John Parr
English musician (born 1952)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Stephen Parr (born 18 November 1952) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and BAFTA qualitying film director best known for his 1985 single "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" for the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire, charting at No.1 in the US and No.6 in the UK, and for his 1984 U.S. No.6 rock single "Naughty Naughty".[2] He has written and performed 12 major motion picture theme songs, including the themes for Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. Parr was nominated for a Grammy award for "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985.[3]
18 November 1952[1]
- Singer-songwriter
- musician
John Parr | |
|---|---|
Parr performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | John Stephen Parr 18 November 1952[1] Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Origin | Sherwood Forest, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Website | johnparr |
Career
"Naughty Naughty" was Parr's first US Top 40 hit record, reaching No.23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. In 1985, Parr toured with his band "The Business" supporting Toto, his first show with Toto at Carowinds Paladium (Charlotte, North Carolina), and playing 10,000-seat venues across America.[4] By the end of the tour, David Foster asked Parr to record a song for the film St. Elmo's Fire. Parr and Foster wrote "St. Elmo's Fire" in honour of wheelchair athlete and activist Rick Hansen; it became the theme to St. Elmo's Fire[5] (a "Brat Pack" film unrelated to Hansen's life or achievements).[6][7]
Parr later wrote "Under a Raging Moon" with Julia Downes for Roger Daltrey,[6] a song that paid tribute to Keith Moon and told the story of the Who.
Parr was soon singing with Marilyn Martin on the song "Through the Night", from the Quicksilver soundtrack (1986). Parr wrote and produced further tracks for Martin's debut album, including the hit "Night Moves". A year later, he wrote and sang the title songs "The Minute I Saw You", from Three Men and a Baby soundtrack, and the power ballad "Restless Heart" (a.k.a. "Running Away with You (Restless Heart)"), from The Running Man soundtrack (this song was re-released on the album Man with a Vision). After the success of Meat Loaf's album, Parr contributed to the next album with the hit duet "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries".[5]
In 1989, Parr performed "The Best a Man Can Get" for the Gillette Super Bowl XXIII commercial, which he co-wrote with composer Jake Holmes.[7] He released a recording of the song as "The Best" in 2013.[8]
On 20 July 2007, Parr and his band opened for Bryan Adams at the Keepmoat Stadium in Parr's home town Doncaster.[9]
In 2012, Parr released a revised version of "St. Elmo's Fire" entitled "Tim Tebow's Fire". It included the following lyrics: "You know I’m out there/Down on one knee/A prisoner/And I'm tryin' to break free".[3]
Filmaker Parr wrote and produced "Road To Damascus" which came 7th at the Academy Awards in the Best Short category
Discography
Studio albums
- John Parr (1984)
- Running the Endless Mile (1986)
- Man with a Vision (1992)
- Under Parr (1996)
- The Mission (2012)
Live albums
- Letter to America (2011)
Soundtrack albums
- Paris (1989)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] |
US | US Rock | AUS [11] | |||
| 1984 | "Naughty Naughty" | 58 | 23 | 6 | — | John Parr |
| 1985 | "Magical" | — | 73 | 28 | — | |
| "St. Elmo's Fire" | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack | |
| "Love Grammar" | — | 89 | — | — | John Parr | |
| 1986 | "Don't Leave Your Mark on Me" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries" (with Meat Loaf) | 31 | — | — | — | Blind Before I Stop | |
| "Blame It on the Radio" | — | 88 | — | — | Running the Endless Mile | |
| "Two Hearts" | 104[12] | — | — | — | ||
| "Running the Endless Mile" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Restless Heart" | — | — | — | — | The Running Man soundtrack |
| 1990 | "Always on my Mind" | — | — | — | — | Butterbrot soundtrack |
| 1991 | "Westward Ho" | — | — | — | — | Go Trabi Go soundtrack |
| 1992 | "Man with a Vision" | — | — | — | — | Man with a Vision |
| "It's Startin' All Over Again" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "The River Runs Deep" | — | — | — | — | Under Parr |
| 1996 | "Size of the Boat" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Secrets" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "St. Elmo's Fire" (re-recording) | 81[13] | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "New Horizon" (remix of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" as "John Parr vs. Tommyknockers") |
43 | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Walking Out of the Darkness" | 155 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | "The Minute I Saw You" | — | — | — | — | |
Various Artists The Anti-Heroin Project. Charity Single produced by Charles Foskett.
Guest appearances: John Parr, Elkie Brooks, Bonnie Tyler, Nik Kershaw, Holly Johnson, Kim Wilde, Hazel O'Connor, Cliff Richard, Robin Gibb, Mike Peters and others.
| Year | Single | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Live-In World" (The Anti-Heroin Project) | 142[14] |