John Paar a Naughty Naught One Hit Wonder

Who is John Parr? Where did this guy come from?- Cousin Brucie Morrow. I remember he introduced the song “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” with those words on his countdown show on 101.1Fm in 1986. Somewhere sometime someone thought Cousin Brucie was funny and radio programmers believed it. 

He wasn’t.

However John Parr is one of the most famous one hit wonders of modern music. As with most one hit wonders, he actually had a bigger and diverse career than one hit in the Top 10. He first broke into American music with the song “Naughty Naughty.” 

What most modern songwriters don’t get, you don’t have to get explicit to be raunchy and fun. Actually it’s more fun to let the listener put the pieces together. Parr does that in”Naughty Naughty.” 

“I put my hand on your stocking. Let my fingers do the walking and there ain’t far to go.” That was 1986 raunchy. You know what’s happening without details or moans in the background. 

“Then you tell me you don’t wannna be a girl like that.”

So it stops there. What a beginning! In the song, he’s a naughty guy. There are car sounds, slide guitars and a rocking beat. 

Be 14 years old and it is all the things boys think about, other than sports. 

The song hit the mid-Top 40. The next song was “St. Elmo’s Fire.” It was used in an forgettable movie, but the song lasts. The song was from a charity event and it was used in the movie. The song inspiring and timeless. Go to Parr’s website www.johnparr.net and there are clips of the song. 

That was the one hit. Parr also wrote “Under a Raging Moon” for Roger Daltrey. He wrote for movies and other singers. His career continued through the nineties and was successful enough that he could retire young. 

He returned to music to play the nostalgia circuit. You’ll hear both these songs.