his music guided me into adulthood. Success in the music biz must be based on something other than talent. Thanks for posting.

[redmunson15]

I have been asking myself that question for the last 25 years.. I actually prefer his voice to his contemporaries (Costello, Jackson) and I honestly believe that if you matched his top 10 singles to Costello's there would be little difference. I was fortunate to see him play once during the Mona Lisa tour; which I think is an amazing record as well....

[mrgb46]

A very underrated singer/songwriter that deserves a wider audience..Get the cd HOWLING WIND.

[gibson231]

very elvis costello-esqe...

[seaneff]

Wow, way cool to see this again. This is just an amazing song, really, like so many of his. Why even those in the know don't trumpet his talents is beyond me.

[kkamins]

great stuff ... excellent song.

[jrebstock]

graham always under rated....he is there with jackson, costello and zevon as a singer writer.

[nothankyoumam]

Great video. I can't belive most people still don't know who he is.

[Gerkinstock]

Wow, I haven't seen this in 20 years!

[RaveOnDaveRaveOn]

Superb! I love "Another Grey Area"...

Crying for attention,

Dave Klug

[mister7]

I remember this video on late at night, even before I knew he was. I guess it worked.

[postingoldtapes]

Glad to help! He's not gotten much, if any, airplay in the US. Any videos here will help.

[pharmageek]

Amen! Other than a late night public-tv performance w/old band, The Rumour, around '81, never saw much of GP on tv. He comes to Portland, OR a lot either for an acoustic set or w/his current band when he has a new album, but for mostly, our local jazz station really plays material he's covered on blues artists' tributes. Nowadays, he's home in the UK more often, & plays rugby on a semi-pro basis-a long time passion he'd had.

[ccyt]

no, he's lived mostly in the US (upstate NY) for at least 15 years.

[sloaf]

awesome ,thanks