Song of the Day 3/27: Graham Parker, “That’s What They All Say”

This one’s for all the MAGAts who either don’t realize or want to ignore that they’re in a cult.

“That’s What They All Say” was the second track on “Heat Treatment,” Parker’s second LP with backing band the Rumour, released in 1976. The tune is usually described as a Dylanesque put-down, but the production by Mutt Lange gives it a buoyancy belying the misanthropic bent that emerged more fully in much of Parker’s later career.

Though he’s often lumped in with Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson as the angry young men of the British new wave, Parker slightly predates both of them. The tune’s solos by Brinsley Schwartz on guitar and Rob Andrews on organ demonstrate their roots in pub rock, which was more about having a good time than railing against the world.